In the Name of “Equity”, California Proposes to Ban Popular TSA Skipping Program
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.
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.
Clear does not “bypass” TSA. It is a front of the line pass “to” TSA, and in some cases, is no quicker than standard TSA Pre-check. Like TSA Pre-check, Global Entry, FastTrak freeway lanes, Disney FastPass, etc., it is available to anyone who would like to pay for the service.
— Kamper (@Kmclove23) April 22, 2024
Remember…
Socialism is all about making everyone equally miserable.
California could ban Clear, which lets travelers pay to skip TSA lines https://t.co/hyP8jpJPSO
— Sean Bannion (@SeanBannion) April 23, 2024
Another stupid idea from my home state. Their security is better than TSA and it’s not just for rich people. For frequent fliers @Clear is not crazy expensive & if I can afford it, deal with it. I wonder if these politicians get special treatment? https://t.co/ChVjOwQ1te
— Adam Housley (@adamhousley) April 23, 2024
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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Comments
I’d be a whole lot more impressed if they were going to investigate why TSA sucks so badly and why they don’t ever seem to catch anything that’s an actual threat. It seems that TSA is real job is to make air travel suck.
I stopped flying in about 2008, the reason being that air travel became more trouble than it was worth.
Used to fly 4x/week for work. Since 2000, two flights. Couldn’t drive to a family funeral in Florida in time, and couldn’t drive to a family wedding in Hawaii at all.
I e flown all over the world in uniform and out. After my third full body search by rude TSA ignorant thugs I also stopped flying.
Consider that it is the exact same security as before 9/11.
No, it’s not. TSA came into being after 9/11 and we used to be able to meet people at the gate as they arrived.
Want to guarantee getting the full monty of TSA enhanced security screening/strip searching?
Travel on a US military ticket. Have a Top Secret Security Clearance and a ticket to the war zone? They couldn’t care less.
They know they aren’t going to find anything but they also know you can’t bitch to the airline about it like normal airline customers can. So they use military people to fill their strip search quotas. That started immediately after civil air travel opened up following 911 and as far as I know still happens.
I have you beat. I have blond hair, blue eyes and I am over 70. In short, look nothing like the profile. But I am pulled aside every time, even with pre check. Best I can figure is that they hassle me so the real terrorist are not offended.
Years ago I had federal marshals (or similar) question me as I waited to board a plane at JFK in New York. It made no sense to me, as I was obviously not a real target. I refused to answer their questions. They finally gave up. But they then turned to all of the minorities around me (who, honestly, had distanced themselves from me as my conversation with the Feds had proceeded). At that point it made sense: I was the white guy. Now they could pursue to the others.
The one great experience I had with security in the years right after 9/11 was in England, believe it or not. I was flying home from a deployment aboard a ship, and I went through London. They walked down the line and chose out all of the unaccompanied males (including me), the entire muslim family (with mama in a full bruka), and the two unaccompanied women at the end of the line.
The security agent told the women he had to check a certain number and they would fulfill that quota. I was happy to see them actually checking people that fit the profile, then being honest about filling out the numbers for the bean counters. The two women were happy to cooperate, knowing the truth. (The muslim family was not happy; but they were evidently alright, as they made the flight.)
Yep, and it included contractors traveling on gov’t business. I am not certain it still goes on (too many airports have announcements thanking military and veterans for the TSA to keep straight faces, I think). But most of the TSA are minimum intelligence and jealous of their power over travelers.
How about real equity by forcing the far more wealthy passengers on private flights to go through the same airport security, TSA lines, scanning, pat downs, shoes off crap as the economy class passenger? That would be something to see.
How about we common people being able to fly without being harassed by McDonald’s rejects and stuffed into perfectly safe scanners banned in most countries instead?
Fine with me. FWIW I refuse to fly since I retired due to the all the hassle and kindergarten level nonsense the the bottom tier bureaucracy at TSA dishes out.
How about we decrease harassment of the average citizen instead of extending it to include those wealthy enough to fly privately?
Sure man go for it! Lets end TSA!
However, so long as we peasants have to put up with TSA nonsense it seems most equitable that the TSA nonsense be provided to our elite/establishment who currently are able to bypass it by flying private.
What’s really happening here is more theatre by the elite/establishment. They are eliminating the paid for perk to potentially speed up TSA nonsense in the name of ‘equity’. Pay closer attention and we see that the elite/establishment who routinely fly Private won’t be impacted; they will still bypass TSA while everyone else stands in line like school children.
This is misdirection to give the illusion of equity and equality. In practice what this does is erect a deeper moat around elite/establishment privilege from the rest of us. The top 5% economically will still fly private and remain unaffected but the ‘climbing’ top 6%-20% just below them who used this service to cut their wait time to be less inconvenienced? Nope go back to steerage, don’t forget your place.
No. Because the point of the TSA* is to protect the public.
* As horrible as the TSA is, they are there to protect commercial aviation. While flying people around for money requires a commercial pilot license, it’s only considered “commercial” flight if it’s open to the public, in general. (I think “common carrier” is the correct phrase.)
But those private flights are environmentally harmful!
To be more serious the point of screening is to make sure the flying public AND those on the ground who may be targets of a hijacked plane are protected. A hijacked charter aircraft can do damage as well more so if a number of these flights are hijacked in a coordinated manner and deployed like a swarm.
TSA is supposed to prevent another 9/11. If the only deaths and damage were confined to the four aircraft and not the Twin Towers and Pentagon then maybe you could convince me.
OK then ban those EV lanes on the freeways in CA, right?
Because EVs are too expensive for black californians, so that’s racist?
How can CA be so racist? What about “reparations” and “equity” ?
Every black CA resident is owed $5M in “reparations” because that’s a nice number that’s easy to understand because everybody has 5 fingers, and that pastor as the black church in oakland said it so it must be true, right?
If the glove fit we must remit.
As I understand, Clear is not just for airlines. It is used at concerts, sports games and just about anywhere security clearing is necessary. Seems to move crowds faster. Now if you create a situation we’re people are jammed up, then that makes it easier to kill people. But I have one more trip to California and after that, no more.
Clear does NOT allow you to skip TSA checkpoints at the airport. Clear verifies your identity and then walks you to the front of the TSA “pre-check” line to the TSA agent who is doing the screening. That agent verifies information with the Clear concierge, and then allows the passenger through.
I do not have Clear (while though I’m tempted, I travel about monthly and it’s not clear that $189 is worth it for that) but I do have Pre-Check, and so I watch how Clear works. In most airports, the Clear lane is right next to the Pre-Check lane.
Is it messing with the PreTsa money?
Just saying
“Clearly, California politicians find it so much easier to create even more rules for rule-followers to follow”
When the only tool you have is
a hammerlegislation, your solution to every problem is to nailsomethingsomeone.Any action that makes it harder or less pleasant for Californians to invade us is a good thing.
Subotai Bahadur
Agree. There MUST be equality in EVERYTHING. The next step should be shutting down all eateries and going to community kitchens for all meals.
Careful! The California authorities might consider that a target to aim for.
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It would be OK with me — I live in the deep south.
As do I.
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The Bride and I recently flew to and returned from a reunion of my old USAF buddies in Utah. Since we had to go through the usual TSA hassle, I couldn’t tell we were cheated by the Clear passengers. We just had to wait … and wait … and wait … and so what? It’s what we expected.
It’s all about cheap jealousy. The jealous ones allow themselves to be manipulated, and that’s their own fault.
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I see this whole scam as a play-out of the insane urge of standard garden variety Pawl a TISH ins to whinge and whimper and grandstand to get attention, play like they are DOING something to cure a problem that does not exist, and get free press pretending they are DOINGGGGG…. something.
I find it “interesting” that said Pawl a ISH innn fails to see the hipocrisy he exhibits in dumping on the mechanism that might ease the delay for the “wealthy” at theairports, but totally ignores the toll fast lanes, the two occupant “pass” on freeways, and the similar “pass” for those driving the heavily polluting electric cars. And this lout is all in about “equity”, eh? I’d prefer he were to stand in frontf ME, turn about and face away, and allow me to administer some real rural justice by way of a carefully directed rapidly deployed motion of my heavily booted (logger’s caulks) right size fourteen right foot addressing his deriérre.
They’re still ok with illegal aliens skipping TSA checkpoints though.
No worries about that not being “equitable”.
Ah, but the illegals get to skip the screening for a simple reason, they couldn’t possibly pass. That of course would highlight the fact that they shouldn’t have been allowed across the border in the first place.
So, skip they get to bypass the screening (again) in order to not embarrass the Democrats and their DHS/TSA cronies.
This piecemeal approach to equity is ridiculous. Get it over with in one step- lobotomize all whites.
Workers of the World, Unite.
Can somebody please tell me what Clear does in this case that is not done by TSA Pre-Check?
It seems to me that this is less about sticking it to the upper middle and middle classes than it is to work with the Feds to try and keep a government monopoly.
What Clear does that is different is have private non-TSA “ambassadors” escort you so you don’t have to deal directly with surly TSA bureaucrats as much. They do it for you.
“I do not think California’s political elite has fully considered the ramifications of this measure.” Heh. Truer words were never spoken. Democrats never consider the likely outcomes of their foolish laws. Then trouble “unexpectedly” occurs.
A mixed bag:
1. To the extent that a traveler is proceeding to a flight to a non-CA destination, does the Dormant Commerce Clause preclude CA from blocking CLEAR from operating?
2. Can CA decree, in the name of “equity,” that no flight originating or terminating in CA may have any class of seats sold at a price higher than any other class of seats?
3. An argument to ban CLEAR, period: How do/will CLEAR customers feel if/when it becomes apparent that so many people have paid for it that it is essentially a useless tax on travel, and how will others feel if/when anyone who did not pay for it will most likely not be able ever to reach the front of the line in time to make a flight no matter how early you arrive at the airport.
4. One suspects that the price is absurd relative to the cost of the service. How long is the contract? Maybe some competition?
Re #3: just wait, they will come out with “CLEAR-plus!”
Pro. The magic suffix is always pro.
If airports are federally regulated then how does Cali exert authority? Can they also ban TSA from the property.
the plos keep accumulating even mo power as the hapless middle class allows the complete takeover
Well the woke destroys the Disney express line
When I took my kids to Disney 30 years ago you could buy fast passes, it was amazing, people were so
Mad but they weren’t that much more expensive at the time but I would be more mad waiting 2 hours for a 2 minute ride that was boring
“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.” So to address that injustice, we’re going to unsure you all suffer equally. To bad no one ever made a joke about leftist/marxists that mirrored this. Maybe they’re out-sourcing bill writing to the Bee. Or SNL, circa 1980-ish
I mean, they have the Joker as Governor. OK, now it makes sense: some people just want to see it all burn.
Soon, they will be saying that’s unfair for people to be able to fly coz they could afford a plane ticket. So, anybody can fly for free. Soon, thereafter: oh, heck, lets just make everything free
I used to use Clear, but then noticed that almost every time I did, I was “randomly” chosen for special screening. It wasn’t worth the aggravation. But I do notice that others seem to have the same thing happen now.
Why bother?
If California wants to go on punishing people, fine. I live in the South.