12,297 Tickets Are Being Sent Out Because Of Those New Toll Lanes

http://laist.com/2012/11/28/12297_people_are_already_getting_ti.php

We've told you that if you want to ride in the new toll lanes on the 110 Freeway just south of downtown, you need to buy a transponder. But (unshockingly) not everyone has gotten the memo.

Since the new lanes opened up on November 10, Metro has sent out 12,297 tickets to drivers who were caught taking new toll lanes without using a transponder, according to Zev Yaroslavsky's website (h/t Curbed LA).

CHP Sergeant Terry Liu said, "A lot of [drivers] don't understand that every vehicle has to have a transponder regardless of whether or not you satisfy the car pool requirement. We are seeing people crossing over the double white lines, and then, when we pull them over, we notice they have no transponder."

For now, Metro is only charging drivers for whatever it would have cost them to pay the toll if they were solo drivers. Those 12,297 tickets will cost drivers $18,358, so it averages to about $1.50 a ticket. Along with a ticket, they're sending an application to get a transponder (here's more information about how much it costs).

Stephanie Wiggins, the project manager for Metro, said, "If they apply, they can get a waiver of the penalty. We want good customers, good transactions. It's partly a marketing tool."

Rights and NSM Attacked By Anti’s In L.A.

“Nazis go home,” about 40 white supremacists stood and waved swastika flags at a rally closely monitored by the Los Angeles Police Department.
“We are tired of you clogging up our streets,” shouted one white supremacist, who belongs to the group National Socialist Movement. Another group member denounced illegal aliens repeatedly, saying, “If the city supports illegal aliens and criminals, that is treason.”
Several fights preceded the appearance of the supremacist group. One involved a man holding a sign with flames and a swastika. The man, who was carrying a bullhorn, was suddenly rushed by a mob of counter- demonstrators and beaten near the corner of Spring and 1st streets.
The man, who appeared to be in his 30s, was punched in the face and kicked for about 20 seconds by protesters, many of them wearing bandannas.
About a dozen police in riot gear rushed from near City Hall, running straight into the center of the mob.
“Police!” members of the mob screamed, running down Spring Street.
Once police broke up the mob, the man with the sign began running south on Spring Street. One man caught up with him and slugged him in the face; he collapsed and his face hit the curb. He was quickly surrounded by a mob again until police caught up and pushed the counter-protesters away with their batons.More

3 White Teachers Removed From Class Over Black Hero Choices

Three Los Angeles elementary school teachers accused of giving children portraits of O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul to carry in a Black History Month parade have been removed from their classrooms,
Children from other classes at the school displayed photos of more appropriate black role models, such as Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman and President Barack Obama,
District Superintendent Ramon Cortines placed the teachers — all white men who teach first, second and fourth grades — on administrative leave on Tuesday while an investigation is conducted, Pollard-Terry said.
“The superintendent will not let anyone make a mockery out of Black History Month,” she said.
The issue was brought to district officials’ attention by the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP after the organization received a complaint early Monday, chapter President Leon Jenkins said.
Jenkins said he felt the teachers acted in concert to mock black heroes and children’s innocence.
“These are not the people we want our young people to emulate or believe these people represent the best of the African-American community,” Jenkins said. “It’s hard for the NAACP to believe this was a mistake.”
Simpson, a former NFL star, is serving a nine-year prison sentence for robbery and kidnapping. He was famously acquitted in 1995 of murdering his ex-wife and her friend.
RuPaul is a drag queen performer.
Rodman, a former NBA star, has gained notoriety for bad boy behavior on and off the basketball court.
Some parents at the school on Wednesday said the issue was overblown. Sharon Tinson, who has two daughters at the school and attended Friday’s celebration, said she had been surprised to see Simpson displayed in the parade. But she noted that Simpson, like Rodman, was a great athlete before falling from grace. RuPaul simply has an alternative lifestyle, she added.  She noted the event also included a tribute to pop singer Michael Jackson, who has also had a checkered career.More