Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier a go if district kicks in

Designs of a Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier include replacement rails and nets that extend out from the sides of the span. Designs of a Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier include replacement rails and nets that extend out from the sides of the span. Photo: GG Bridge Highway/Transportation, Courtesy Photo: GG Bridge Highway/Transportation, Courtesy Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Golden Gate Bridge suicide barrier a go if district kicks in 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

After 40 years of debate, a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge could finally become a reality - but only if bridge officials pony up $12 million in toll money to help cover the cost.

Caltrans and the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission appear ready to kick in $44 million toward putting giant nets under the 1.7-mile span.

"We've got a tentative commitment from the state, and I believe our commission is willing to step up to the plate," said Steve Heminger, the commission's executive director.

No deal is final, however, unless the Golden Gate Bridge district steps up with its share of the money for the $66 million project.

"We are working aggressively to put together a full funding plan," said bridge district General Manager Denis Mulligan. That would include both a one-time request for state general fund money as well as private grants, he said - sources that could total $10 million.

However, transportation sources tell us the bridge district would still need to contribute as much as $12 million in toll funds - an option the bridge directors have resisted in the past.

But with increased public and political pressure, opposition appears to be softening.

Dietrich Stroeh, who has represented Marin County on the board for 17 years, long opposed a barrier and said he changed his mind only when nets were proposed instead of a view-altering fence. He says he's willing to consider toll dollars as a "last resort," though he's not sure enough colleagues on the 19-member board are with him.

"We are committed to making something happen," Stroeh said. "How we get there, I don't know yet."

Just this month, bridge directors approved raising tolls over the next four years to $8 from the current $6, a move designed to raise $138 million to cover everything from seismic reinforcement work and a movable median barrier to bus and ferry improvements.

Using toll dollars to pay for the suicide net would mean stripping money from other priorities.

Marin County Supervisor Judy Arnold, who sits on the bridge board, said she hasn't polled her colleagues on the idea. But she added, "It looks like there is the will to do this much sooner rather than a little later."

San Francisco Supervisor David Campos, another board member, said he is a definite "yes" vote for using toll dollars. "As far as I'm concerned, (the netting) should have been up yesterday," he said.

More than 1,500 people have leaped to their deaths off the Golden Gate Bridge since it was opened in 1937. Last year is believed to have been the deadliest, with 46 suicides.

The first barrier feasibility study was done in 1972, but it wasn't until nine years ago that the idea of using a safety net began to take hold.

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco, a longtime champion of the suicide barrier, said the bridge district's decision could be the last step in a very long fight.

"It's so close," Ammiano said, "so let's do it - and save a few more lives."

Down to size: Add California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton to the Mount Rushmore of San Francisco politicos favoring a June ballot measure requiring voters' OK for tall buildings along the waterfront.

Burton joins former Mayor Art Agnos, former state Sen. Quentin Kopp and former city Chief Administrative Officer Rudy Nothenberg in backing the measure, which would force any waterfront development taller than current height limits onto the citywide ballot.

The measure would effectively end City Hall's ability to green-light big projects like the proposed Warriors arena or the Giants' high-rise development plans.

It faces a legal challenge from the Giants, who claim it would intrude on the state's jurisdiction over the shoreline. Burton, a former state Senate president pro tem, doesn't think much of that argument.

"I'm the guy who passed the original bill back in the '60s that turned the port over to the city, and it was never our intention to turn the waterfront into a goddamn real estate development," Burton said.

"If someone has something they think is worthwhile, then let the people vote on it," Burton said.

It's not the first time Burton has gotten involved with the waterfront. In 2001, he singlehandedly spiked the University of California's plans to build 17-story student housing at its Mission Bay campus because it would have obstructed his neighbors' views.

"You are not building any mother- high-rise at the foot of Potrero Hill," Burton told university officials.

And despite having all the needed approvals - and money - UC went back to the drawing board and scaled the project down.

Way down.

Water wise: Palo Alto water users got some helpful tips from the city on how to save water in the drought - and one definite head-scratcher.

A flyer delivered to some 28,000 homes headlined, "Please use water wisely," offered rebates for a variety of appliances, including a pitch for efficiency clothes washers.

The accompanying picture, however, was of a toilet.

"I'm not happy it happened," said Debra Katz, spokeswoman for the city utilities agency. "But if people are noticing the mistake, then at least we got their attention."