UCLA, it looks like it’s time for me to say goodbye ““ two quarters earlier than I expected.

As a longtime L.A. resident and former commuter to UCLA, I can attest to the challenges of using the Metro bus system in a city whose traffic yields to no one.

Last week, in a remarkable move toward ending Los Angeles’ traffic plague, L.A. County officials approved a 30-year transportation plan for an estimated $300 billion, which includes arrangements for a Westside subway.

I appreciate UCLA’s high degree of school spirit.

With the U.S. government’s recent interest in health-care reform, calorie counting has gone beyond the habits of the Real Housewives and is now an issue of national concern. The Labeling Education and Nutrition Act of 2009 aims to reduce the problems of obesity and associated medical conditions by mandating that restaurants provide nutritional information on their menus.

Last month, the California state budget closed a $24-billion gap, which slashed funding for new textbooks. The Board of Education won’t approve new books for kindergarten through eighth grade until at least January 2016, and budget restraints have forced school districts, such as the Los Angeles Unified School District, to halt orders for new high school textbooks.

Last month, the city of Santa Monica took a disappointing step backward in the fight for alternative energy by issuing a superficial ordinance that aims to reduce the visibility of existing solar panels.

Michael Jackson’s memorial service was not only a disconcerting demonstration of Los Angeles’ celebrity fanaticism and largesse, but a clear indication of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s inability to get a handle on Los Angeles’ budget problem.

Last month, the House passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act, or the Waxman-Markey energy bill, a flawed but progressive piece of legislation that is aimed at reducing America’s carbon emissions in the fight against climate change.

As the University of California system faces $619 million in across-the-board budget cuts, here’s an idea to level the fiscal playing field for higher education: Raise community college fees.