Riordan opposes Hahn on LAX expansion.

Los Angeles, along with the rest of California, is not ready to compete with the rest of the country or the world as they become more competitive--not just for manufacturing and data-input jobs, but for high quality jobs.

Add to the mix the state's anti-business rules, laws, regulations and taxes, and the quality of our transportation, housing, education, etc., and we are far from ready for population and job growth.

There is one part of our future infrastructure that can be improved--Los Angeles International Airport.

The Southern California economic region, which includes Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange and San Diego counties, has a larger gross national economy than all but 10 countries in the world.

As a function of that, the volume of air cargo through the region in the next 25 years will increase by 400 percent and passenger traffic will at least double during. During the 1990s, we worked with the federal government and airlines to come up with a regional solution to increased traffic levels, including proposing the opening of an international airport at El Toro in Orange County and major expansions of Ontario, Palmdale and other regional airports.

The building of a major airport in north San Diego County will relieve some of the volume caused when Orange County voters deep-sixing El Toro, but Orange County still faces a bleak future.

The plan we were developing in the '90s would increase LAX's passenger capacity by 50 percent of today's level and cargo by 400 percent over a 25-year period. With the delivery of bigger, quieter and cleaner aircraft, the environment around LAX would not deteriorate.

More than half of air cargo comes and goes in the bellies of passenger planes. Air cargo planes have very little effect on regional automobile traffic because of the times they fly and the fact that they have no passengers.

Our plan included almost $2 billion of traffic mitigation designed to maximize regional and freeway connections while minimizing impacts on local residential streets. Without this, we will have traffic gridlock every day, not just on holidays, whether or not we expand the airport.

It is shortsighted to assume that 9/11 will have a permanent effect on air travel. Already the number of passengers is increasing rapidly; already there is gridlock every day during certain hours.

L.A. Mayor James Hahn's $9 billion LAX modernization plan was the result of a quick response to 9/11, and considering the historical enormity of that event it is hard to criticize him. However, with the benefit of hindsight, the plan has proved to be fatally flawed.

According to Rand Corp., the separation of baggage delivery and terminals will make security both difficult and expensive. Also, the expansion of cargo and passenger capacity is too little, too late. In addition, the plan does not sufficiently address ground access issues and traffic mitigation.

The long-term effects on our economy and jobs will be devastating. No wonder the federal government, airlines (all but one) and unions oppose this plan. Ironically, many politicians opposing Hahn's plan think it calls for too much expansion--Nimby-ism and Nimtoo-ism (not in my term of office), come ahead of the welfare of future generations.

Today's selfishness can result in tomorrow's economic depression.

Richard J. Riordan, mayor of Los Angeles from 1993-2001, is California Education Secretary. Daniel Garcia served on the Airport Commission under Riordan and Mayor Tom Bradley.