The Evidence

Here it is, the Hummer driven by Jaime de la Vega, L.A.'s deputy mayor for transportation. To readers who have defended him on the basis of this being a smallish Hummer model, the H3, are you kidding?

The Hummer is a symbol of consumptive excess, whether it's the mid-size SUV model or not. The H3 is rated at 16 mpg in the city, and the idea of a transit chief behind the wheel, or, say, a governor, is somewhere between irresponsible and obscene. Is it any worse than driving any other mid-size SUV? Not much, but yes. The Hummer, originally designed for military use, makes a statement. It is not the statement a transit chief ought to be making, especially when global warming is a growing concern and lives are being sacrificed at war, in part to protect our right to burn as much fossil fuel as we please -- Steve Lopez.

Share Your Pain

Regarding the Hummer:

Many have asked if Jaime de la Vega's choice of wheels is being financed by taxpayers. The word from Matt Szabo, press secretary to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, is no. Szabo says de la Vega has never requested or received reimbursement for car expenses.

Regardless, it's hard to believe he's still got it, and even harder to believe the mayor hasn't called him aside and told him to wake up. De la Vega might be able to get away all this if he were some kind of transit genius. But the guy was pro-bus under Mayor Dick Riordan, he's pro-train under Villaraigosa, and we can only hope the next mayor doesn't like the horse and buggy.