(January 8, 2005) -- After jointly agendizing a January 4th item urging that LB's City Hall and Port develop a task force to ensure limiting pollution at the LB-L.A. Port complex (similar to an L.A. task force created by Mayor James Hahn to ensure "no net increase" in PoLA pollution), 1st district Councilwoman Bonnie Lowenthal and 2d district Councilman Dan Baker backed away from their call for a Task Force...and on motion by Councilman Baker, the Council voted to conduct quarterly committee meetings with presentations by the Port.

"There's been a lot of discussion in the press, and obviously at our Council meetings about pollution emanating from both the Ports of L.A. and Long Beach, and I know that our Port has implemented a number of programs to try to deal with those issues, Councilman Baker began...and then said:

"So what we'd like to recommend this evening is that we set up a system whereby we have perhaps quarterly meetings of our [Council] Harbor and Tidelands Committee, and I believe Councilmember Richardson is in agreement with this, in which there would be presentations from the Port of Long Beach on updated plans dealing with the pollution issues there. I know that the Harbor Commission is going to be meeting on the 18th [of January] on recommendations for an environmental plan for the Port that will address a number of these issues, and I think it would be a good idea to have the first meeting with the Harbor and Tidelands Committee meeting shortly thereafter so that we can start off a great program. And that's our recommendation."

Councilwoman Lowenthal said nothing during the Council discussion.

The move caught some Councilmembers by surprise. "So we're not requesting a Task Force? We're requesting quarterly meetings from the Port?" asked Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga.

When that became clear, Councilwoman Reyes Uranga added a recommendation, embraced by Councilman Baker, that the PoLB's forthcoming report address some of the 70+ recommendations brought forth by residents at the I-710 oversight committee hearings which related to pollution.

"There doesn't seem to be an integration of any response from the Port or acknowledgment that we even had those sessions, and so because that was a very important process I believe, but also the results this Council did approve those approve those results [which were forwarded to the Gateway Council of Governments]...I would like to...request that the Port of Long Beach incorporate some of those recommendations and give somewhat of a status report on how they're doing..."

Councilwoman Reyes Uranga enumerated some of her I-710 committee's numerous recommendations: truck use of biodiesel, expanding on-dock rail capabilities and cold ironing among them.

"Great recommendation and we're happy to include it as part of our request to the Port," said Councilman Baker.

In reporting the originally agendized proposal by Councilmembers Baker and Lowenthal for a Task Force similar to L.A.'s, LBreport.com noted that unlike L.A. Mayor Hahn, LB Mayor Beverly O'Neill had not advanced or implemented an initiative to have LB's Port operate in ways that don't worsen air pollution with growth.

At the January 4th Council meeting, Mayor O'Neill said:

In public testimony, Janet Gunter of San Pedro, a member of the Port of Los Angeles Community Advisory Committee, urged establishment of a similar Community Advisory Committee for the Port of Long Beach.

Our group has been extremely active in dealing with the Port [of L.A.] and voicing and having a way to participate in our concerns about the growth of the Port [of L.A.]...I would love to see Mayor O'Neill also endorse [L.A. Mayor] Jim Hahn's policy of no net increase in the air pollution from the Ports. I think it's very, very important to do so, and to do so jointly because we really and truly are one Port, one large Port.

And also, I would like to emphasize the need, as they've done on [the L.A. Task Force] to have community representatives. We have the president of our homeowners organization, Noel Park, as part of that Task Force.