Californians meet terror alert with mix of concern, skepticism

LOS ANGELES - Californians met the nation's latest terror warning Wednesday with a mix of heightened concern and skepticism, with some questioning the value of such vague disclosures and even wondering if it was politically motivated.

Tehama County Supervisor Barbara McIver said she won't change her plans to serve as a delegate to this summer's Democratic National Convention in Boston - even though the high-profile event was among those cited as a possible target.

"We hear this all the time - there's a threat to the Golden Gate Bridge or the Shasta Dam. We're told to act normally but be cautious," she said. "That's really meaningless to me. A general alert doesn't do any good."

Veteran Jim Evans said he still intends to attend Saturday's dedication of the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C., another potential target.

"It concerns me, but you can't live your life in fear. You have to go about your business," said Evans, 80, of San Marcos, who served in the Marine Corps during World War II.

"It's just like telling me it's going to rain," he said. "What are you going to do about it?"

In Washington, Attorney General John Ashcroft said there was "credible intelligence from multiple sources" that al-Qaida is determined to launch an attack in the United States in the next few months that could be linked to events like the upcoming political conventions.

The warning was not accompanied by an increase in the U.S. terror alert status. Nor did it include a specific time, place or method of attack.

But officials said it is highly credible and backed with greater corroboration than usual, including information that operatives may already be in the United States. They asked state and local law enforcement and the public for help tracking down seven people thought to be connected to al-Qaida.

Officials at Los Angeles International Airport declined to comment on the warning until more details emerged.

However, they said there were no immediate plans to heighten security during what they expect to be the busiest summer travel season since 2001.

"There is no specific new threat to this airport or to aviation in general," said Larry Fetters, security director at LAX for the federal Transportation Security Administration.

Still, he said everyone must remain vigilant because increased travel could provide an opportunity for terrorists.

Traveler Orel Smalling said it was good to be informed of threats.

"I guess if we had such warnings at least 9/11 would not have been what it was," he said after arriving at LAX from New York for a family visit.

Others met the warning with skepticism.

"There's so many of them and I don't trust this administration," Len Nicholson, 30, said on his way to a San Francisco gym. "They just want to give people something to worry about, then (President) Bush can feel like he's protecting us."

Robert Miller, 30, agreed while taking a cigarette break from his job at a San Francisco bank.

"We've had way too many of these already," he said. "It's overkill."

Jhia Perez, 30, believes the threat is real and that Americans have become better prepared since the Sept. 11 attacks. She said she routinely scrutinizes fellow train passengers during her daily commute to San Francisco.

"It's not like I'm paranoid, just more aware," she said.

Despite the warning, it was business as usual at Disneyland. Security measures there were reinforced after Sept. 11 and the discovery of al-Qaida documents that listed the theme park as a potential target.

"Everybody just needs to be observant, keep a certain awareness," Kevin Reeves, 40, a construction superintendent from Phoenix, said as he entered the park with his wife and two children. "The government is doing a very good job."

However his wife, Karen Reeves, 36, said she might consider canceling a business trip to New York next month if the nation's threat warning is elevated.

Her husband shook his head.

"That just feeds into it," he said.

Los Angeles police held a news conference late Tuesday to reassure the public.

"We would be foolhardy to ignore those statements, but I think it would be irresponsible to panic," said John Miller, head of the LAPD counterterrorism bureau.

- Associated Press writers Tom Chorneau, Kim Curtis, Ben Fox and Greg Risling contributed to this report.

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