State Senators will question Caltrans officials today on accusations related to the new Bay Bridge construction.
Jaxon Van Derbeken reports for The San Francisco Chronicle: “Lawmakers on the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee will question Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty, other state officials and the head of the bridge's lead contractor, American Bridge/Fluor, about two reports last week from an investigator and a panel of six engineers who were critical of how the $6.4 billion project was managed.”
“Former investigative journalist Roland De Wolk concluded in his report that although the span is unlikely to suffer major damage in an earthquake, it will probably require retrofitting during its 150-year life span because Caltrans accepted cracked welds on components fabricated at Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. in Shanghai.”
Los Angeles’ skid row has an increasingly aging population of women.
Gale Holland reports in the Los Angeles Times: “Women who have been homeless for five or more years contributed to the aging of the female population in the 50-block downtown neighborhood, the survey report said. But women who recently lost their housing because of the death of a spouse or estrangement from family are also driving up the numbers, the survey said.”
“"The growing number of older women living in skid row emphasizes the need for aging-related services, as well as accessible facilities and agencies," the group's report said.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein is co-sponsoring legislation to expand the definition of homelessness and the number of children applicable for federal homeless assistance.
Heather Knight reports in The San Francisco Chronicle: “In 2001, San Francisco expanded its definition of homelessness to include families who live in SROs. The U.S. Department of Education agrees with that definition, estimating there are more than 1.1 million homeless children across the country, including those living in tiny hotel rooms.”
“But the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which controls federal spending on homeless programs, disagrees. It counts about 138,000 homeless children younger than 18 nationwide - or those found on the streets or in homeless shelters during the agency's last biennial homeless count, in January 2013.”
Families living in San Francisco’s Mission streets are forced to pay skyrocketing rents for shabby single rooms.
Heather Knight reports in The San Francisco Chronicle: “The tech-fueled economic boom has hit 16th and Mission streets in a big way, bringing with it Google buses, expensive condos and high-priced restaurants and boutiques. But just a few properties down from the famed intersection is the dubiously named Grand Southern Hotel, a single room occupancy hotel with 60 units. Many of them house families, and 22 children live inside - the most of any SRO in the Mission.”
Opposition to the effort to ban free plastic grocery bag will soon take their campaign to TV and radio.
Laurel Rosenhall reports in the Sacramento Bee: “It’s the second round of ads the plastic industry has launched in California this year to oppose SB 270. The bill by Sen. Alex Padilla was supposed to represent a compromise between plastic bag makers and environmentalists, who pushed unsuccesfully for a bag ban last year. Last year’s version died in the Senate when a handful of Democrats said it would impact too many jobs in their districts or hurt working-class consumers. Padilla’s new version includes a $2 million subsidy to help factories change from making disposable plastic bags to re-usable plastic bags. That subsidy removed some industry opposition to the bill, but major bag makers remain opposed.”
As the water bond agreement looms, so do negotiations over a multibillion-dollar bond for school construction.
Jim Miller reports in the Sacramento Bee: “The official deadline for the Legislature to place measures on the fall ballot was June 26, but proponents estimated Monday that they could still get a school bond before voters if they act by Aug. 15. It’s one of two borrowing measures in the mix during the Legislature’s final month of session, with lawmakers also rushing to craft a smaller replacement for a $11.1 billion water bond already on the November ballot.”
“An earlier version of AB 2235 called for a $9 billion school bond. Monday, Buchanan said her legislation will be amended this week to be in the range of $4 billion to $5 billion.”
Mayor Eric Garcetti blamed last week’s flooding of UCLA on a poorly engineered joint.
KPCC reports: “"This wasn’t a pipe that broke, by the way, it was a joint. A poorly engineered joint from the ‘50s, even though the original pipe was from the ‘20s," Garcetti said.”
“Senior DWP officials are expected to elaborate on that point at Tuesday's Water and Power Commission meeting.”
“The mayor acknowledged that it's unlikely this will be the city's last water main break. The DWP has a 300-year replacement cycle for its water pipes, many of which were installed 100 years ago. However, Garcetti said he will not pursue water rate increases before June 30, 2015.”
