CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / LOS ANGELES

Local school bus rides could last as long as 90 minutes each way next year as a result of the latest proposed state budget cuts, officials said.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s budget revision includes more than $400 million in cuts to school transportation. The cuts will hit heavily in the Los Angeles Unified School District, which buses 59,000 of its 688,000 students.

To make up for a reduction of $62 million, L.A. school officials would define “walking” distance to schools as three miles instead of two, cutting thousands out of a ride. The maximum bus trip would grow to 90 minutes from 75 minutes. About 100 routes would be canceled, and many drivers laid off.

-- Howard Blume