Research Paper on:
Bay Area California Transit System 4, Its Bridge Projects and Budget Cuts

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Francisco and surrounding areas to carry the burden of lost wages and stalled projects. With Governor Davis recent budget, this particular district has been hit "especially hard" (Vorderbrueggen, 2002,  p. PG) due to several reasons, the most pertinent of which is a significant change in qualified personnel. A years worth of searching has proven ineffectual for a permanent District  4 director, reflecting how the inadequate salary offering and exorbitant housing costs are driving away the most qualified engineers. At issue is the manner by which bridge engineers, like  former District 4s Denis Mulligan, can increase their income while decreasing the workload by being "lured" (Vorderbrueggen, 2002, p. PG) from Caltrans to other local agencies. Said Bob McCleary,  director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority, "theres a major brain drain at Caltrans...Some of Caltrans best and brightest have left for significantly more money and often for less responsibility"  (Vorderbrueggen, 2002, p. PG). Other bridge engineers who have since left Caltrans District 4 claim that Governor Daviss budget does not adequately provide for cost of living hikes, particularly  when one considers the excessive housing costs for those who live in the Bay Area. While Caltrans District 4 and Governor Davis battle it out in the budget, bridge  engineers are happily moving over to other regional agency posts for as much as twenty-five percent more in their paychecks. Governor Daviss concerns  over approving AB2853 revolve around the consequences of increasing bridge engineer salaries while in the midst of a budget crisis, as well as what the implications might be when salary  negotiation takes places in the Legislature rather than at the collective bargaining table (Vorderbrueggen, 2002). However, private engineers, contractors, local government agencies and laborers are all putting forth their