California’s utility prices are surging, illegal immigrants are literally jetting over surfers to invade via state beaches, and crime is so bad the Los Angeles mayor had a home-invasion-robbery.
So, what do the legislators in Sacramento focus on? Banning a program that makes air travel a little more convenient for those willing to pay…in the name of equity.
New legislation being proposed in California would ban the expedited security screening company Clear from operating in the state’s airports, as proponents say the service raises equity issues given it effectively lets wealthier people skip ahead of passengers waiting in line to be screened by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents.The bill, SB-1372, the first of its kind in the U.S., would require third-party vendors like Clear to get their own dedicated security lane or lose the ability to operate in California airports.
Clear is literally about $16/month. Yet, the Democrats in Sacramento think that this service is some sort of privilege program.
Sen. Josh Newman, a California Democrat and the sponsor of the legislation, said Clear effectively lets wealthier people skip in front of passengers who have been waiting to be screened by Transportation Security Administration agents.”It’s a basic equity issue when you see people subscribed to a concierge service being escorted in front of people who have waited a long time to get to the front of TSA line,” Newman told CBS MoneyWatch. “Everyone is beaten down by the travel experience, and if Clear escorts a customer in front of you and tells TSA, ‘Sorry, I have someone better,’ it’s really frustrating.”If passed, the bill would bar Clear, a private security clearance company founded in 2010, from airports in California. Clear charges members $189 per year to verify passengers’ identities at airports and escort them through security, allowing them to bypass TSA checkpoints.
Clear is accessible enough that about 1 million Californians are using it. The major airlines vigorously oppose this bill and assert it will make California airports an even more challenging experience than they already are.
While the bill faces support from union groups representing flight attendants and TSA employees, it faces strong pushback from six major airline companies: Delta, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Alaska Airlines, Southwest and United.The airlines, in a letter to Senate Transportation Committee chair Dave Cortese and published by Politico, said the bill “not only threatens to increase fees on air carriers but also severely restricts airports’ ability to manage lines at the security checkpoint, resulting in a negative travel experience for our California customers.”The airlines argue that SB-1372 could eliminate millions in revenue dollars currently paid by Clear, which could further increase air carrier operating costs in the state and leading to increased fares.
I do not think California’s political elite has fully considered all the ramifications of this measure.
Clearly, California politicians find it so much easier to create even more rules for rule-followers to follow, then to do the hard work of directing efforts and resources to infrastructure, crime-prevention, and protection of our borders.
Once again, Sacramento gives California residents another reason to take a flight—that is, one-way—to a place where serious matters are effectively addressed by thoughtful representatives truly interested in the welfare of their constituents.
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