Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/542960
ByFenitNirappil TheAssociatedPress SACRAMENTO A Califor- nia state lawmaker pro- posed sweeping bus-safety reforms Friday that were recommended by federal officials who investigated a fiery bus crash that killed five high school students on a tour last year. Sen. Ricardo Lara, D- Bell Gardens, said he in- troduced legislation that mandates charter bus oper- ators conduct safety brief- ings and pushes to require that buses have clearly la- beled emergency exits such as those on planes. "Hopefully that provides not only a level of safety but gives passengers a bet- ter opportunity to survive these crashes," Lara said in an interview. In the crash last year, dozens of student heading to a college tour struggled to escape a burning bus af- ter a FedEx tractor-trailer slammed into it head on. Both drivers, five stu- dents and three adult chap- erones died in the April 2014 crash in Orland, 100 miles north of Sacramento. The National Trans- portation Safety Board on Tuesday said that poorly la- beled emergency exits and the lack of safety instruc- tions required by bus com- pany policy contributed to the chaos and injuries. It urged federal regulators to adopt rules making buses as safe for passengers as planes and trains, but agen- cies have been slow to act. "The children and the families are here in Cali- fornia. We need to set the tone," Lara said. His bill as written only mandates pre-trip safety briefings on buses simi- lar to those on planes, but Lara is planning to add pro- visions adopting all of the NTSB safety recommenda- tions. That includes man- dating fire-resistant mate- rials, black box-style data recording devices and sec- ond doors that double as es- cape hatches. The legislation likely won't come up for hearings until next year because bill deadlines have passed. A lobbyist for the Califor- nia Bus Association, Josh Pane, did not immediately return a voicemail from The Associated Press seek- ing comment Friday. Victor Parra, president and chief executive of the United Motorcoach Associ- ation, has said some of the NTSB safety recommen- dations may make sense, but they should be backed up by science showing the measures will make a dif- ference. Separate probes by the NTSB and California High- way Patrol found the Orland crash was caused by the Fe- dEx driver veering across the interstate median and into oncoming traffic. Investigators did not de- termine why the driver lost control. LEGISLATION Lawmakersproposebus-safety mandates a er deadly crash RICHPEDRONCELLI—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Candles and flowers are displayed at a make-shi memorial for the victims of a multi- vehicle accident that included a tour bus and a FedEX truck on Interstate 5in Orland. NBC4 Smoke rises from vehicles as a fast-moving wildfire swept across a freeway Friday near Hesperia. The fire swept by desert winds burned on both sides of Interstate 15, the main connector between Southern California and Las Vegas that was crowded with vehicles. The Associated Press HESPERIA A fast-moving wildfire swept across a free- way Friday in a Southern California mountain pass, destroying 20 vehicles and sending motorists running to safety before it burned at least five homes. There were no reports of serious inju- ries, authorities said. Fanned by hot desert winds, the fire started along Interstate 15 — the main highway between Southern California and Las Vegas — and spread quickly. Dozens of vehicles were abandoned and hundreds of others turned onto side roads to get away from the flames as water-dropping helicopters flew over the Ca- jon Pass area about 55 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Motorists stuck on the road described a harrowing scene. "It's crazy, you're watch- ing black clouds and white clouds of smoke, there's a ridgeline off to my right ... and it looks like any sec- ond flames will come over the ridgeline," Chris Pat- terson, 43, said from his vehicle. It's not uncommon for wildfires to reach freeways inCalifornia.Itwasunclear, however, why dozens ofcars were caught along Inter- state 15, forcing frightened people to flee on foot. U.S. Forest Service spokesman Uriah Hernan- dez said no injuries had been confirmed. The agency said the fire had burned at least 3, 500 acres and was threaten- ing the rural community of Baldy Mesa. San Bernardino County Fire officials said at least fivehomeswereburnedand another 50 were threatened by the flames. An additional 10 cars on the freeway were damaged by the fire. Melissa Atalla said she could see the flames from her gas station in Baldy Mesa. "People are spectating from our parking lot, run- ning around getting water and beer. It's chaos," Atalla said. "One man came in and said, 'Oh my, my house is getting burned.'" The fire led authori- ties to shut several free- way lanes, causing traffic to back up for miles. Cal- ifornia Highway Patrol spokesman Steve Carapia said 50 to 75 vehicles were left abandoned on the free- way. Raquel Martinez, 34, was traveling to Las Vegas with her husband for the week- end when they got stuck in northbound traffic on the I-15 for about an hour. Fire destroys homes, cars a er crossing California freeway WILDFIRES By Julia Horowitz The Associated Press SACRAMENTO California's jobless rate dropped back to 6.3 percent in June after see- ing a slight increase in May, the state Employment De- velopment Department re- ported Friday. The state added 22,900 nonfarm payroll jobs in June, helping unemploy- ment return to April levels after creeping up to 6.4 per- cent. The rate drop occurred even as the number of people entering the workforce grew. "It shows both growth in the labor force and peo- ple finding work," depart- ment spokesman Kevin Cal- lori said. A year ago, California's jobless rate was 7.5 percent. With theexceptionofMay, the state's unemployment rate has steadily dropped since February 2010. The employment depart- ment said May's rise in un- employment was due to an influx of people entering Cal- ifornia's workforce ahead of the summer employment season. The state still re- ported adding a revised 46,200 jobs that month. The numbers are based on federal and state surveys of employers and households, but don't take into account people who have stopped looking for work or those who are working part-time but would rather be work- ing full-time. UNEMPLOYMENT Ca lif or ni a jo bl es s ra te d ro ps t o 6. 3 pe rc en t in J un e Howwillyouuseyour home equity? 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