Speaks out

Given Antonio Villaraigosa’s recent election as mayor,
what do you think he’ll be able to do in terms of Los
Angeles’ transportation system? Caitlin Connell
Third-year, sociology “I didn’t particularly
follow any of his promises about that. In my earlier years, I would
have loved to see something like his subway proposal happen. Now I
have a car, so I’m just contributing to the mess of traffic.
But I think especially for students who don’t have cars,
they’ll appreciate it.” Brenda Robles
Second-year, sociology and Chicana/o studies “In
terms of transportation, I think he’s going to focus a lot
more on it just because he knows Latino needs. A lot of Latinos
need transportation, of course, because of lack of cars, so I think
that’s going to be a big focus.” Kevin Kim
Research assistant, pharmacology “I don’t know
too much about transportation, but I don’t think he’ll
be able to improve much. I haven’t heard anything convincing
from him. The thing about California compared to other big cities
is that everyone has a car, and everyone would rather drive, so I
don’t think he can do much.” Tony Lawson UCLA
alumnus “To be honest, I don’t think
there’s anything we can do. I don’t think the people
who planned Los Angeles planned for the size it is, because there
aren’t any good mass transit systems. So I don’t think
there’s anything he can do, other than maybe offer incentives
for carpools.”