CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Airline Bill Flies On to Senate

A bill that would create a nonprofit state-operated airline to fly chiefly between Southern California and Sacramento was approved by the state Senate Appropriations Committee and sent to the full Senate. Many legislators are dissatisfied with the schedules and fares of commercial airlines that now serve the capital. Amendments to the bill by Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles) would finance the enterprise by requiring commercial carriers to pay a 1-cent-per-gallon tax on jet fuel. Originally, the bill proposed requiring general taxpayers to finance the project.