Budget:
*SFO-related tax measures on fall ballot -- Hoping tourists will allow county officials to climb out of a budget hole, San Mateo County supervisors Tuesday placed two San Francisco International Airport-related tax measures on the November ballot. The board approved an 8 percent tax on parking and a separate 2½ percent tax on rental-car agencies during its meeting Tuesday. Both measures will be placed on the Nov. 4 ballot and will affect only unincorporated parts of the county, most notably SFO. Examiner 8/6/08
State budget stalemate continues -- The prospects for quick resolution to the state's impasse grew dimmer Tuesday, a day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed a solution to the mess, when Democratic legislators were warned to cancel plans to attend the party convention at the end of the month. SF Chronicle 8/6/08
Ports and shipping:
*Oakland port to eliminate 100 jobs -- The Port of Oakland is cutting 100 jobs, representing about 15 percent of all positions, in its biggest reduction in force in recent memory. The cuts, to take effect Aug. 29, affect 62 filled positions and 38 that were vacant because of a partial hiring freeze. Port revenue is growing more slowly than anticipated; at the same time, debt payments are increasing for bonds that paid for past capital improvements. SF Chronicle 8/6/08
Emissions:
*S.F. on course for emissions reduction goal -- San Francisco has cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent from 1990 levels and is on track to meet its goal of a 20 percent reduction in four years, Mayor Gavin Newsom said Tuesday. Total emissions in the city dropped by 5 percent between 1990 and 2005 and by 8 percent since 2000, which was the worst year on record, according to a study by the city's Department of the Environment. SF Chronicle 8/6/08
*Bill would charge fees at ports for cleaner air -- Cargo shipping companies that send goods through ports in Oakland, Long Beach and Los Angeles would be charged new fees to fund efforts to reduce pollution under a bill approved Tuesday by the state Senate and sent to the governor. Health advocates lauded the legislation as a tool to combat what they described as dangerous levels of pollution near the ports, while opponents said it would hurt business. The bill passed by a 22-9 vote. SF Chronicle 8/6/08
Transit and infrastructure:
Program to keep trucking -- A controversial experiment that is testing the safety of allowing Mexican trucks to travel throughout the United States has so far survived the repeated efforts of opponents to shut it down in Congress and the courts. But as the pilot program drew toward a scheduled close next month, it faced the prospect of being judged a failure as a result of not attracting enough participants to produce reliable data. Yesterday, Bush administration officials announced they will take advantage of a statute that allows the program to be extended up to three years. San Diego Union Tribune 8/5/08
Many California bridges still need earthquake upgrades -- The state owns more than 12,000 bridges. The California Department of Transportation says that in the last 20 years it has retrofit 2,189 of the 2,194 bridges that needed updates, many of which are on freeways and other major corridors. The remaining five bridges are the eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Ten Mile River Bridge on California 1 in Mendocino County, the High Street bridge on Interstate 880 in Oakland, the 5th Avenue bridge on I-880 in Oakland and the Schuyler Heim Bridge that connects Long Beach to Terminal Island. LA Times 8/5/08
*Transit law gets green light -- The City will legally require San Francisco businesses with 20 or more employees to offer workers one of three transit benefits by the end of the year. The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the business mandate Tuesday, but unlike previous measures — including forcing businesses to provide workers such benefits as health care and sick leave that drew the ire of the business community — this one came with the backing of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. Examiner 8/6/08
*San Francisco may charge drivers -- San Francisco is considering a plan to charge commuters a fee to drive into the city's most congested downtown areas during rush hours. To fight gridlock, smog and global-warming gases, San Francisco is considering becoming the first city in the nation to impose congestion-management fees during rush hour to drive into and possibly out of the busiest downtown areas. SJ Mercury 8/4/08
Emergency response:
Homeland-security grant would bolster county emergency needs -- San Mateo County may soon be a little more prepared for a major emergency. The Sheriff’s Office has applied for a $2.5 million grant in the past from the Department of Homeland Security and received it each time. The county already has a bevy of projects lined up to use the money, county Emergency Services Supervisor Bill O’Callahan said. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security set aside $37.2 million for the Bay Area under its 2008 Urban Areas Security Initiative, part of $1.8 billion in new grants offered nationwide this year. SF Examiner 8/6/08
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