L.A. AREA REPORT CARD: NEAR FAILING AIR QUALITY AND JOB GROWTH AMONG REGION'S BRIGHT SPOTS.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew and Harrison Sheppard Staff Writers

Southern California got a poor report card Thursday, with near-failing marks for its sluggish freeways, expensive housing and lackluster schools.

On a more positive note, the Los Angeles metropolitan region got above-average grades for air quality, public safety and job growth in a more diversified economy.

The annual Southern California Association of Government's State of the Region report - issued Thursday for the year 2001 - points to an unprecedented influx of immigrants for higher dropout rates, unemployment and poverty compared with other U.S. cities.

``With people moving away during the '90s, and new immigrants, we've found the region as a whole is less wealthy,'' said Mark Pisano, executive director of SCAG.

``We're not doing too well compared to other metropolitan areas across the nation - in per capita income, poverty, education, housing affordability, homeownership and highway congestion.''

SCAG officials warned that the region could be ``left behind'' as budgets tighten in Sacramento and Washington.

The Southern California region has a population of more than 17 million people in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial counties.

The region showed stagnant progress in five of seven categories, with lesser grades in housing and air quality for 2001, and slight improvement in employment and public safety.

SCAG officials said they were disappointed in the report, but said it points to the need for action, and to increase pressure on Sacramento and Washington even though they are facing their own financial problems.

``If you had teenage kids and they brought home this kind of report card to you, what would you do? You'd probably pull their driving permits, have them park their car and not get back in their car until their grades improved,'' said Los Alamitos Mayor Ron Bates, a SCAG member. ``You need to help us all work so we can improve our grades here in Southern California.''

The area's performance continues to be influenced by the 1.5 million residents who moved out of Southern California following the severe recession of the 1990s, according to SCAG analysts.

They were replaced by foreign immigrants who are younger, less educated, earn less money and tend to rent and live in larger households. Per capita income, fourth among the nation's 17 largest metropolitan areas in 1970, dropped to seventh in 1990 and to 16th in 2000.

In 2001, a spurt of 350,000 new residents was the highest since 1950, with the largest increase of 170,000 residents going to Los Angeles County.

``This region has grown tremendously, just exploded over the past 10 to 15 years,'' said SCAG President Hal Bernson, a Los Angeles city councilman. ``With that comes the problems. The rate of people coming to this area has probably surpassed what Ellis Island was to the United States in the past.''

The growth has not helped freeway commutes, with Los Angeles area transportation - ranked the most congested in the nation - earning a D for ``notice of potential failure.''

In 2001, the Sept. 11 terrorist attack helped cause the largest reduction in airport traffic since 1990. On the other hand, more residents in Southern California now ride buses and car-pool.

Schools, which have the largest dropout rate among the nation's nine largest metropolitan areas, also rated a D.

In 2001, dropout rates increased in Los Angeles County, while Ventura and Imperial counties had noticeable reductions. The region ranks near last in the nation for bachelor degrees or higher.

Southern California housing, which last year rated a C-plus with homes out of reach of a third of its residents, dropped to a D-plus.

Compared with other regions, the Los Angeles area ranked only above New York for homeownership, at 55 percent.

One-third of the region's homeowners and renters shell out more than 30 percent for housing, the highest in the nation. Nearly 20 percent of the area's homes are overcrowded, compared with a 6 percent nationwide average.

The problem, SCAG officials said, is not just availability of housing but affordability of available units.

``It is a really dire situation,'' said Brea Mayor Bev Perry, SCAG's first vice president and an expert on the housing issue. ``People are living in garages. We have more homeless. We've got to do something about it. It's not just building the housing, it's also making sure people can afford to get into a unit.''

Income levels, the lowest of any metropolitan region at a per capita $29,330 in 2000, were given a C. One in six residents lives in poverty, more than any large urban area.

Employment got a B as it rose from 4.9 percent to 5.1 percent, a smaller increase than the state and nation as a whole.

The region's economic base was also more diverse than in 1990, with stronger roles in international trade, entertainment, tourism and business services.

Southern California's infamous air quality - with more than 100 smog alerts a year before 1980 and none for several years - scored a B-minus, a drop from the previous year's B. Carbon monoxide levels exceeded federal levels for only three days in 2000. Ozone, a good indicator of overall air pollution, exceeded federal one-hour standards for 36 days in 2001, compared with 40 days the year before.

But an increase of dust, soot and other particulate matter in 1999 to 2001 - from 15 days in excess of federal standards to 23 - may have contributed to the lesser grade.

Public safety, with violent crime and juvenile arrests decreasing over the past decade, went from a B-plus to a B. Violent crime in Los Angeles County grew 5 percent in 2000, with Ventura and Orange counties showing the lowest rates.

Martin Saiz, director of the Center for Southern California Studies at California State University, Northridge, questioned the high mark on public safety and the lower grade for air quality.

``I think that public safety will be one of the biggest problems,'' said Saiz, referring to the spike in gang violence in Los Angeles in 2002. ``More young males, more crime.''

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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REPORT CARD