The rise of the drones -- no, that's not a movie title -- is under way and the FAA could open the U.S. skies to widespread drone use by 2015.
From the Bee's Torey Van Oot: "But the emerging technology has attracted questions about use, safety and privacy, leading state and federal regulators to grapple with how to govern drones. Capitol hearings and the two-day symposium in Thousand Oaks, sponsored by state lawmakers and an industry association, have explored those issues in recent weeks."
"Unmanned systems are most commonly known for their use by the military, which has increased its reliance on drones to conduct surveillance and track down terrorists in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. But advances in technology and cuts to defense spending have led manufacturers to experiment with new ways to use what the industry calls "UAVs."
"Boosters of the technology say it could be used to assess and sell real estate, help news organizations report stories and patrol oil pipelines, ports or vast swaths of water of the coast."
Speaking of drones, many states are vying for the right to have national test sites sanctioned by the federal government. But California, the birthplace of so much in aerospace innovation, didn't even enter the competition.
From the Ventura County Star's Timm Herdt: "There is likely some head-scratching taking place at the FAA when administrators note that the two applications from California are headed by the county of Ventura and an outfit called the Indian Wells Valley Airport District."
"Gov. Jerry Brown’s Office of Business and Economic Development — GO-Biz, it is called for short — has shown no apparent interest in taking a lead on an opportunity to establish a foothold in a significant emerging industry."
"To be sure, Brown and the folks at GO-Biz are occupied just now planning for this month’s trade mission to China and the opening of a new trade office in Shanghai. But the business closer to home of seeking to better position California as a potential hub in the unmanned aerial systems industry would seem at least an equal priority."
With a dry year under way and cuts in farm water looming, there is a likely to be a repeat of an unfortunate activity -- food lines.
From the Fresno Bee's Mark Grossi: "With severe irrigation water cutbacks this year, food lines again will form with unemployed workers and their families on the San Joaquin Valley's west side, local leaders said Monday."
"Two congressmen and farmworkers joined them in a downtown Fresno news conference to tell the public that the cutbacks will cost thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in the California economy."
"The news conference was arranged by the Latino Water Coalition, a group formed in 2007 to advocate for water improvements in California. Coalition members attended from the cities of San Joaquin, Mendota, Parlier, Orange Cove, Huron and Fowler."
State officials, tracking the problem of busted bolts at the $6.4 billion Bay Bridge project, have ordered reinspections.
From the Chronicle's Jaxon Van Derbeken: "Caltrans will reinspect hundreds of parts provided for the new Bay Bridge eastern span by the Ohio company whose brittle steel rods failed after being tightened in the final stages of the project, officials said Tuesday."
"The company, Dyson Corp., has made or supplied a variety of bolts, fasteners and other parts that have gone into construction of the $6.4 billion bridge, which is scheduled to open to traffic the day after Labor Day. They include 4-foot-long, 3 1/2-inch-diameter rods that secure the cables on the span's single, signature tower."
"Concern about the company's quality control arose last week when Caltrans disclosed that more than a third of the 96 Dyson-supplied rods used to seismically strengthen the span near Yerba Buena Island had snapped when workers tightened the nuts used to hold them in place."
California, responding to the murders of school children in Newtown, Conn., took the first steps in tightening its altready-tight gun control laws by cracking down on ammo.
From Steve Harmon in the Mercury News: "Under a measure carried by Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, people would have to buy ammunition from a licensed dealer and provide identification. The bill, AB48, was approved by the Democratic-controlled Public Safety Committee on a party-line 5-2 vote. It was the first of nearly two dozen bills legislators will soon address to combat gun violence.
Sales of ammunition would also have to be reported to the state Department of Justice, which would check the names against a registry of prohibited gun owners -- a tool to allow authorities to seize guns from those who are banned from possessing them because of criminal or mental health histories. In addition, local law enforcement agencies would be alerted to anyone purchasing more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition within a five-day period.
