Disneyland Duck Races turn It’s a Small World into the world’s biggest bathtub — See photos

• July 7, 2023

Hundreds of yellow rubber ducks decorated to look like Spider-Man, Maleficent, Madame Leota, Kermit the Frog and even Donald Trump waded around the It’s a Small World waterway in the annual Disneyland Duck Races.

The 2023 Disneyland Duck Races around the Small World canal were held on Friday, July 7 before the Anaheim theme park opened to the public.

SEE ALSO: Disneyland resets Oogie Boogie Bash ticket launch after epic tech failure

The loop around Small World took the fastest ducks about 15 minutes — pushed along by the same water flow that propels the attraction’s boats.

Disneyland Duck Races at It’s a Small World. (Provided to SCNG)

The annual race that started just after 6 a.m. with a group launch of hundreds of rubber duckies turned the classic Disneyland boat ride attraction into the world’s largest bathtub.

Disneyland visitors at the park on Friday may spot a few stragglers in the Small World canal that didn’t reach the finish line.

Good luck little ducks! #disneycastlife pic.twitter.com/3wKsJ3lVw1

— ktina (@chandutailz) July 7, 2023

The rubber ducks were hand-painted and bedazzled for the competition in Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel and theme park attraction designs by Disneyland cast members — Disney parlance for employees.

Disneyland Duck Race at It’s a Small World. (Provided to SCNG)

Design categories ranged from “Most Like Donald Duck” to “Least Sea-Worthy.”

The “Most Disney Themed” category featured some of the most elaborate creations — including Hunchquack of Notre Dame, Toy Story Claw Machine and an animated Beauty and the Beast ballroom dance scene.

It was a great morning for a duck race! #disneycastlife pic.twitter.com/SstNOFHzBN

— ktina (@chandutailz) July 7, 2023

“Most Creative” was also a showcase category with ducks sitting inside Mad Tea Party teacups, Haunted Mansion doom buggies and Splash Mountain logs.

Captain America, Spider-Man, Black Panther and Ahsoka Tano ducks were among the highlights in the “Superhero” category.

A Maleficent dragon floating in a pond of fiery gold glitter and a duck weighed down by a massive anchor lived up to the title of “Least Sea-Worthy.”

The “Most Like Donald Duck” category featured the irascible fowl blowing his top, a trio of ducks dressed up to look like the Three Caballeros and even a Donald Trump duck with a distinctive orange pompadour.

Disneyland Duck Races in 2022 at It’s a Small World. (Disney)

SEE ALSO: Disneyland crews install ‘Big Hero 6’ towers on San Fransokyo bridge — See photos

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There was no shortage of creativity or inspiration. Ducks were incorporated into everything from Madame Leota’s crystal ball and the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique salon and the Cozy Cone Motel food court.

Awards were handed out for first, second and last place in the race as well as in each of the appearance-based categories. Cast members were encouraged to post photos and videos of the competition and designs to social media using #DisneyCastLife.

An entry in the Disneyland Duck Race at It’s a Small World. (Provided to SCNG)

The Disneyland Duck Races began in 2008 as a friendly competition among Small World employees before expanding to all cast members in 2011. Proceeds from entry fees will be donated to the My Day Counts nonprofit organization that offers life and work training to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

​ Orange County Register 

Wimbledon: Andy Murray falls to Stefanos Tsitsipas after 5 sets and 2 days

• July 7, 2023

WIMBLEDON, England — Andy Murray didn’t know.

As he was asked to dissect his loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round of Wimbledon – a rollicking five-setter that lasted more than 4½ hours spread over two days before a packed Centre Court filled with thousands of his closest and loudest friends – Murray started answers to question after question at his news conference Friday with some variation of that theme.

It was, likely, a verbal crutch, something used to gather his thoughts before offering a more complete response. It also embodied the uncertainty that seems to surround a former No. 1 player who owns three Grand Slam titles, two at the All England Club, but also is now 36 and with an artificial hip after two operations.

Was it harder to accept this 7-6 (3), 6-7 (2), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 defeat, given both how close it was and all he’s been through? “I don’t know, to be honest,” Murray’s reply began.

Did the match change because it was suspended Thursday at 10:40 p.m., right after he’d taken a two-sets-to-one lead, because rules prevent play after 11 p.m.? “I don’t know, to be honest.”

How frustrating was it that the contest was put on hold for nearly 18 hours? “Well, you never know what would have happened.”

Does the player ahead in that circumstance want to keep playing, while the player trailing prefers to stop? “I don’t know.”

Will he return to Wimbledon next year? “I don’t know.”

“I’m obviously very disappointed just now. You never know how many opportunities you’re going to get to play here,” Murray said. “The defeats, maybe feel a bit tougher. But, to be honest, every year that Wimbledon’s not gone how I would like, it’s been hard.”

This was his second consecutive exit in the second round at the site of three of his greatest triumphs: the 2012 Olympic gold medal and the 2013 and 2016 Wimbledon championships. His trophy a decade ago was the first for a British man at the All England Club in singles in 77 years.

Murray has not been past the third round at any major since getting to the 2017 quarterfinals at Wimbledon.

“I mean, ultimately this was an opportunity for me. I had a good chance of having a proper run for the first time in a long time at a Slam. I didn’t take it,” he said, and bit on the collar of his white T-shirt.

On the point before action was halted Thursday, Murray slipped and fell at the baseline. He called it “jarring” and said he felt some “initial pain and discomfort,” but would not characterize it as an injury and said he was OK when action resumed Friday.

“It’s never easy against Andy. I know everyone loves him here,” said the No. 5-seeded Tsitsipas, a two-time runner-up at majors, including at the Australian Open in January.

All in all, Friday was rough for the local fans: The other two British men left in the bracket, No. 12 Cam Norrie and wild-card entry Liam Broady, were sent home, too. Norrie was defeated by Chris Eubanks of the United States 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3), and Broady lost to No. 26 Denis Shapovalov of Canada 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 7-5.

In other men’s results, No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and No. 3 Daniil Medvedev reached the third round, while No. 7 Andrey Rublev and No. 8 Jannik Sinner both got to the fourth. Novak Djokovic, seeking a fifth title in a row at Wimbledon and eighth overall, was scheduled to face Stan Wawrinka in the third round later.

The No. 1 woman, Iga Swiatek, made her way into the fourth round – she’s never been further at the All England Club – as did No. 4 Jessica Pegula; 2022 runner-up Ons Jabeur moved into the third round.

Because it was so late by the time Murray and Tsitsipas took the court Thursday, the retractable roof was closed. It was open Friday afternoon: After so much rain earlier in the week, the pale blue sky was unencumbered by clouds, and some folks sitting on the side of the stadium blanketed by sun flapped fans with the temperature at 85 degrees.

Tsitsipas drew hearty boos when he disputed a ruling in Friday’s second game, but he never seemed rattled during points. He took the last four points of the fourth-set tiebreaker Friday – just as he did in the first-set tiebreaker Thursday – then broke early in the fifth to lead 2-1 and was on his way.

“He’s someone who will make it a marathon, regardless of whether you want it or not,” said Tsitsipas, whose girlfriend and mixed doubles partner, Paula Badosa, watched from his guest box after she stopped playing during her match earlier Friday because of a bad back. “I had to work extra hard today to get that victory. My legs are sore right now. He made me run left and right, up and down.”

Each player only broke the other once. Murray’s ability to return is one of his many elite skills, and he was upset at himself for not managing to do more damage to the serves coming off the racket of Tsitsipas.

One pivotal moment came with Tsitsipas serving at 4-all, 15-30 in the fourth set. Murray hit a short, sharply angled backhand return that was called out by a line judge and chair umpire Aurélie Tourte; a TV graphic replay showed the ball actually clipped the chalk and should have counted.

“It was right underneath the umpire’s nose,” Murray said.

He’ll probably think about that one some more. He’s also likely to think about what else went wrong against Tsitsipas.

Murray spoke before the tournament about having an idea how much longer he will stay on tour.

“I don’t plan to stop right now. But this one will take a little while to get over,” he said Friday. “Hopefully find the motivation again to keep training, keep pushing, try and keep getting better.”

In other words, he doesn’t know precisely what the future holds.

​ Orange County Register 

Opposition to fast-food bill gains momentum

• July 7, 2023

When Marisol Sanchez bought her first McDonald’s franchise in 2006, she wanted a business she could own, operate and eventually pass along to her children.

Seventeen years later, the 43-year-old Apple Valley resident is the owner of 17 McDonald’s locations in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

She’s also among the more than 162 businesses, franchise owners, trade associations and chambers of commerce that oppose a bill they say would turn locally owned and operated restaurants into corporate-run establishments, stripping franchisees of their authority to operate as small business owners.

Assembly Bill 1228, authored by Assemblyman Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, is designed to “make it easier for franchisees to pay, support and protect their employees.” Also known as the Fast Food Franchisor Responsibility Act, it would require fast-food corporations to share in the legal responsibility and liability for a franchise owner’s violations.

That means a worker or former employee would be able to sue both the franchisee and franchisor for a host of workplace violations, ranging from wage theft and sexual harassment to workplace injuries and non-compliance with CalOSHA regulations.

The bill would also give franchise owners the ability to file an action against their franchisor for monetary relief if the company’s terms infringe on their ability to comply with California labor laws.

“Many franchisees find themselves in a chokehold by franchisor terms, forcing them to choose between profitability and complying with employee protection regulations,” Holden said in a statement.

The bill says the current franchise model under which fast-food restaurants operate “contributes to the high rate of employment violations.”

The legislation passed the Assembly floor in June and is scheduled to be heard in the California Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, July 11.

Opponents say AB 1228 would prompt fast-food corporations to “tighten the reins” on franchise owners, impacting their ability to make their own business decisions.

“The corporate brands will get more involved,” said Kathy Fairbanks, a spokeswoman for the No on AB 1228 coalition.

Fairbanks said franchise owners who bought equipment, hired employees, instituted training and set wages, benefits and hours would effectively be reduced to middle management.

Opponents say the bill would also invite frivolous lawsuits, as franchise owners could be sued under California’s Private Attorneys General Act for claims that have already been settled by the franchisor.

The text of AB 1228 was originally part of AB 257 (FAST Recovery Act), which was co-authored by Holden. That legislation was signed into law Sept. 5, 2022, by Gov. Gavin Newsom but was subsequently postponed until the November 2024 election when voters will decide its outcome.

The bill would create a state-run council to negotiate wages, hours and working conditions for fast-food workers in California, and establish a minimum wage with capped annual increases thereafter at restaurants with more than 100 locations nationwide.

The No on AB 1228 movement continues to gain momentum.

More than 150 franchise owners gathered in Sacramento in May to speak out against AB 1228 during a Legislative Action Day — far more than the 80 franchisees who showed up in Sacramento last year to protest AB 257, Fairbanks said.

“We also have nearly 1,000 individual franchisees who have signed up to oppose AB 1228, versus about 200 who opposed AB 257,” she said.

Workers in the fast-food industry have loudly called for increased workplace protections.

Last month, cooks and cashiers at a McDonald’s in East Los Angeles held a lunchtime protest, claiming management has pressured them to work while sick or recovering from serious injuries.

And in July 2022, fast-food workers caravaned across Orange County to demand passage of AB 257, which they say would protect them from sexual harassment, wage theft, safety violations and workplace violence.

California is home to more than 15,000 franchised quick-service restaurants and the No on AB 1228 coalition said AB 1228 would lead to higher costs, resulting in the shutdown of locally owned restaurants.

An Oxford Economics survey of more than 4,000 independent franchise owners found that roughly 26% of franchises are owned by people of color, and nearly a third of respondents said they would not be able to own a business without the opportunity of franchising.

Sanchez, whose Mcdonald’s workers earn a starting wage of $17 an hour, said AB 1228 could eventually end the franchise model in California

“More attorneys would get into the business of suing us,” she said. “This bill doesn’t provide any new protections, and it doesn’t talk about labor laws. It just opens the doors to new shakedown lawsuits.”

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​ Orange County Register 

Rescuers free dozens trapped on Ecuador cable car

• July 7, 2023

By Gerardo Lemos | CNN

Dozens of people trapped in gondolas on one of the world’s highest cable car systems in Ecuador have been rescued, according to a statement from government officials Friday.

Firefighters were alerted around 4 p.m. local time Thursday of a technical failure that affected the Quito Cable Car, with at least 70 people trapped, the Quito municipality said in a statement. They launched a rescue effort in the highlands soon after.

“In total, the authorities rescued 27 people who had been suspended in the gondolas when the service was inoperative and 47 people who had been left without transportation on top of the mountain,” the statement said.

The mayor of Quito, Pabel Muñoz, said the rescued people do not show signs of hypothermia or injuries.

He also ordered to suspend the cable cars’ operation until investigations have been carried out.

Photos released by Quito authorities show emergency workers huddled in the dark, with the city mayor on site, as rescue efforts continued through Thursday night..

Those rescued were being transferred to a safe place and received medical evaluations, the municipality added.

The Quito Cable Car, also known as the Telefériqo, reaches more than 3,947 meters (12,950 feet) above sea level, making it one of the highest cable cars in South America, according to its official website.

The ride travels more than 2,500 meters (about 1.55 miles) over an 18-minute journey that offers a view of the Quito cityscape and the surrounding mountains, the site says.

​ Orange County Register 

Black workers in US account for 90% of recent rise in unemployment 

• July 7, 2023

By Catarina Saraiva and Alex Tanzi | Bloomberg

The unemployment rate for African Americans jumped for a second straight month in June as workers left the workforce amid early signs of a cooling labor market.

That cooling has been uneven: The number of unemployed African Americans has increased by 267,000 since April, meaning they account for close to 90% of the 300,000 increase in overall joblessness during that period.

SEE MORE: US slowed hiring but still added a solid 209,000 jobs in June

Black unemployment rose to 6% in June, the highest since August, and was once again nearly double that of White workers, whose rate fell to 3.1%, a Labor Department report showed Friday.

Black workers are often among the first to be fired as the economy begins to weaken, research shows, and the recent declines in employment could be a canary in the coal mine for the broader labor market.

READ MORE: Employers don’t have to protect workers’ families from COVID, California court rules

“If conditions continue to weaken, or even accelerate, the gains won by Black workers and other vulnerable groups could diminish quickly,” said William Rodgers, director of the St. Louis Fed’s Institute of Economic Equity.

The unemployment rate for Hispanic and Asian workers also rose, to 4.3% and 3.2% respectively. But that’s partly because those workers entered or returned to the labor market.

Black Americans, however, are leaving the workforce after months of improvement in their labor participation culminated in a 15-year high earlier this year. Employment for that group declined by 3% in three months, one of the largest drops on record.

Black unemployment has risen 1.3 percentage points since reaching a record low in April. That jump is the fastest increase in since the pandemic largely shut the US economy down in early 2020.

The increase in the gap between Black and White unemployment — a closely watched benchmark of inequality in the labor market — also marks a reversal from the narrowest level ever in April.

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​ Orange County Register 

Video shows Britney Spears inadvertently hit herself in the face in Las Vegas Wembanyama encounter

• July 7, 2023

By TIM REYNOLDS | AP Basketball Writer

LAS VEGAS — No charges will be filed following a brief investigation of the altercation involving pop star Britney Spears, San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama and a member of the player’s security team, Las Vegas police said Friday.

Spears said she was struck by a security guard as she tried to approach Wembanyama near a restaurant in a Las Vegas casino complex on Wednesday night. Wembanyama said a person — he later was told it was Spears — grabbed him from behind.

Spears filed a police report, alleging battery. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department said its investigation is over and “no charges will be filed against the person involved.”

Police say surveillance video shows Spears inadvertently hit herself in the face after her hand was pushed off Wembanyama.

Wembanyama is scheduled to make his NBA Summer League debut for the Spurs in Las Vegas on Friday night. The 7-foot-3 French teen was the No. 1 pick in last month’s NBA draft and is entering the league with as much acclaim as anyone since LeBron James in 2003.

The altercation happened Wednesday night; Spears said she recognized Wembanyama at another hotel earlier in the evening and when seeing him again at the Aria Resort & Casino she “decided to approach him and congratulate him on his success.”

Spears said, “His security then back handed me in the face without looking back, in front of a crowd. Nearly knocking me down and causing my glasses off my face.”

Spears said in posts on Twitter and Instagram that the run-in was “super embarrassing,” and denied grabbing Wembanyama, saying she only “tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.” She also said that she was hopeful of getting an apology from the team or the security guard who she said was involved.

Wembanyama had a different account of the events. He said security advised him to not stop for anyone as he walked into the restaurant, mindful that pausing could cause a stir and allow a crowd to build. He said one person was shouting “sir, sir” to him, “and that person grabbed me from behind,” he said.

He was told hours later that person was Spears. He never saw her, he said, because he never turned around.

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​ Orange County Register 

CSUF’s Master of Social Work programs get almost $10 million boost

• July 7, 2023

Cal State Fullerton’s Master of Social Work program is already making an impact in preparing the next generation of social workers, clinicians and behavioral health practitioners to serve the Orange County community.

But after recently being awarded nearly $10 million in grants, MSW at CSUF will be uniquely positioned to provide even more support in the area of mental health in a post-pandemic reality.

With the receipt of a $4.75 million grant from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, CSUF will look to expand the capacity of its MSW program through the Master of Social Work Expansion Project.

The first of several initiatives slated for these funds will allow for an increase in enrollment in the MSW program by approximately 15 to 20 students each year over the next three years.

Additionally, the grant allows for the development of a Latinx Certificate Program that formalizes training and fieldwork experience with the Latinx population. As a part of this program, funding will be available for a study-abroad component in which students will be able to practice their skills and interact with local communities in a Spanish-speaking country.

“The bilingual and bicultural clinicians that our program would be producing will be better prepared in serving the Latinx population when they enter the job market,” said CSUF Department of Social Work chair, Mikyong Kim-Goh.

Mikyong Kim-Goh, chair of the CSUF Department of Social Work (Courtesy of CSUF News Media Services)

Another component this grant will support is the creation of the Pupil Personnel Service credential specifically for those MSW students interested in working in a school-based setting as a social worker.

The final area in development with these grant funds is the designation of advance standing. This will allow the CSUF MSW program to admit students with bachelor’s degrees in social work from accredited programs and provide them the opportunity to expedite their timeline for completion of the MSW degree from two years to approximately 12 months.

The second grant awarded to CSUF’s MSW program is $5 million from CalOptima to help establish the OC Behavioral Health MSW Stipend Program. Each year over the next five years, a group of MSW students will be selected to receive a stipend that can be applied to tuition, living expenses, textbooks and supplies.

“The stipend is going to help a great deal, just given that a lot of our students are working while they are completing this MSW program, which is very, very difficult to do,” Kim-Goh said. “This is going to relieve a lot of financial barriers and ultimately benefits the Orange County region because most of our graduates stay in this area to become part of that behavioral health workforce in the county.”

Coming out of the pandemic, the need for mental health services has become more crucial than ever, and compounding the issue is a shortage of trained professionals to help meet those needs. Kim-Goh said that specifically in the public sector, recruitment and retention of social workers is becoming increasingly difficult, with the OC Health Care Agency reporting a nearly 25% vacancy rate for these positions. She believes CSUF’s receipt of the grant funding will not only allow for program growth but will help add qualified individuals in this field.

“With our program expanding, and also producing bilingual and bicultural practitioners, once they graduate from the MSW program, it’s a way to at least partially address the workforce shortage issues in Orange County,” Kim-Goh said.

Established in 2007, CSUF’s MSW program remains the only one of its kind in Orange County offered through a public university. A program with a highly competitive selection process, there are currently approximately 250 students enrolled in the full-time and part-time degree paths.

“In terms of affordability, I think we are providing this excellent curriculum and education,” Kim-Goh said. “We have a top-notch faculty, but at a price that’s incomparable.”

An additional aspect of CSUF’s MSW program that sets it apart is that more than half of the Titans currently enrolled are of Latinx heritage, with 15-20% coming from Asian Pacific Islander backgrounds. This means nearly three-quarters of the MSW students are from communities of color, a direct reflection of the Orange County population they are training to serve.

“Orange County demographics have been changing a lot in the last 20 years or so, and we really need the clinicians, the social workers and behavioral health practitioners who have those cultural and linguistic skills to be able to communicate and provide services and meet the needs of those communities,” Kim-Goh said. “I’m very proud of what we have done, and I think we have a top-notch program.”

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​ Orange County Register 

No FasTrak device? No problem, as LA Metro allows all drivers to use freeway toll lanes

• July 7, 2023

A decade of pay lanes on the 10 and 110 freeways in Los Angeles County have pleased millions of riders in a hurry, even as sticklers criticize the loss of “free” ways that are deemed a California legacy, and even as inadvertent ExpressLane users balk over high tolls, fines and fees.

On June 22, the LA Metro board made it easier to use ExpressLanes by eliminating the need for a FasTrak transponder, or the need to sign up your vehicle. Now  any motorist can use the lanes without a transponder or a Metro account and simply be billed for a congestion toll plus an $8 processing fee per trip — avoiding penalties.

Those carpoolers with two or more occupants can still use their transponder to signal overhead beacons, and the occasional CHP patrol, that they are riding free and will not be billed for the trip, or cited. Carpool occupancy restrictions apply on each freeway.

An action led by Fourth District Supervisor and LA Metro board member Janice Hahn that was approved June 22 by an 8-0 vote eliminated the $25 penalty charged by Metro each time someone drives in the ExpressLanes without a transponder, even if they did it unknowingly.

The action also means a CHP officer cannot pull someone over for not having the device or not having an account with Metro, a citation that costs $250, according to Hahn’s office.

Hahn, who said this will make the Metro system “less intimidating,” said the impetus was to open the toll lanes to the occasional user, or those visiting Los Angeles.

“I felt some people thought about it at the last minute,” she said at the Metro meeting in June. “Or say someone was on their way to the hospital. Can we help them out? I think we will see more people taking advantage of the ExpressLanes when they need them.”

Exactly 10 years ago, LA Metro received federal dollars to convert a 14-mile stretch of bus and carpool lanes along the 10 Freeway and an 11-mile stretch of the 110 Freeway into pay lanes called ExpressLanes. The 10 Freeway lanes run in the west San Gabriel Valley from the 605 Freeway to the 101 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles. The 110 Freeway lanes run from Adams Street in South Los Angeles to the 91 Freeway in the South Bay.

Reports in 2018 showed single-occupancy drivers escaping bumper-to-bumper traffic by moving into lanes previously available only for carpoolers and buses — and paying to do so. Of all ExpressLane users, 65 percent were solo drivers with a transponder.

From March 2020 until recently, Metro conducted a pilot program allowing solo drivers access to the ExpressLanes as long as they paid congestion tolls and a $4 processing fee, but no penalties. That $4 fee will be raised to $8 in the next few weeks, Metro officials reported.

From September 2021 to August 2022, Metro reported an additional 899,954 trips on the two ExpressLanes systems. “The data support the conclusion that the (pay-as-you-go pilot) resulted in more ExpressLanes trips by drivers that did not have the FasTrak (transponder),” according to a Metro report released last month. The report estimated the pilot program produced a 2.4% increase in trips.

Riders going to and from LAX may be more apt to move left, out of crowded, regular lanes and pay the congestion tolls on the 110 Freeway ExpressLanes. Others traveling east on the 10 Freeway on a weekday late afternoon may use the 10 ExpressLanes. One of those is transit-watcher Carter Rubin, who lives in Santa Monica and does not have a transponder, but may jump into the pay lanes on the way to the Claremont Colleges.

“When I do occasionally drive out to places like Claremont and my alma mater, Pitzer, I would be more likely (to use ExpressLanes) now that the transponder isn’t required, since I don’t own a transponder,” he wrote in a message.

An overhead camera system takes a picture of the pay-as-you-go user’s license plate. The congestion toll plus $8 processing charge is then sent in a bill by mail to the car’s registered owner. If not paid on time, delinquent fees are added, spiking the bill.

Likewise, the camera detection system assesses the carpoolers by determining the number of people in the vehicle and compares that to the switch setting on the transponder.

On the 10 Freeway, carpoolers with three or more occupants ride toll-free all hours, while cars with two occupants pay a toll during peak hours but ride toll-free during off-peak hours. On the 110 Freeway, vehicles with two or more occupants ride toll-free all hours.

Using an algorithm, congestion tolls vary and are set higher when traffic is greater. Conversely, the toll is less when traffic is lighter. A congestion toll ranges from $0.30 to $8, according to Metro. The average toll between March 2022 and February 2023 was $2.92 per trip, said Patrick Chandler, Metro spokesman.

“We try to control volume by the pricing in the tolls. The busier it is, the more the toll. That is the tool we use,” said Mark Linsenmayer, deputy executive officer overseeing the Metro ExpressLanes. Tolls are also adjusted by distance traveled in the lanes.

There are 60 express toll lanes across the United States, according to the Reason Foundation. Metro’s first entry into congestion pricing 10 years ago could be followed by more ExpressLanes on other freeways, plus other iterations.

Metro is studying a plan to add a toll to certain roads that lead into Downtown Los Angeles or Westside communities. Traffic would be reduced by 24 percent if vehicles were charged a $4 toll during peak hours to travel the freeways and major roadways entering West Los Angeles and Santa Monica, according to a 2019 Southern California Association of Governments study.

Most transit agencies in the state require a transponder, with LA Metro breaking the trend.

Eli Lipmen, executive director of Move LA, a supporter of transit, said he uses a transponder to travel freeways in Orange County and the Bay Area and on the Golden Gate Bridge. All the toll lanes in Orange County require a transponder, often a thin sticker with a bar code.

Motorists on the future 405 Express Lanes in Orange County between the 73 and 605 freeways must have a transponder, as do drivers  using existing 91 Express Lanes, Joel Zlotnik, spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority, told the Orange County Register. The 405 lanes are scheduled for completion later this year.

Trains, buses — and charging solo drivers — are tools to reduce driving miles, traffic and air pollution, Lipmen said.

He agrees with getting more use out of Metro’s ExpressLanes and with congestion pricing in general.

“Do I pay $5 or $10 for the faster trip? Or do I take public transit next time? You are making a decision,” he said, adding, “The only way to manage or reduce traffic is to charge for it.”

Related links

When the 405 Express Lanes open up, some motorists will avoid the toll
110, 10 Freeway ExpressLanes are slowing down and officials aren’t sure of the fix
On 10 Freeway, cheaters and solo drivers clogging ExpressLanes may prompt big changes from Metro
LA supervisor wants to ‘decriminalize’ Metro’s Express Lanes on 110 and 10 freeways by letting drivers use them without first registering
If you are forced to pay $4 to drive into West L.A., traffic would be reduced, study says

​ Orange County Register