Parking Fees

It's more expensive now to get a divorce in Colorado and register an all-terrain vehicle in Maine, and it may soon cost more to buy ammunition in California and visit a brothel in Nevada. State politicians, loath to raise income and sales taxes, are adopting new fees and "nickel-and-dime" taxes, or increasing old ones, to generate tens of millions of dollars across the nation to make up budget deficits without angering the public.

A Walnut liquor store owner who was pushed out of his sport utility vehicle at Ontario International Airport by a carjacker became entangled in his seat belt and was dragged for more than two miles to his death, authorities said. More than 40 people watched helplessly as Seok Young Rhee, 55, struggled to cling to the side of his Chevrolet Suburban as the carjacker sped down Airport Drive on Monday evening, authorities said. Witnesses shouted and screamed at the driver to stop.

Re "Agile Minds in Idle Cars," Nov. 23: It should be obvious to everyone by now that California freeway construction will never be able to keep pace with the increase in the automobile population. I have driven over much of Europe, where $5-a-gallon fuel is the norm. With the average European car much smaller than U.S. cars, congestion and parking in cities are as bad or worse than what we experience. Their mass transportation systems are much better than ours but, politically, mass transit has given way to the automobile.

The voice came as if from a burning bush. Come on up to Temple and Grand. See the truth and the light; all sins shall be forgiven. So one night after work, this former altar boy cruised by the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for a sneak peek, glad to beat the crowds that are expected on opening day next week. Conveniently, there's a parking garage under the administration building. As I pulled in, I saw a sign that said the fee is $2.50 for every 20 minutes, with a $12 maximum.

Squeezed by higher costs and fewer passengers since Sept. 11, John Wayne Airport will boost parking fees to $17 a day, up from $11, and raise hangar and aircraft storage fees, starting April 1. Orange County supervisors approved the changes Tuesday, citing higher insurance, security and operating costs. "The public-safety costs at our airport have gone up dramatically, and it's our job to cover that," Supervisor Todd Spitzer said. "Airports will never be the same again."

Gleaming bridges and jam-packed cable cars are the most famous symbols of this crowded, bustling town. But after enduring decades of perceived indifference, the pedestrians of San Francisco are gaining significant ground in their efforts to make the city more walkable. Steeper parking fines, especially for drivers who block the sidewalks, took effect Jan. 1. Crosswalks have been painted brilliant yellow near schools and other areas with heavy walking traffic.

Los Angeles airport commissioners tonight will consider sharp increases in the cost of parking at Los Angeles International Airport and decide if airport concessions will get nearly $9.5 million in rent relief because of the decline in business after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The price of self parking at garages in the LAX central terminal area would leap from $24 to $35 a day--an increase of almost 46%--under a proposal made public Monday by the city's airport department.

Parking fees at UC Santa Barbara may go up as much as $15 per month, to $50--a 43% increase. Administrators say the fees must rise to cover the cost of constructing needed buildings. "Parking is something essential for our jobs," said Mario Garcia, a professor of history and Chicano studies. "We should not be charged one penny for our jobs." The proposed increase would help finance a $26-million stacked structure to replace an existing flat parking lot.

At the urging of Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn, who's trying to divert more passengers from LAX to Ontario, airport officials in Ontario decided Tuesday to rethink a plan to increase parking rates. Hahn sent a letter to the Los Angeles Airport Commission on Monday that called for lowering landing fees and parking rates at Ontario International Airport, spending $1 million more for national marketing and starting a shuttle bus.

I entered Los Angeles Central Library at 2 p.m. and left the library at 7:30 p.m. Parking cost: $28.05. The library was way underused in comparison with the weekends. Really empty. Staff doing very little. I had a true library experience, though. Went in search of books on Plato's Symposium, one of the more important works of our Western civilization. Found books, which I took out, that I did not know about, except for their being on a shelf next to books I did know about. What a joy!