Five SoCal Must-Reads: 2 Cities Make 2011's 'Dumbest Local Political Scandals' List

By Zach Behrens

December 27, 2011

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A big picture look at the region:

"A prison realignment program will send low-level offenders to county jails, depriving the state of using them to help clear brush, cut fire lines and stop infernos from spreading," says the Los Angeles Times.
Traffic on a portion of the 101 Freeway in San Luis Obispo County has increased dramatically over the last decade. The Paso Robles area has seen a jump from 40,000 vehicles each day to 70,000, reports Central Coast News.
In the last five years, 1,480 people have been wrongly incarcerated in L.A. County jails, finds the Los Angeles Times in an inquiry.
The first flu-related death in California this season was reported in Kern County last week, says KERO 23 Bakersfield.
Surprise, surprise? Two of seven "dumbest local political scandals of 2011," as tallied by The Atlantic Cities, are in L.A. County: the recent affairs in the city of San Fernando and the continuing drama in the city of Bell.

Photo by Orbitgal via KCET's Southern California Flickr Pool

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