BRIDGE THREAT TIP 'NOT CREDIBLE,' FBI SAYS.

Byline: Dominic Berbeo Staff Writer

The tip behind last week's warning that terrorists might attack bridges in California and the West was ``not credible,'' the FBI said Tuesday, calling into question the early warning issued by Gov. Gray Davis.

``It has been determined that the information was not credible in regards to threats to West Coast bridges,'' said FBI spokeswoman Cheryl Mimura.

At a press conference Thursday, Davis announced that the FBI had ``credible evidence'' that four bridges in California were under threat sometime between Friday and today. Davis identified the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, the Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Coronado Bridge in San Diego as the targets.

Davis' action sparked a controversy over his decision to go public with an FBI alert to law enforcement agencies that specifically said it was based on ``uncorroborated'' information and was not to be made public. The alert said only that suspension bridges in eight Western states might be threatened, but did not single out California.

On Tuesday, Davis continued to defend being the only Western governor to make the information public. He said he received information of a ``credible'' threat from three different federal law enforcement agencies.

``I believe I took the correct steps by increasing security to four major suspension bridges,'' Davis said at a Los Angeles news conference. ``This was one of the few warnings that we've gotten over the past six weeks that was location-specific and time-specific.''

Davis said increased security presence, including the California National Guard and the California Highway Patrol, would continue indefinitely at the four bridges pending a reassessment of possible threats.

Secretary of State Bill Jones questioned Davis' actions, saying the governor's announcement might have contributed to the downturn in tourism and other business in the state.

``I'm not second-guessing the governor, but we have a process that needs to be improved so that this does not happen again,'' said Jones, a Republican gubernatorial candidate. ``It sounds like the (U.S.) attorney general felt it was a hasty decision, and I would tend to agree with him.''

Bill Simon, another candidate vying for the Republican nomination, was quick to criticize Davis on Friday and again this week.

``I cautioned Governor Davis to be careful in making such statements,'' Simon said in a prepared release. ``Today, sadly, it is clear that my caution to Governor Davis was appropriate.''

Richard Riordan, the third major Republican candidate, said he believed it was inappropriate to criticize Davis at this time, but suggested that the governor create a Cabinet-level state security adviser post.

The threat information was originally released to governors and law enforcement agencies in eight Western states by the Federal Bureau of Investigation through the Department of Justice in a confidential communique.

Port of Los Angeles Police Chief Noel Cunningham, who has been working around the clock with a consortium of local and federal officials to secure the port, said he was relieved to hear the threats were not credible.

``This is good news,'' he said. ``This means we can take a little breather and let some of the guys take a little rest.''

He said that while no suspicious incidents had been reported at the port, stepped-up security measures would continue indefinitely.