The feds are stepping into the Bay Bridge construction flap, launching a probe into the integrity of hundreds of huge bolts used in the multibillion-dollar span.
From the Chronicle"s Jaxon Van Derbeken: "The federal government will investigate how Caltrans allowed more than 2,300 suspect steel rods to be installed on the new Bay Bridge eastern span and will review the agency's $10 million fix of more than two dozen that have already failed, officials said Monday."
"The probe will be conducted by the Federal Highway Administration, which agreed to come in at the request of a state-local panel overseeing the $6.4 billion eastern span. The panel, which represents both Caltrans and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, sought an "arm's length" review of the problems with high-strength, galvanized threaded rods installed on the bridge since 2007."
"Problems with the rods have raised questions about whether the span will open to traffic as scheduled on Sept. 3. A spokesman for the federal agency would not speculate on how long its examination might take."
A forest-protection group is taking on Jerry Brown over his policies that they contend allow clear-cut logging across thousands of acres. It's a small buy but it raises questions about the governor's academic credentials -- which is the point.
Froom the Bee's David Siders: "A Northern California environmental group has begun airing advertisements on cable TV stations criticizing Gov. Jerry Brown for allowing clear-cut logging on thousands of acres of forest land."
"Marily Woodhouse, co-founder of the Manton-based Battle Creek Alliance, said today her organization paid $3,000 to air spots this month on CNN, MSNBC and other cable networks in Sacramento."
"The tiny ad buy is part of an ongoing conflict between environmentalists and business interests over the state's management of logging on private land. One ad features a photograph of the Democratic governor in a superimposed pair of sunglasses."
A major point of contention in the governor's revised budgt will be education, as various interests fight over the surge in new revenue.
From EdSource's John Fensterwald: "Democrats in the Legislature may find themselves at odds with Gov. Jerry Brown on two issues that will factor large when Brown reveals his revised state budget Tuesday: how to spend billions in unanticipated revenue and how to reshape Brown’s sweeping plan for funding K-12 education."
"As of now, the state is on target to collect $4.5 billion more than expected in personal income taxes, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Democratic leaders in the Legislature have no shortage of ways they’d like to see that money spent, such as expanding mental health care, restoring adult dental care, eliminating fees for preschool that went into effect this year, and providing more state aid for college students."
"The problem for them is that as much as 90 percent of that extra money may be legally bound for K-12 and community colleges. Normally, under Proposition 98 (later modified by Proposition 111), which defines spending minimums for education, school districts and community colleges can count on about 40 cents of every dollar in state revenue. But when times are good, as they are this year, and the state owes districts for past cuts and missed cost-of-living increases, as is the case, then it can rise to 90 cents on a dollar."
Speaking of budget revenue, the governor unveils his latest budget draft for the fiscal year that starts July 5, a document that reflects the income tax revenue collected by the April 15 filing deadline.
From the AP's Juliet Williams: "Administration officials, who provided the information on the condition of anonymity, said Brown would include $1 billion, or about $170 per student, to implement the "common core" standards that California and 43 other states have adopted. They include more rigorous instruction in English and mathematics, literacy standards for history and social studies and higher-order thinking."
"Schools are required to implement the changes but have struggled to do so after years of budget cuts. The state funding will pay for professional development and new technology and instructional materials."
"Brown's school funding formula would channel additional money to schools with higher proportions of English learners, low-income families and foster children. He has framed it as part of the state's obligation to help struggling students, saying "it is controversial, but it is right and it's fair."
Down south, the Los Angeles mayoral battle is proceeding hot and heavy, but the campaign appears to be far from enlightening and educational.
From the Bee's Dan Walters: "The duel between City Councilman Eric Garcetti and City Controller Wendy Greuel has to be California's most vapid, off-putting political contest. You couldn't slip a toothpick between the two in ideology – two more or less liberal, more or less business-friendly, more or less union-allied politicos."
"Nevertheless, they've spent millions of dollars, most of which have paid for mindless personal attacks accusing each other of being a mayoral disaster waiting to happen because of some defect of character."
"One poll in late April had Garcetti ahead, while another last week gave the nod to Greuel. But whether any poll is valid hinges on how many of the huge city's voters actually will cast ballots by next Tuesday. It's assumed that turnout will be very low – it's L.A., the world capital of civic alienation, after all – but how low is uncertain."
And from our "Big Bang" file comes the tale of a woman who was at Starbucks waiting to buy some coffee when she got a big surprise.
"Police say Pamela Beck and Amie Peterson were getting coffee at the Tyrone Square Mall in St. Petersburg when Beck moved to set her bags down in order to pay for her drink."
"Her purse "hit the ground hard," St. Petersburg Police spokesman Mike Puetz told The Huffington Post, and a fully loaded .25 caliber semi-automatic handgun that was in the bottom of the handbag fired, striking Peterson above the knee."
"Beck told investigators that her father had given her the gun about a year ago, and she hadn't intended to bring it out in public. "She had forgotten about it," Puetz said."
Definitely time for a double macchiato...