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The article offers information on the second phase of construction at the Moscone Center Expansion site in San Francisco, California. Engineers have created an interim structural system relying upon buckling restrained braces which will be removed once the second part of the building has been constructed.

The article deals with the expanded role of engineers which allows them to occupy a central place at the beginning of the design process. Contemporary engineers possess ingenuity, creativity and patience of the contemporary engineer. Among the architectural projects that involve contemporary engineers are a federal building construction project in San Francisco, California and Lufthansa's headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany.

The article reports that a panel of engineers will present a forensics analysis to know the expected causes of spillway failures at Oroville dam in California. According to the Association of State Dam Safety Officials, more than 64 billion dollars will be needed to rehabilitate the dams in the U.S.

Reports on the debates on issues concerning architecture in California led by the Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG) and the Taxpayers for Efficient Government. Dispute on state rules on contract bidding involving architectural firms; Goal of the organizations to convince the public that lowest contract bids do not guarantee safety or lowest final project costs.

The article reports on the risk of California's 1,600-mile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta levee system. Water resource managers and engineers say that the old and frail network has a protection level strong enough for only a 100-year flood event, offering less security than floodwalls in New Orleans, Louisiana. A magnitude 6 quake nearby, they say, could shut Central California's water delivery system, which serves 20 million people--two-third's of the state's population. Engineers say the options for improvements and paying for them are as varied as the politicians, engineers and geography of the system.

The article announces the winners of the 2012 "ENR: Engineering News-Record" California Top 20 Under 40 competition, which acknowledges young professionals in California's design and construction industry, including Jeremy Livermore, Blanca Diaz, and James Draper.

The article reports on Danville, California, engineers testing a low-cost method to control the tons of mud that is annually thrown down the hillsides. The proprietary Plate Pile system inserts plates affixed to steel poles or piles into stable strata underlying loose soil, transmitting the slide forces downward to the stiffer material. The technique is similar to pin-piles used in large landslide repair, but with less disturbance and cost, says its inventor, Dick Short, chief geotechnical engineer of San Diego, California-based Kleinfelder Inc.

The article reports on Glen Gebhardt, an engineer with River Islands, hiring Concord, California-based Independent Construction Co. in mid-September 2005 for a specific project. The job was construction on six miles of what will eventually become 300-ft wide crown levees with slopes of 10:1 at a cost approaching $1 million a mile. Independent started by excavating 6 to 8 ft of soil and performing deep dynamic compaction with local material. The soils are mainly sandy, but compaction closes the pores to create a solid foundation.

This article reports that engineers hope a new type of precracking treatment will save money and improve recycling procedures over the lifetime of a one-mile stretch of asphalt roadway in La Quinta, California. The city awarded San Bernardino, California-based Mattich Corp. a $105,000 contract to microcrack a two-lane country road prone to large shrinkage cracks. In the next day or so, a steel wheel vibratory roller will be applied at 2 mph to introduce a network of hairline cracks and reduce stiffness by 40%. This is expected to decrease development of large cracks, says La Quinta assistant city engineer Steve Speer.

For the first time in his life, Oakland, California, engineer Bob McClain casts a ballot for himself on October 7, 2003 to be the state's next governor. Although some of the 135 candidates and 27 write ins listed on the election recall ballot are likely in the race for entertainment and self-promotion, three local engineers are running serious campaigns that have already cost them thousands of dollars. Despite shoestring budgets, engineer candidates are cautiously optimistic about their chances of being elected. "Engineers are professional problem solvers and that is what California needs right now," says Cheryl Ely-Chester, 45, another candidate and owner of an environmental engineering firm in Rosewood, 150 miles north of Sacramento. Third engineer candidate is William B. Vaughn, owner of his own engineering firm in Lafayette, near San Francisco. He is pushing a cause close to his professional heart—the state's recently adopted building inspection code.

Reports the resignation of structural engineer Ronald O. Hamburger of EQE International in Oakland, California. Career history of Hamburger; Result on the acquisition of EQE by ABS: Enhancement of expertise in risk assessment.

Reports global developments in construction industry. Approval of an electric-transmission expansion plan by ISO New England Inc. in Holyoke, Massachusetts; Certification of environmental documents by Orange County in California; Contract awarded to the Army Corps of Engineers to design a security system in New York, New York.

Comments on the project of the engineering community in support of families undergoing the rigors of cancer treatment in San Diego, California. Activity to raise funds; Range of expenses assisted by the grants to the families; Educational program about cancer.

Presents an obituary of structural engineer Egor P. Popov who died on April 19, 2001 in Oakland, California.

Discusses the issue on contracting out private sector designers in California. Feud between private-sector designers and the Professional Engineers in California Government; Impact of the rejection of Proposition 224; Statement issued by Jim Bourgart, manager of government relations in Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Reports on the involvement of Dennis J. Mulligan and Brian H. Maroney on the the replacement of the East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge project. Issue regarding the design of the bridge; Decision of Metropolitan Transportation Commission on the design; Involvement of Mulligan and Maroney with Caltrans.

Editorial. Elaborates on campaigns supporting the introduction of Proposition 224, a bill which is anticipated to assist state engineering. Perceptions of the Professional Engineers in California Government union; Contentions of opponents of Proposition 224.

Editorial. Looks at the concerns of California's Professional Engineers in California Government Initiative, in reference to a sponsored advertisement by the New York State Public Employees Federation in the Legislative Gazette. Indepth look at the Government initiatives; Impact of the advertisement on engineers throughout the United States; Indication that public agencies should have the right to choose who performs engineering and design works for them.

Discusses a controversy in California over outsourcing, a practice that government employees are opposing. Hearing with transportation department officials on November 13, 1997; Showdown between Caltrans and the Professional Engineers in California Government union; Unconstitutionality of 1993 state law broadening Caltrans' contracting-out authority declared by state Supreme Court.

Reports that the California Department of Transportation has awarded a number of consulting contracts to seismically upgrade six toll bridges in the state. Professional Engineers in California Government's lawsuit against the agency in order to block its plan to lay off hundreds of engineers; Awardees of the contracts.