Bullets

Until recently, very few people had ever heard of raspberry ketones, the aromatic compounds that give the berries their distinctive smell. Today, health food stores have trouble keeping the capsules or drops of the stuff on their shelves. Almost overnight, an obscure plant compound became the next big thing in weight loss - and all it took was a few words from Dr. Oz. In a February episode of "The Dr. Oz Show," Mehmet Oz told viewers that raspberry ketones were "the No. 1 miracle in a bottle to burn your fat. " Once Oz calls something a "miracle," it doesn't remain obscure for long.

SACRAMENTO - Releasing his latest budget plan this week, Gov. Jerry Brown repeated his assurance that the tax hikes voters agreed to last fall were enough, that he won't ask them to dig deeper into their pockets any time soon. "We just got a nice tax," he said. "I think we ought to take a deep breath and show how we are spending it in a wise way before we start looking for more money. " But even before Brown spoke, lawmakers were testing him. They have been forging ahead with proposals to tax Californians more - on every can of soda, cigarette, plastic grocery store bag and bullet.

Taxing ammunition to pay for health care (Nov. 4) is an idea that's right on target. JEAN ASKHAM Fullerton

The California bullet train agency on Thursday defended its bidding criteria for selecting the winner for its first construction contract, saying that the process held down prices and was handled properly. The California High-Speed Rail Authority has come under fire from critics who assert changes to the bidding criteria could jeopardize the quality of the project. The authority tentatively chose a team led by Sylmar-based Tutor Perini to build a 29-mile segment of track through Fresno even though it had the lowest technical score.

There's a bull market for bullets. Stacks of ammo, once piled high at gun shops across America, have dwindled. Prices paid by consumers for much-sought-after Winchester .380-caliber handgun bullets have doubled. At weekend gun shows, trailers loaded with boxes of ammunition are drained within hours. Budget-pressed police departments, which can't be caught short, have increased their orders just to be safe, and the U.S. military, fighting two wars, has seen its need for bullets quadruple in recent years.

The Washington Bullets cut 7-foot-1 center William Bedford Monday after he had missed three of his four scheduled practices because of what he said was a hamstring pull. "We decided that Bedford just didn't fit into our plans," General Manager John Nash said. Bedford's official stay with the Bullets lasted less than three days. Bedford, a former Memphis State standout, was obtained in a trade last week from the Clippers.

On the issue of the proliferation of guns in Los Angeles and our society in general, one must realize what we're up against. Thousands, perhaps millions, of handguns are in irresponsible hands. Then there's the powerful National Rifle Assn. lobby, blind to the human toll its efforts have wrought, and wealthy enough to stay the course until the last dog is dead. Clearly, nothing short of martial law and house searches will abate this plague, so there is only one answer: Guns don't kill people, bullets do. If we can't eliminate the guns, legislation must be enacted to change the nature and content of today's bullets.

In all discussion of the carnage wrought by the 200 million guns in these United States, all we seem to hear is "gun control." I think we are missing the point. It's too late to control guns by controlling manufacture and sales. So let's consider this: "Guns don't kill people . . . bullets do!" An unloaded gun is not a dangerous weapon, so let's limit or reduce or eliminate the manufacture of ammunition. Let's drastically restrict the sale of bullets and perhaps lay a huge tax on them as well; 200 million guns are not so terrifying if only a few of them are loaded.

James Hahn's article telling how easy it is for kids to obtain guns is scary (Commentary, May 31). Why not make it difficult to get bullets? Crooks can't make their own bullets--particularly for such a precision machine as an automatic weapon. A fast, positive deterrent to gun murder would be this: A government inspector would be stationed at the shell factory to monitor each shipment. An application approved by a police department would be required by every vendor of bullets. INGRID RALSTON Los Angeles L.A. City Atty.

Re "Back in the Wild, Condors Succumb to Old Nemesis: Lead," June 10: Banning the use of lead bullets on public lands can help save not only endangered condors but people and the environment. Spent bullets from recreational shooting are one of the major sources of lead pollution in the United States. A typical outdoor shooting range can become contaminated to Superfund levels after just a few years' use. Despite the costly problems of cleaning up abandoned sites, protecting nearby water from lead contamination and treating lead-poisoned kids, many cities, counties, parks districts and other jurisdictions throughout California maintain shooting ranges, at least in part with public funds.

California's bullet train agency is facing a series of new regulatory and political problems that could jeopardize its July construction kickoff, which already has been delayed more than six months. The new challenges are coming from a private railroad that controls a key right of way, a legislative committee delving into contracting issues and a powerful federal agency asserting authority over the project. The rail agency is beginning to make purchase offers for land around Fresno and says it still plans to start building this summer.

Re "Bullet train bid rules altered," April 19 Thanks to The Times for letting us know that a troubled bid led by Sylmar-based Tutor Perini might win the contract to build the first phase of California's high-speed rail system against much more experienced contractors. A nyone who has taken Spain's high-speed train knows how superb these machines are, and two companies with extensive high-speed rail experience in Spain (Ferrovial and Acciona) also submitted bids. But our High-Speed Rail Authority rewrites rules, plays with our safety and might entrust this project to a firm that has been troubled by lawsuits and bids that were way off interim and final costs.

State high-speed rail officials acknowledged Thursday that they changed their rules for selecting a builder for the bullet train's first phase in the Central Valley, a shift that subsequently made it possible for a consortium led by Sylmar-based Tutor Perini to be ranked as the top candidate despite receiving the lowest technical rating. The California High-Speed Rail Authority announced last week that the Tutor Perini-Zachry-Parsons joint venture was the top-rated contender among five bidders seeking to build the initial 29 miles of track between Madera and Fresno.

A lawsuit alleging that approval of the high-speed rail system's first sections in the Central Valley violated state environmental laws was settled Thursday, eliminating a legal obstacle that could have delayed construction. A Sacramento County Superior Court judge approved an agreement that calls for the California High-Speed Rail Authority to further reduce the project's effects on farming operations, preserve agricultural land and provide additional compensation for landowners.

There's a short piece of Bay Area freeway, Interstate 380, named for Quentin Kopp, which is ironic considering that he's beaten the drum for public transit - specifically bullet trains - for years. But then again, he's always been a contrarian, as a Superior Court judge, a San Francisco supervisor and a state senator. He also headed the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The man nicknamed the "Great Dissenter" is dissenting now over the course of his beloved bullet train, created on paper in 2008 with a bond measure, Proposition 1A. Its prospects have been slowed considerably by lawsuits, the latest from the state itself, a preemptive bring-it-on legal action called High-Speed Rail Authority vs. All Persons Interested.

A bill that would create a nickel-per-bullet tax to pay for mental health programs aimed at reducing gun violence hit a roadblock in a legislative committee Monday. The Assembly Revenue and Taxation Committee put AB 760 on "suspense" where it will be required to undergo more study on its financial effects before it can be reconsidered. Assemblyman  Roger Dickinson (D-Sacramento) said he is hopeful his bill will be able to make it to the Assembly floor. He said it is a response to the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut that killed 20 children and six adults.

Stirring up new ill will with authorities in Okinawa, the U.S. military acknowledged with regret that its jets mistakenly fired 1,520 bullets containing depleted uranium during shooting practice near the island, then waited a year before notifying Japan. U.S. officials said the bullets posed no environmental or health threat. It wasn't clear why they waited until Jan. 16 to tell Japan about the gunfire at a firing range on an uninhabited coral island in late 1995 and early 1996.

Gov. Jerry Brown's trade mission to China this week is intersecting with one of the most controversial issues of his governorship: California's $68-billion bullet train. The governor has staked part of his legacy on the rail network, a centerpiece of his vision for California. He is hoping that China, which is enjoying an economic boom and spent $77.6 billion on overseas investments last year, according to official figures, will pump some of its cash into the troubled project. Joins us at 9 a.m. as we discuss Brown's trip with Times reporter Anthony York.

The top candidate to build the first 29 miles of California's bullet train in the Central Valley bid just under $1 billion, below the state's estimates of the cost, high-speed rail officials announced Friday. The California High Speed Rail Authority said the Tutor Perini/Zachry/Parsons joint venture submitted a bid of about $985 million and was ranked first out of five competitors. The team offered the “apparent best value” based on price and technical proposals, officials said.