SACRAMENTO: Gov. Gray Davis (D-CA) was rebuked last week for going
public with an FBI report of threats against suspension bridges.
The FBI cited a directive that no public statements should be made
without its permission, but it was later revealed the agency had also
spread the news. Dozens of private companies that subscribe to the FBI's
"Infra-gard" program were notified before Davis' announcement.
Steve Maviglio, Gray's press secretary, said Enron was one recipient of
the FBI notification, and that the company had subsequently e-mailed the
information to its Bay Area employees.
The news of the bridge alert came just as Davis was launching his event
"Partnering for California's Future: An Economic Summit," held November
2 at Disney Studios.
At a press conference following the summit, which included business,
labor, and government leaders, Davis was asked about his ideas for
"branding" his state and boosting the economy.
At the same time, he was questioned about his handling of the bridge
threat at a time when California is trying to boost tourism. "It was
breaking news; we didn't have much of a choice," Maviglio said.