As boating season approaches, the Bush administration wants to enlist the country's 80 million recreational boaters to help reduce the chances that a small boat could deliver a nuclear or radiological bomb somewhere along the country's 95,000 miles of coastline and inland waterways. According to an April 23 intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press, "The use of a small boat as a weapon is likely to remain al-Qaida's weapon of choice in the maritime environment, given its ease in arming and deploying, low cost, and record of success." To reduce the potential for such an attack in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security has developed a new strategy intended to increase security by enhancing safety standards. The Coast Guard is part of the department. On Monday officials will announce the plan, which asks states to develop and enforce safety standards for recreational boaters and asks them to look for and report suspicious behavior on the water. Contra Costa Times 4/28/08
Guiding ships through the San Francisco Bay, with its bridges and treacherous currents, is a high-stakes business. But the board that oversees the ship pilots who ply these waters is a low-profile state agency that has operated largely under the radar for decades. The Board of Pilot Commissioners answers officially to the governor, who appoints its members, but has no formal mechanism or timeline for doing do. While its meetings are open to the public, it has not submitted a report to the governor since 1957. But State legislators want to bring new accountability and transparency to the board following last fall's incident, and the resulting spill of 53,000 gallons of toxic fuel into the San Francisco Bay. Lawmakers are considering two separate bills that would force the board to answer to the Legislature. CC Times 4/28/08
Feeling the political heat, San Francisco's elected supervisors and Mayor Gavin Newsom are looking to put the brakes on a plan to add $10 to parking fines in the city. What they have yet to figure out is how they would balance the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency's $787 million budget without that extra revenue, estimated at $12 million or more a year. SF Chronicle 4/28/08
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced his opposition to Proposition 98 on Friday, saying the June 3 ballot measure threatened to undermine public works projects by restricting the government's ability to exercise eminent domain. An analysis of the measure by the Institute for Justice, a Libertarian group from Arlington, Va., however concluded that "traditional uses of eminent domain for public use will not be affected. Roads and bridges will be built. Water projects such as drainage ditches, sewers, reservoirs, dams, drinking water and irrigation have long been accepted as public uses, and that will not change under Prop. 98." The state Transportation Commission has opposed the measure, saying it would ultimately delay projects, and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has also voiced opposition. LA Times 4/26/08
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday the state budget deficit will be "probably more than $10 billion" in the next fiscal year as the state takes in lower than expected revenues in a flagging economy. A $10 billion gap would be at least $1 billion more than previously predicted for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Sacramento Bee 4/25/08
Some drivers think Fresno is doing more than just enforcing once-neglected speed laws. They think the city is setting speed traps. And the National Motorist Association, which calls itself a grass-roots organization and operates the Web site speedtrap.org, calls Fresno the California city most likely to use deception to catch speeding motorists. Tricking motorists is also against a state law that says officers must wear a "full distinctive uniform," and if they are using a patrol vehicle, it must be painted a "distinctive color." But the law doesn't explicitly prohibit radar enforcement in concealed locations. Fresno Bee 4/26/08
A new report paints an ugly picture of gridlock on roadways from Albany to Marin County if a small Indian tribe wins the rights to build a Las Vegas-style casino in unincorporated North Richmond. CC Times 4/27/08
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