U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein will not be appearing after all at a ceremony in San Jose this morning as part of the landmark project to restore thousands of acres of San Francisco Bay salt evaporation ponds back into wetlands for fish and wildlife.

Still on her schedule, however: A pricey political fundraiser tonight in San Francisco.

Howard Gantman, a spokesman for Feinstein, D-Calif., said the senator canceled the 11 a.m. environmental event on San Jose's waterfront in Alviso ``for personal reasons,'' and would not elaborate. Gantman said Feinstein's decision had nothing to do with a report in the Mercury News on Wednesday explaining how the two agencies in charge of the salt ponds restoration violated their state permits on the project.

Feinstein would not be canceling a personal political fundraiser she has scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Ferry Building in San Francisco, Gantman said. The event, with tickets ranging from $250 to $5,000, is sponsored by the Teamsters and various San Francisco police unions, and coordinated by Platinum Advisors, a lobbying firm run by Darius Anderson, chief fundraiser for former Gov. Gray Davis.

``She always said it was tentative whether she could make it down to San Jose,'' Gantman said.

Officials connected to the salt ponds event say they were told she canceled for medical reasons.

``Her office told us she canceled all of her Thursday and Friday events over a minor health issue,'' said Sam Schuchat, executive director of the California Coastal Conservancy, in Oakland, which also is coordinating the bay restoration. ``We're, of course, disappointed that she won't be there, but the event will go on.''

San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales and California Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman are scheduled to open tidal gates that will allow bay waters to flow into more than 2,500 acres of former salt ponds around Alviso.

Feinstein's appearance at the event, which was listed as confirmed in media invitations, came at an awkward time.

Officials from the two agencies restoring the salt ponds, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Game, released millions of gallons of contaminated water from former salt ponds near Mountain View and Hayward into the bay last July and failed to report it to state water officials as their permits required. The incident was made public Wednesday in Mercury News reports.

In 2003, the state and federal government paid Cargill Salt $100 million for 16,500 acres of former salt evaporation ponds ringing the South Bay shoreline. Their restoration is expected to take years, and return the South Bay to natural conditions not seen in 100 years. Last summer's mishap did not cause a die-off of fish, but one Alviso shrimp fisherman said his catch has all but disappeared in the months since.

``This is another step in the process of restoration,'' Schuchat said. ``It's unfortunate what happened with the other ponds, but we will learn from our mistakes.''