Powerline by Lloyd Billingsley 7/26/2024
The same writers who proclaimed Joe Biden “sharp as a tack” are now busy denying that Joe appointed Kamala Harris his “border czar.” While giving that failure the attention it deserves, recall the new span of the Bay Bridge from San Francisco to Oakland.
The original double-deck span had served well since the 1930s and was quickly repaired after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. The structure could have been retrofitted for an estimated $250 million but Bay Area Democrats wanted a new bridge they said would cost $1 billion. California boasts some of the best bridge builders in the world but the state hired China’s Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company, which at the time had no experience building bridges. China also got the nod on materials and much of the labor. The structure came in 10 years late, a full $5 billion over budget, and riddled with safety issues.
Bay Area Democrat Mark DeSaulnier, chairman of the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee, held hearings on the project. As witnesses revealed, the Chinese steel was too brittle; welds, bolts and rods were cracked, and every one of the bridge’s 750 panels had to be repaired. Caltrans, the state agency in charge of the project, hid the problems from the public and whistleblowers called for a “criminal investigation.” That prompted DeSaulnier to send a report to state attorney general Kamala Harris, who did nothing. With public corruption, as with the victims of terrorism in San Bernardino, Harris prefers to look the other way.
In 2010, Harris was so lightly regarded that the Sacramento Bee endorsed her Republican rival Steve Cooley. He was far ahead on election night but three weeks later Harris jumped ahead by less than one percent. With illegal voters and ballot harvesting in the mix, you’re free to believe that Harris won fair and square.
More:
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/07/when-harris-ducked-under-the-bridge.php
