San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Harris takes advantage of her role in Kavanaugh opposition
Sen. Kamala Harris, a possible presidential contender, has certainly been working Brent
Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court hearings for all they’re worth.
Harris has been a key leader in the opposition to Kavanaugh, and her prosecutorial rhetorical style — “answer yes or no” — has put California’s junior senator in the national spotlight.
At the same time, her campaign operatives have been busy on social media, posting 3,600 different Facebook ads about Kavanaugh, according to the Wall Street Journal. No other senator appears to be doing as much Kava-
naugh-related advertising on Facebook, the Journal reports.
The ads highlight Kavanaugh’s opposition to Roe vs. Wade and encourage people to sign her petition opposing Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
The Harris petition also links to a fundraising page suggesting contributions of $15 or more to her campaign. She isn’t up for re-election, of course, until 2022.
Those close to Team Harris say the goal is not necessarily to raise money — but rather to collect thousands of email addresses of likeminded Democrats. That would help her create a nationwide database that could be tapped should Harris decide to make a major move.
It’s all part of a social media campaign Harris’ crew has been running since the night that President Trump was elected and Harris raised the resist banner she has been carrying ever since.
Rough ride: Skanska, the engineering firm responsible for the structural steel work at the Transbay Transit Center, where two cracked beams were discovered last week, is also at the center of a storm involving the $2.3 billion BART extension to the South Bay.
Just this month it was reported that the opening of BART’s 10-mile extension from Fremont to new stations in Milpitas and San Jose could be delayed well into next year after it was discovered that workers had installed used or noncompliant communications equipment.
The electronic components, which control everything from publicaddress systems to passenger information signs and fire alarms, need to be replaced.
The general contractor for the BART extension is a joint venture of Skanska-ShimmickHerzog, although the $1.2 million worth of communications equipment was installed by a subcontractor.
A representative for Skanska referred us to the Valley Transportation Authority, which is overseeing construction of the BART extension.
Authority spokeswoman Bernice Alaniz, said determining how the mistake happened is “still under investigation, because there is a whole supply chain” involved.
In the meantime, subbing out the bad parts could push back the opening of the line from this year until the spring of 2019 or later.
Say what? If nothing else, the committee behind Proposition C — the November ballot initiative that would tax large businesses and corporations to raise $300 million a year for homeless services — certainly has a sense of humor.
The “Our City, Our Home 2018” committee just filed its latest campaign expenditure report showing that it has raised $335,318 since the start of the year.
The group also reports spending about a third of the money on signature-gathering operations, consultants and campaign literature — plus one $250 payment to the city and county of San Francisco for what is described as: “Extortion.”
Seems the city requires all campaign consultants to pay a registration fee, and in this case David Looman, the treasurer for the Yes on Prop. C effort, had to come up with the fee.
“There is no reason for the city to charge that fee, except that (consultants) are a disrespected group, and the city can get away with it,” Looman said. “I think it’s evil.”
And finally: You have to hand it to the enterprising homeless camper near the Oakland Coliseum who made a killing at the two-day “Rolling Loud Bay Area” hip-hop festival.
The guy cut the gate lock off a fence opposite the Coliseum BART Station parking lot, donned a yellow vest and held up a handmade sign reading “$20 Parking.”
A real bargain compared with the $40 being charged at the authorized lots.
By the time police were called, the homeless attendant had parked at least 40 cars and collected a cash haul of at least $800 from their owners.
And apparently, it wasn’t the first time he’d done it — just the first time he’d been caught.
We’re told the man wasn’t arrested — just given a cease-and-desist order.
“At least he didn’t have to worry about his next meal,” said Oakland City Council President Larry Reid, whose district includes the Coliseum.
San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email matierandross@ sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross