CA response to Boston terror attack mostly measured, muted

April 17, 2013

By Chris Reed

Unlike officials in New York, Washington and some other cities in the Northeast, elected leaders and law-enforcement officials in California took a generally measured and in some cases muted response to Monday’s terrorist attack at the iconic Boston Marathon.

The most specific expressions of alarm and concern came in San Francisco, which hosts the locally popular Bay to Breakers race on May 19 and the America’s Cup international sailing competition this summer and fall. Mayor Ed Lee and Police Chief Greg Suhr vowed to closely review security plans for the events and make sure they were strong. Suhr even compared his level of wariness over what the future might hold to where it was on Sept. 12, 2001, the day after the worst terrorist attacks in U.S. history.

In Sacramento, organizers of popular running events such as the California International Marathon and the Komen Race for the Cure reviewed security plans. Marathon director John Mansoor told the Sacramento Bee that what happened in Boston had sent a “shock wave through the running world.”  Mansoor spoke of the difficulty of securing an entire 26-mile marathon route, as opposed to just a race’s start and finish lines.

Upgrades at major events, or no changes at all

Elsewhere in the Golden State, the rhetoric was much more muted.

In Oakland, police said they would have an increased presence in coming days at Oakland A’s and Golden State Warriors games.

In Los Angeles, police officials announced plans for higher-profile security at major events, such as Dodgers games. Airport police confirmed that security had been increased at the Los Angeles, Van Nuys and Ontario airports, which are all under the control of the city of Los Angeles. LAX was the site of a domestic terrorism incident on July 4, 2002, that is rarely mentioned in overviews of homegrown terror.

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens said that events that draw large crowds, starting with but not limited to sporting and entertainment events, would have additional deputies on hand.

In San Diego, officials didn’t disclose any additional security measures. The San Diego police union, however, warned on Twitter of a phone scam called “Donations for the Boston Explosion.”

The Eureka Times-Standard said Humboldt County law enforcement authorities had taken no additional security steps beyond calling for “vigilance.”