For East Bay Saturn dealer Inder Dosanjh, it finally is the end. As the franchise representative for dealers in 15 Western states, he pushed as hard as anyone to keep Saturn alive. But GM's out-of-the-blue shutdown announcement Wednesday ended all hope. "I was very surprised. I was shocked," said Dosanjh, who always believed the brand would survive even as its parent shriveled.

So what, or who, was the straw that finally broke Saturn's back?

I'm told it was Nissan Motor Co.'s board of directors, which refused to sanction a deal to supply Saturn's would-be savior, Roger Penske, with a line of new Saturns once Penske's company, Penske Automotive Group, took the reins from GM. Penske officials, explaining why they abruptly pulled the plug with GM, said a deal to make Saturn cars with another manufacturer, which it did not name, had been turned down by the manufacturer's board of directors. Penske was known to be talking with Renault-Nissan.

"This is very disappointing news and comes after months of hard work by hundreds of dedicated employees and Saturn retailers who tried to make the new Saturn a reality, GM CEO Fritz Henderson said in a written statement. Heartfelt, I'm sure, but it also makes for one less competitor in GM's smaller world.

It's also a sad coda for a brand that was especially popular in the Bay Area, and whose folksy, made-in-the-USA image was crafted by legendary San Francisco adman Hal Riney. "It's a sad day for Saturn, sad for its customers, for the dealers and for employees," said Dosanjh.

"But we're blessed that GM is still in business," added Dosanjh, who like most other Saturn dealers has hedged his bets by incorporating other GM brands into their dealerships.

MBA BY THE BAY: See how an MBA could change your life with SFGATE's interactive directory of Bay Area programs.

Hole in the road: Somehow, California is going to have to come up with a way to pay back $794 million in federal highway trust funds, much of which has been committed to various projects up and down the state. That's the state's portion of the $8.7 billion in highway trust funds subject to "rescission" nationwide as a result of Senate action, or inaction, late Wednesday.

The money is contained in the $500 billion federal surface transportation program. However, the trust fund itself is short of money, and despite the best efforts of Sen. Barbara Boxer, chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee, alternative sources of funding could not be agreed upon with enough Senate Republicans. So, while the overall program received a 30-day extension on Wednesday - deadline day - the rescission stands.

This does not mean that projects that have already been committed to in California under an "obligation authority" will be stopped. But it does put into question others on the drawing board, not to mention where local agencies will find the money to come up with the entire $794 million.

"This rescission will have a devastating effect on many state departments of transportation and reverse the positive gains brought about by (federal stimulus money)," said John Horsley, executive director of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

Your stimulus dollars at work: In case you haven't noticed, the $13.5 million San Francisco's Department of Public Works received from the feds is being put to work all over the city, seeking to make the streets "a little less bumpy and take some of the strain off drivers in the city," in the words of Mayor Gavin Newsom.

Think about how much relief you're feeling as you attempt to navigate around Jones and Market streets, Geary Boulevard between 19th and 23rd avenues, and Divisadero Street in the lower Haight.

Coming this month and in November: Turk Street off Van Ness Avenue, Seventh Avenue off Lincoln Way and Bush Street, by Presidio Avenue.