Hopes that the opening of the revamped Bay Bridge would take place on Labor Day are getting dimmer and dimmer, as concerns mount over the integrity of the huge bolts that play a key role in holding the span together.
From the Chronicle's Jaxon Van Derbeken and Michael Cabanatuan: "Motorists could be forced to use the existing Bay Bridge eastern span for several additional months if Caltrans isn't able to fix its broken-rod problem on the $6.4 billion replacement bridge in time for its scheduled Sept. 3 opening, officials said Wednesday."
"The state is unlikely to know until July 10 whether the new bridge will open on time, said Steve Heminger, executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission."
"That's the "drop-dead" date for determining when Caltrans can complete a fix for the broken steel rods, which are used to anchor seismic safety structures on the new bridge, Heminger said at a commission meeting in Oakland."
Speaking of Caltrans, the Brown administration has ordered an independent review of the agency because of construction issues surrounding the Bay Bridge.
From the AP's Judy Lin: "State officials announced Wednesday that they have hired an independent organization to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the California Department of Transportation, which has come under scrutiny over safety concerns related to construction on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge."
"The state hired an expert group called State Smart Transportation Initiative to assess the department that oversees California's vast transportation network, said Brian Kelly, acting secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency."
"Housed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the group includes members from 19 state transportation departments and promotes sustainable transportation practices, as well as industry reforms."
The price tag of the huge public works project rose another billion dollars, hovering near the $25 billion mark to overhaul the chokepoint of California's water system -- the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
From Paul Burgarino and Steve Harmon in the Mercury News: "The cost of Gov. Jerry Brown's controversial plan to build two massive tunnels to move water from north to south increased more than a billion dollars to $24.7 billion on Wednesday, but officials insisted it will be a bargain for water users around the state."
"Critics of the project have attacked the administration for its delay in releasing figures outlining the benefits of the project. But Wednesday's release of the final chapters of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan for the first time hung a price tag on the benefits -- at least $5 billion over the next 50 years."
"The current water supply is vulnerable, and the cost of its failure would be enormous," said John Laird, the state's secretary of natural resources. "As public officials, we are duty-bound to address these threats. (This plan) provides the most comprehensive, well-conceived approach to ensuring a reliable water supply to 25 million people and restoring the Delta ecosystem."
Gov. Brown's tight-with-a-buck budgeting may not be getting rave reviews from Democrats in the Capitol, but the general public is giving him a thumbs up, according to the latest PPIC report.
From the Bee's Jeremy White: "A solid 61 percent of California residents who were surveyed backed Brown's overall plan, including a majority of independents and just under half of Republicans."
"Respondents to the poll, available at this link, also backed Brown's call to set aside a big chunk of a new surge in revenue rather than use it to restore social services. More than half, 55 percent, called for paying down the state's debt and establishing reserves, while 39 percent wanted to boost social services funding. The margin was buttressed by 75 percent of Republicans and 67 percent of independents who favored the more conservative option."
"That puts those surveyed at odds with legislative Democrats and interest groups who are pushing the governor to alleviate cuts leveled over the last few years. The legislative push also comes amid continued reservations about California's fiscal situation and the pain it has inflicted: 61 percent of adults called the budget a "big problem," and 59 percent said local government services had been affected "a lot" by cutbacks."
Eric Garcetti's election as mayor of L.A. may be showing weaknesses in the power structure of the area's organized labor political machine.
From LA Weekly's Gene Maddaus: "Garcetti's victory has been portrayed as a setback for labor. In fact, it is a setback for two labor leaders — Brian D'Arcy and Maria Elena Durazo — and for their respective reputations as political power brokers."
"D'Arcy, the head of the Department of Water and Power union, spent more than $4 million on Greuel, oblivious to the possibility that he could become a target of Garcetti's attacks."
"Almost as important, it was Durazo who decided to hold off on endorsing Greuel until March 12. That hurt Greuel in two ways. First, it gave the Federation of Labor only two months to organize a campaign to turn out voters. Second, it had the effect of portraying Greuel as a pawn of labor at precisely the moment when voters were beginning to tune in for the runoff."
And finally from our "Snake in the Grass" file comes the tale of the Florida man who killed the biggest Burmese Python ever in the Sunshine State.
"A Miami man pulled an 18-foot Burmese python out of roadside brush and wrestled with it for 10 minutes before cutting its head off with a knife."
"The 128-pound specimen turned out to be the biggest Burmese python ever captured in Florida, besting the previous record by more than a foot, wildlife officials said."
"Leon, a college student studying marine biology, said he was riding ATVs with friends in a rural area on May 11 when one of them spotted about three feet of snake sticking out of some brush."
"Leon, who used to keep snakes, had never seen a python in the wild and decided to get up close and personal with this one. It wasn't until he yanked him out that he realized how big it was. As he held it by the neck, the female wrapped around his leg once, then twice and then headed for his waist. He kept grappling with it until he became worried it might sink its razor-sharp teeth into him."
What a state: snakes, allegators, flying cockroaches, 100 percent humidity, hurricanes, etc ...
