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A state investigation has found that workers at the California Department of Transportation falsified testing data on bridges and other projects.  The state auditor’s office investigation stems from a 2009 whistleblower complaint.

Two Caltrans technicians charged with doing foundation testing for construction projects claimed more than 260 hours of overtime they didn’t work. One of them falsified testing data on 11 different projects. Those projects were later retested and deemed safe. Their supervisor not only failed to confirm the overtime or work, but misappropriated Caltrans property for his own use. The Auditor’s investigation called the conduct an “improper” and “inexcusable” neglect of duty.

Margarita Fernandez is with the state Auditor’s office.  She says, “they’ve taken some action. They are focusing right now on revising policies to try to prevent similar falsification or anything like that from occurring in the future.”

Caltrans fired the supervisor, settled with one technician to allow him to retire, and suspended another technician.

The adult film industry may be wanting to expand to Ventura County.

Camarillo officials say the city has received several inquiries, recently, from adult film producers asking for permits to film.  Some want to know if Camarillo has the same safe-sex production requirements adopted by Los Angeles and Simi Valley.

According to a report given to the Camarillo City Council, some 200 adult production companies are based in Los Angeles.  According to City Attorney, Bryan Pierik, while Camarillo does offer permits for film production, it does not have guidelines concerning the protection of those working in the adult film industry.

The Camarillo City Council voted unanimously to put a 45 day moratorium on the processing of such film permits, to allow it to further studio how other cities regulate such requests.

New chapters in the 50-year plan to provide water to Californians while protecting fish and wildlife in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta were released Wednesday.

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan chapters describe the anticipated effects on protected species, including endangered Delta smelt and Chinook salmon.

Fish and wildlife scientists expect conditions to improve for Delta Smelt in wet years, but remain about the same in dry years.

Mark Cowin is with the Department of Water Resources.  He says, “we don’t expect to have improvement in every time period, every season, every life history period for each species but we do intend to have a net affect that provides for recovery standard.”

The BDCP includes 30 mile tunnels to carry water to Central and Southern California. Opponents say the tunnels would have disastrous effects.

They say depriving the estuary of half of its water and expecting fish to survive is unrealistic.

Distracted drivers killed more than 33,000 people last year in the U.S.  387,000 were injured.

Next week, a coalition of South Coast law enforcement will take aim at the problem with stepped-up enforcement.  CHP, Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department and City of Santa Barbara officers will be targeting motorists who text or dial mobile phones without hands-free devices.

Sheriff’s Lt. Brad McVay says, vehicles can “…travel the length of a football field in seconds.”  He cites the death of Santa Maria college student Erick Okerblom, who was struck and killed by a driver holding a cell phone.

Increased “hands free” enforcement will continue through the month of April.

After a nearly 5 hour stakeout, Santa Barbara police did not find anyone inside a State Street gun store that was surrounded by SWAT officers.

The department responded to an alarm call at Far West Gun and Supply on the 2000 block of State street at approximately 5:30 am Thursday.  Officers believed there was the possibility of suspects holed-up in the building.  Streets in the area were closed to the public.

After a search of the store and nearby businesses, the incident ended with no suspect in custody.

It’s a little known project based on the South Coast, but it’s bringing tens of thousands of obscure, and forgotten pieces of music back to the public.

A team of researchers at UC Santa Barbara is researching, cataloging, and putting recordings from around the world online.

A new grant is allowing the project to add thousands of newly acquired wax cylinders, and 78 rpm disks to the UCSB Library collection.

KCLU’s Lance Orozco has the story.

Click on link to listen to/download story: UCSB Music Collection

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department gang unit has arrested two Los Angeles residents it says are responsible for a brutal home invasion robbery near Santa Paula.

On March 4th, someone broke into a home on Sulphur Mountain Road, beating up a resident so severely he spent several days in a hospital intensive care unit.

The gang unit identified Shavon Oboh, and Hallye Wright as suspects. The team got search warrants, which they served at two homes in Los Angeles this week. Oboh and Wright were arrested for conspiracy, robbery, kidnapping, and assault.

An Oxnard man is facing weapons charges, after police say he was standing out on a city street, swinging swords in a threatening manner.

Officers were called the the area of Channel Islands Boulevard, and K Street areound 1:15 Friday afternoon by reports of a man swinging swords, and threatening a passing woman with them. Officers arriving at the scene say they found King Canales swinging two swords in the direction of passing traffic on Channel Islands Boulevard.

They say as they approached, the 45 year old man threw the swords onto the ground, but refused orders to approch them. Officers say Canales eventually peacefully surrendered. They say he had two illegal types of lives in his pocket.

No one was hurt in the incident.

KCLU is giving away a pair of tickets to see The Moth Mainstage at UCSB’s Campbell Hall, April 4th.  To enter, just “like” our Moth Mainstage post on facebook at /kcluradio by 10 am Wednesday, March 27.  See official rules.

Hear The Moth Radio Hour Saturdays at 3:00 pm on KCLU.

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Jim Rondeau

KCLU