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In response to a request by Mayor Hahn, LAX is looking to perform background checks on all bus, van, and limo drivers who regularly work the run to the airport. Hahn asked airport officials to start making the checks after a similar piece of city-sponsored state legislation (that also covered railroad terminals) failed to pass.
It seems more than a little disturbing that the folks in Sacramento don't see LAX security as a major priority - it's the component of the city (and of the entire state, really) most likely to be hit by an act of catastrophic terrorism. Keeping in mind that these checks won't be any kind of cure-all, and that the feeling of false security is more perilous than no security, background checks sound like a good first step for taking on the currently porous state of LAX protection. With the entire city lambasting Mayor Hahn for his "sleepy" governing style, LAist is going to give him a hat-tip here for taking action while Sacramento snoozes.
