Transportation in California

Stephanie O’Neill reports on how the earthquake’s destruction of Los Angeles highways has car owners turning to public transportation in record numbers. Cynics say the trend will last only until the roads are rebuilt, but proponents of the city’s new Metrolink rail system are more optimistic.

We talk with Jack Leonard, a reporter with the Los Angeles Times who was in the courtroom when the verdict was announced. We also talk with freelancer reporter Bob Butler, who has been following the controversy from Oakland.

Last night, jurors in Los Angeles found Johannes Mehserle guilty of involuntary manslaughter. We’re joined by Adimu Madyun, a resident of West Oakland, and a community correspondent for Oakland Voices, a project of the Oakland Tribune newspaper.

Jury selection is complete in the murder case against former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle against an unarmed passenger, Oscar Grant, in 2009; but, while the case is moving forward, many activists are concerned about the jury’s racial make-up.