Infrastructure:
*$30B spread thin between projects -- Better Caltrain service, more lanes on U.S. Highway 101 and improved freeway connections may sound like essential upgrades to Peninsula commuters, but a lack of transportation funding is putting many key projects in jeopardy. Only $30 billion in regional funds are available for about 900 Bay Area transportation projects that cost $80 to $90 billion, said the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the regional planning body for Bay Area roads and transit. SF Examiner 5/19/08
When cars compete with people for food -- China, India, Argentina and several other countries have raised export restrictions on key crops to ensure food supplies for their consumers. That move has further increased world prices. The United States should retreat from its heavy promotion of corn-based ethanol and allow the markets to settle. The world can produce plenty of crops at reasonable prices for food and feed, if appropriate agricultural investments are made. But it cannot produce enough crops for food, feed and fuel at prices affordable to half of the world's population. SF Chronicle 5/18/08
Mass-transportation:
With gas at $4 a gallon, trains fill up -- In 12 days, the state Department of Transportation will begin a series of closures on Interstate 5 downtown for repairs, certain to cause congestion and test mass transit. Friday – two days after he proposed another budget that transit officials say underfunds them – the governor suggested Sacramentans hop a bus or train during the I-5 closures, or telecommute and work flextime. To its credit, Caltrans has agreed to funnel up to $500,000 in urgency cash to area transit agencies during the closures. Sacramento Bee 5/19/08
*State workers urged to telecommute -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued an executive order Friday calling for state workers in Sacramento to telecommute, take transit or alter their work schedules when feasible to help ease the expected congestion on Interstate 5 during a roadway improvement project. SF Chronicle 5/17/08
Shipping:
*Long haulers yield to diesel prices -- Truck owners and operators who are fed up with getting 5 miles per gallon are delving into long-ignored subjects such as aerodynamics, cruising speeds and tire efficiency. Engineers and manufacturers are furiously developing fuel-friendly technology. And commercial fleets are using high-tech software to calculate every aspect of their drivers' routes, down to where they should fill up and where they should stop for the night. LA Times 5/17/08
Companies aren't rushing to join cross-border trucking program -- The Bush administration launched controversial program last year that allows authorized trucking companies from Mexico and the United States to haul a load from anywhere in one country to anywhere in the other, eliminating the time and cost of transferring loads at the border. But the program has grown more slowly than government officials expected, raising questions about the demand among trucking companies for an open border and providing ammunition for critics. San Diego Union Tribune 5/18/08
*California farm product exporters face shipping squeeze -- As the weak dollar makes the fruits of California farms ever more attractive to overseas buyers, big exporters like Sacramento's Blue Diamond Growers are finding it tougher to get their products to far-off customers. The high price of oil and shifts in the global balance of trade have made space on container ships hard to come by. Cargo rates are up sharply. Delays of several months have become routine. A tangle of economic trends, however, has made the journey from Sacramento to Hamburg far less routine than it was just two years ago. Sacramento Bee 5/18/08
Tourism:
South Lake Tahoe starts to shift its focus -- Gambling is transforming Lake Tahoe again. This time, though, the changes are being driven by ferocious competition from Northern California's Indian casinos. The new Tahoe relies less on gamblers, "day trippers" and budget-motel travelers. Taking their place: fewer but more affluent visitors seeking outdoor recreation and atmosphere and staying in time shares, second homes and upper-end hotels and condos. Sacramento Bee 5/18/08
SF hopes for big slice of gay marriage money -- San Francisco's tourist industry is betting that gay marriage will lead to a boon in same-sex wedding and honeymoon packages. Nationally, gay tourism amounts to a $60 billion-a-year industry. Unlike Massachusetts, the only other state with gay nuptials, California doesn't limit marriages to residents of the state - so same-sex couples could pour in from all over. SF Chronicle 5/18/08
Water:
Hybrid boat waves hello to S.F. Bay -- Green technology came to the blue waters of San Francisco Bay on Friday, when what the manufacturer calls the world's first hybrid recreational boat was introduced to two of California's top resource officers. SF Chronicle 5/17/08
Sheriff's office joins shoreline vigilance -- Refineries, chemical plants, bridges and other potential terrorist bull's-eyes dot Contra Costa County's expansive shoreline. In the past six weeks, the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office has joined the effort of guarding these sites. The department debuted its Infrastructure Protection Team, which mans the Harry D. Ramsay, a state-of-the-art 37-foot catamaran. SJ Mercury 5/17/08
High-speed rail:
*High-speed rail gets a boost from Congress -- The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (HR 6003) would provide $14.4 billion over five years to match state costs for high-speed systems. The Senate passed a similar bill last year. Even better news: The match would be 80% of state investments, the same as federal highway funds. Fresno Bee 5/18/08
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