A.M. Splash: Auditor Says OPD Squandered $2 Million on Tech Systems

Oakland police have squandered nearly $2 million over the past five years on technology systems that were never used or underutilized, a city auditor's report has found. The report, which is being released Wednesday, faults the department for not performing due diligence before purchasing technology systems and for not adequately managing or tracking the systems after buying them. Oakland's Department of Information Technology also was criticized for poor

A key Pacific Gas and Electric Co. gas engineer testified that he repeatedly told his bosses the company was relying on flawed data to vouch for the safety of its gas transmission lines before the San Bruno disaster, but that the utility took no steps to fix the problem. In a civil deposition that attorneys for 350 plaintiffs filed Tuesday in San Mateo County Superior Court, PG&E's Todd Arnett said gas-system managers had ignored his and other employees' concerns that the company was relying on incomplete and inaccurate records contained in its geographic information system.

Nothing will happen quickly in the dispute over the $2.5 billion plan by California Pacific Medical Center to build a huge state-of-the art hospital on Cathedral Hill and upgrade its other medical facilities in the city. Facing a continuing dispute over the project, including the fate of St. Luke's Hospital in the Mission District, the Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to delay any decision on the final environmental impact report until at least Nov. 20.

Police have arrested two teenage thieves suspected of a series of "grab and go" cell phone robberies on BART trains, including one in which they are accused of using pepper spray on people who tried to stop them. BART police said cell phones have been taken from riders on trains near the Balboa Park, Glen Park, 16th Street and 24th Street stations in San Francisco but there could have been thefts on East Bay trains that went unreported. Police would like to hear from additional victims.

Funds from a $669,000 settlement stemming from a 2007 oil spill off Richmond's shore will be used for a variety of projects enhancing the city's waterfront, including reopening Point Molate Beach Park. A unanimous Richmond City Council on Tuesday voted to divide the money between four major projects. $235,000 will go to close a quarter-mile gap in the San Francisco Bay trail to link the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park with Miller/Knox Regional Shoreline Park. $254,000 will go to close another 0.16-mile gap in the trail along Garrard Boulevard between Cutting Boulevard and the Ferry Point Tunnel. $26,000 was set aside for basic improvements to the Marina Bay Trail.

Gov. Jerry Brown's November ballot initiative to raise taxes collected $6.3 million in the first half of the year, with $5 million in cash on hand at the end of June, the campaign reported Tuesday. Meanwhile, more than two dozen Democratic state legislators have contributed money to a separate fund to help pass the initiative.

It has been described as a cross between Amazon and Expedia, but for health insurance, instead of books or travel. Imagine comparing insurance policies through an easily navigated online store. That's the promise of the California Health Benefit Exchange, set to open in 2014 as a key element of the national health reform law.

The ironically named Marin City is the only community in Marin that calls itself a city — though it's not a city at all. Now, Marin City officials are considering changing that. Officials will discuss this week whether to form a committee to investigate the pros and cons of incorporating the community as a true city. As it stands, Marin City is an unincorporated area of the county that relies on the county of Marin for law enforcement and fire protection, and doesn't have its own city council.