(April 29, 2008) -- In 2007, Assemblywoman Betty Karnette (D., LB) and every other member of the Assembly Transportation Committee -- except newly elected Assemblyman Warren Furutani (D., Carson-LB) -- accepted campaign contributions from BNSF [Burlington Northern Santa Fe] railroad. On April 14, 2008, 9 of 14 members of that Committee (4 Dems + 5 Repubs) -- including Dem Karnette -- refused to support a bill by Furutani (AB 2332) that would have blocked an expanded railyard proposed by BNSF within a quarter mile of an LBUSD Elementary School and WLB neighborhood homes.

At the next Committee meeting two weeks later (April 28), Assemblyman Furutani removed the Committee's agenda when it was scheduled for reconsideration (vote only, no debate) vote. "I decided to pull the bill rather than proceed to a vote for re-consideration due its lack of support on the committee. Similar to when I first presented the bill two weeks age, the opposition swayed enough members to not support the bill," he said in an emailed statement previously reported by LBReport.com.

BNSF's proposed Southern California International Gateway railyard (SCIG), which is supported by the Port of Los Angeles, would use trucks to haul containers from the Ports of LB/L.A. -- through WLB streets -- to the proposed railyard at the WLB-L.A. border...not far from LB's Hudson Elementary School.

Records from the CA Secretary of State's office indicate that BNSF gave thousands of dollars to multiple CA Dems, the statewide CA Dem Party, the LB Area Chamber of Commerce's political action committee, other political action committees...and to Assemblywoman Karnette for her planned 2010 run for State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

We've excerpted below the BNSF contributions to members of the Assembly Transportation Committee. However, they're not the only ones to CA lawmakers and local officials by BNSF (which are beyond the scope of this story).

EXCERPTS FROM BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE CORPORATION CONTRIBUTIONS
(not complete list) Election Cycle 2007 through 2008
Election Cycle:
2007 through 2008
DATE PAYEE CONTEST POSITION PAYMENT TYPE AMOUNT
01/09/2007 CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY (#741666) OTHER  SUPPORT MONETARY $10,000.00
02/12/2007 CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY (#741666) OTHER  SUPPORT MONETARY $10,000.00
05/14/2007 CA DEMOCRATIC PARTY - NON FEDERAL ACCT. OTHER  SUPPORT MONETARY $20,000.00
10/15/2007 CA DEMOCRATIC PARTY - STATE ACCT. OTHER  SUPPORT MONETARY $3,200.00

01/09/2007 LONG BEACH PRO-BUSINESS PAC (#1291389) OTHER  SUPPORT MONETARY $4,000.00
04/30/2007 LONG BEACH PRO BUSINESS PAC OTHER  SUPPORT MONETARY $500.00

05/14/2007 BETTY KARNETTE FOR EDUCATIONAL CHANGE SUP'T OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00
10/15/2007 BETTY KARNETTE FOR EDUCATIONAL CHANGE SUP'T OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00

05/14/2007 FRIENDS OF DESAULNIER - ASS'Y 2008 STATE ASS'Y PERSON 11 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00
07/25/2007 FRIENDS OF MARK DESAULNIER STATE ASS'Y PERSON 11 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00

06/14/2007 FRIENDS OF WILMER AMINA CARTER STATE ASS'Y PERSON 62 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00
10/15/2007 FRIENDS OF WILMER AMINA CARTER 2008 STATE ASS'Y PERSON 62 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00

03/09/2007 TAXPAYERS FOR BOB HUFF (#1253818) STATE SENATOR 29 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,650.00
07/25/2007 TAXPAYERS FOR BOB HUFF 2008 STATE SENATOR 29 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,800.00
10/15/2007 TAXPAYERS FOR BOB HUFF STATE SENATOR 29 SUPPORT MONETARY $150.00

03/07/2007 GARRICK FOR ASSEMBLY (#1274194) STATE ASS'Y PERSON 74 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,250.00
06/14/2007 GARRICK FOR ASSEMBLY STATE ASS'Y PERSON 74 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,250.00

05/14/2007 TAXPAYERS FOR SHIRLEY HORTON STATE SENATOR 40 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,500.00
07/25/2007 TAXPAYERS FOR SHIRLEY HORTON STATE SENATOR 40 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,500.00
10/15/2007 TAXPAYERS FOR SHIRLEY HORTON STATE SENATOR 40 SUPPORT MONETARY $600.00

03/07/2007 PEDRO NAVA 2008 (#1293442) STATE ASS'Y PERSON 35 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00
06/14/2007 PEDRO NAVA 2008 STATE ASS'Y PERSON 35 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00
10/15/2007 PEDRO NAVA 2008 STATE ASS'Y PERSON 35 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00

03/07/2007 FRIENDS OF ANTHONY PORTANTINO 2008 (#1292690) STATE ASS'Y PERSON 44 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00
07/25/2007 FRIENDS OF ANTHONY PORTANTINO 2008 STATE ASS'Y PERSON 44 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00
10/15/2007 FRIENDS OF ANTHONY PORTANTINO 2008 STATE ASS'Y PERSON 44 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00

03/07/2007 MIKE DUVALL FOR ASS'Y 2006 (#1276187) STATE ASS'Y PERSON 72 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00
10/15/2007 MIKE DUVALL FOR ASS'Y 2008 STATE ASS'Y PERSON 72 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00

02/16/2007 CATHLEEN GALGIANI FOR ASS'Y 2008 (#1292897) STATE ASS'Y PERSON 17 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00
07/25/2007 CATHLEEN GALGIANI FOR ASS'Y 2008 STATE ASS'Y PERSON 17 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00
10/15/2007 CATHLEEN GALGIANI FOR ASS'Y 2008 STATE ASS'Y PERSON 17 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00

03/09/2007 IRA RUSKIN FOR ASS'Y 2008 (#1293236) STATE ASS'Y PERSON 21 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00

05/14/2007 FRIENDS OF GUY HOUSTON OTHER  SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00
07/25/2007 FRIENDS OF GUY HOUSTON OTHER  SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00

03/09/2007 SOLORIO FOR ASS'Y (#1279122) STATE ASS'Y PERSON 69 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00
10/15/2007 JOSE SOLORIO FOR ASS'Y 2008 STATE ASS'Y PERSON 69 SUPPORT MONETARY $1,000.00

On April 14, Dem Committee members DeSaulnier, Carter, Portantino and Ruskin voted "yes" on Furutani's bill despite taking the BNSF contributions.

Repub Committee members Duvall, Garrick and Huff voted "no."

Dems Galgiani, Nava, Solorio and Karnette and Repubs Horton and Houston were recorded as "absent, abstaining or not voting." Assemblywoman Karnette can be heard stating that her action should be recorded as "not voting."

The net result: on April 14, Assemblyman Furutani's bill had only 5 "yes" votes but needed 8 to advance from the Committee...and he apparently couldn't find three additional "yes" votes among the four Committee Dems or two Repubs who stayed off the bill.

The net result: AB 2332 is dead for this session (unless it's revived using gymnastic measures requiring Dem leadership support and rule waivers, possibly gutting/amending other bills, etc.)

An Assembly Transportation Committee legislative analysis listed registered support and opposition for AB 2332 as follows:

Support

American Lung Association of California
California League of Conservation Voters
Coalition for a Safe Environment
Coalition for Clean Air
Communities for Clean Ports
Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma
Natural Resources Defense Council
Planning and Conservation League
Union of Concerned Scientists

Opposition

BNSF Railway Company
California Short Line Railroad Association
Union Pacific Railroad Company

A call seeking comment on what took place from LB's Alliance for Children with Asthma (listed among the bill's supporters) wasn't returned by the end of Monday's business day.

The LB City Council took no explicit public position on the Assemblyman Furutani's AB 2332.

LB's non-elected Board of Harbor Commissioners likewise took no position on the bill; on April 21, a PoLB staffer told Harbor Commissioners that it was "watching" [monitoring] the bill.

LBUSD Public Information Officer Chris Eftychiou said the School District was likewise watching the bill and School Boardmembers had not taken a voted position on it.

So...what are the positions of Vice Mayor Bonnie Lowenthal and Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga on all this? They're on the June Dem primary ballot seeking to succeed term-limited Assemblywoman Karnette in Sac'to. What's their position on the SCIG? Did either of them take BNSF campaign contributions?

LBReport.com will have that part of the story coming shortly.