It’s election day, and voters around the Bay Area are considering a raft of propositions and ballot measures. Elections officials expect a relatively low turnout, as most major publicly elected positions are not up for grabs. But a year from now, California’s highest office will be contested. And that means Arnold Schwarzenegger’s reign as Governor of the Golden State is almost up. Chances are, the next governor will not be quite as... colorful.From obvious slights, to bold initiatives, to cryptic messages, our high-profile head-man has grabbed headlines since he first declared his candidacy for governor on The Tonight Show in 2003. But what do we really know about the Governor? Well, we know he’s from Austria and started his first career as a champion bodybuilder in the city of Graz, a town about 150 miles southwest of Vienna. There, nestled in an Alpine valley, Arnold Schwarzenegger lived and worked out until moving to the United States in 1968. So, to find out more, that’s where we sent KALW’s Chris Hoff. While on a two-month fellowship in Europe last summer, he took a few days to go explore the Governor’s hometown.
It’s almost voting time again! Time to go through all those Propositions and Measures. Before you become overwhelmed, today, we’re going to start off with one Proposition that is causing controversy among San Franciscans, and that is Prop D. The measure aims to renew an area of the City that many consider an eyesore, and others consider to be just plain dangerous. It’s mid-market - that’s Market Street between 5th and 7th. And the question revolves around – billboards. Prop D would exempt that part of mid-market from a ban on new general advertising signs. It is supported by the Chamber of Commerce, among others, but it is opposed by the historic advocacy group, San Francisco Beautiful. Today, we hear from both sides of the debate before Prop D goes to the voters this coming Tuesday. KALW’s Roisin Hunt reports.
The Bay Bridge is still shut down for repairs after 20 to 30 mile-per-hour winds caused a steel tie rod to snap yesterday evening, dropping a 3-foot-wide steel crossbeam and an additional steel rod onto the upper deck. While Caltrans and contracting company MCM worked against the wind throughout last night and today on the repair, the question of why this happened still seems unanswered.
As it turns out, the parts that crashed onto the bridge the evening of October 27th just happen to be the most recently added parts of the bridge, installed just seven weeks earlier over Labor Day weekend. The bridge was closed that weekend so contractor CC Meyers could connect a new part of the bridge to the old one - all part of seismically upgrading the bridge’s Eastern Span. And when a crack was found in the structure, they almost didn’t have the bridge ready for the morning commute after the holiday. But crews worked through the night, and got it done. Caltrans claims that the Labor Day repair was tested thoroughly upon installation, and it was examined on a weekly basis. But that fix was what broke due to gusty winds about 24 hours ago.
Today, a Caltrans spokesman said that they’re trying to deal with the wind issues by placing straps on the repaired steel tie in order to prevent high winds from rocking it back and forth until it breaks - again - a band aid for the band aid, so to speak. And that’s just plain unsafe, according to structural engineering professor Abolhassan Astaneh-Asl from UC Berkeley. He’s been studying the Bay Bridge since the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. And KALW's Ben Trefny reached him in his office on the Berkeley campus.
The Public Press and McSweeney’s in San Francisco have embarked on a non-profit effort to work on an investigative piece regarding delays, cost overruns, and potential dangers with the Bay Bridge retrofit. The groups are looking to raise public funds for the article, which is scheduled for publication November 13th. You can learn more right here
More than two and half million people in California have filed for unemployment benefits this year. That’s an unprecedented number of claims--the highest in the nation--and it's more than twice as many claims as have been filed in the next highest state. The result is that the state’s unemployment department has been overwhelmed, and some of California’s newly jobless are having to wait up to six months before receiving their checks. KALW's Anna Sussman reports.
Every student enrolled in higher education in the state this year is being subjected to a very tough required course. It’s “California Economics” - and almost nobody’s getting a passing grade. But it’s not just students. It’s also administration, faculty and staff. We sent reporters to Bay Area college and university campuses to gauge their sentiments. KALW’s Laura Klivans reports.
It’s election day, and voters around the Bay Area are considering a raft of propositions and ballot measures. Elections officials expect a relatively low turnout, as most major publicly elected positions are not up for grabs. But a year from now, California’s highest office will be contested. And that means Arnold Schwarzenegger’s reign as Governor of the Golden State is almost up. Chances are, the next governor will not be quite as... colorful.From obvious slights, to bold initiatives, to cryptic messages, our high-profile head-man has grabbed headlines since he first declared his candidacy for governor on The Tonight Show in 2003. But what do we really know about the Governor? Well, we know he’s from Austria and started his first career as a champion bodybuilder in the city of Graz, a town about 150 miles southwest of Vienna. There, nestled in an Alpine valley, Arnold Schwarzenegger lived and worked out until moving to the United States in 1968. So, to find out more, that’s where we sent KALW’s Chris Hoff. While on a two-month fellowship in Europe last summer, he took a few days to go explore the Governor’s hometown.
