Local Government

ramadi, iraq -- Save for the thick black brows stamped across his forehead, Sheik Ahmed Buzaigh Abu Risha bears little resemblance to his younger brother Sattar, the dashing sheik with the arresting eyes who was one of the most recognizable allies of U.S. forces in Iraq. Where Sattar, who was killed in a bomb blast last month, was sharp-edged and lean, Ahmed is soft and round. Where Sattar was at ease in the limelight, Ahmed seems introverted.

BAKERSFIELD -- Next time you see God in City Hall, you might have Jacquie Sullivan to thank -- or blame, depending on your point of view. Five years ago, the Bakersfield City Council member lobbied hard to get "In God We Trust" displayed over the city's seal in the council's meeting room.

Maria Ortiz's civic awakening began when her husband fired a pistol into their front yard to ward off a gang member who had insulted him. Jose Ortiz hailed from a mountain village in Durango, Mexico, where residents were sometimes forced to take matters into their own hands because law enforcement was so far away. But Ortiz was no longer in rural Mexico, and he spent time in jail for his actions. The gang member and his cohorts laughed at the Ortizes.

Financial trouble at a huge Florida fund that invested cash for the state's municipalities has turned the spotlight on similar funds nationwide, including in California. But managers of the California funds say they own little or none of the kind of dicey short-term IOUs that have sent investors fleeing from the Florida fund, causing authorities there to halt withdrawals Thursday.

Every so often this reporter takes mass transit to work. Rarely do such good deeds go unpunished. Take, for example, the events of Tuesday morning. Having almost completed the pleasant walk from Union Station to The Times' office in City Hall, it was hard to overlook a gaggle of officials roasting in the sun at the corner of Main and Temple. A dais and easel were there, too, meaning only one thing.

Let's begin with the quote of the week, courtesy of Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl: "My plan is to be alive when the subway to the sea happens." It's hard to knock such a plan. It may also be worth noting that Rosendahl is 62, and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show that his life expectancy is about 81. In other words, subway proponents and Rosendahl should mark the year 2026 on their calendars.

The sheiks and other local leaders rattled off requests to an Iraqi army commander and U.S. military officers one recent morning. One asked where the tower was that he had been promised for the checkpoint guarded by his tribesmen. Another said his checkpoint lacked basic supplies, such as sandbags. Yet another demanded more men to staff his checkpoint, and asked for extra cash to pay them. The Iraqi army commander, Amman Ibrahim Mansur, a tall burly man, calmly addressed his 20 or so guests.

A few weeks ago we wrote about a little plan being hatched by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority: They'd like to begin charging motorists to use carpool lanes on stretches of three freeways in Los Angeles County. The idea is called congestion pricing and it would affect stretches of the 110 south of downtown and the 10 and 210 in San Gabriel Valley. Single-occupant vehicles would pay the most, with lower prices for carpoolers. The price would vary depending on traffic.

Dozens of states, counties and cities across the nation will enter the new year facing deep and unexpected budget holes as the widening mortgage crisis cuts sharply into tax revenue. Elected officials, scrambling to adjust, are trimming money for public schools, reducing grants to help the homeless, even asking police to dry-clean their uniforms less often. "We're talking about a pretty tough fiscal environment for the next four or five years," said Christopher W.

Overtime for workers processing a deluge of food-stamp applications. A satellite dish to bring Internet access to a summer-camp-turned-shelter. New textbooks and teachers. Dialysis. Chemotherapy. Security deposits for rented apartments. As they plan budgets for 2006, officials in Texas, Georgia, Arkansas and elsewhere are first calculating the costs of providing for hundreds of thousands of people displaced by Hurricane Katrina. They've come up with some daunting numbers -- and questions.