Councilwoman Reyes Uranga Seeks Backing For Sweeping I-710 "Tier 2" Report That Advises Making Health Overriding Consideration In Capacity-Increasing Corridor Upgrades

The 1-710 Oversight Committee, at its meeting held November 10, 2004, considered communications relative to the above subject.

It is the recommendation of the Committee that the City Council adopt a resolution recommending: i) that the 1-710 Oversight Policy Committee approve the design concepts developed by the Long Beach 1-710 Oversight Committee with significant input from the community as the Long Beach locally preferred strategy pursuant to the Major Corridor Study for the purposes of environmental analysis in the next phase of the process of examining potential improvements to the 1-710 corridor; ii) that the 1-710 Oversight Policy Committee approve the Opportunity/Strategy Recommendations and Conditions of the Tier 2 Committee as guidance for the environmental analysis in the next phase of the process of examining potential improvements to the 1-710 Corridor; and iii) that the issues, concerns, and recommendations set forth in the Tier 2 report be fully analyzed, evaluated and considered and appropriate mitigations of the impacts upon the environment, community and residents set forth therein be identified in conjunction with the next phase of the process of examining potential improvements to the 1-710 corridor.

1. This is a corridor -- considerations go beyond the freeway and infrastructure.

2. Health is the overriding consideration.

3. Every action should be viewed as an opportunity for repair and improvement of the current situation.

...[T]he I-710 corridor is more than just a place for trucks to pass through on their way to their final destination. It is the location of our homes, businesses, schools, parks, and lives. Today, particulates and other pollutants from diesel truck traffic in the I-710 Corridor and the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are our communities’ primary air-quality-related health concern. Therefore, the conditions for major infrastructure improvements must be as follows: [emphasis in original]

1. Implement a corridor level action plan to improve community air quality.

2. Major infrastructure improvements must be conditioned on achieving air quality goals to protect public health; corridor air quality must comply with county, state and federal standards prior to the start of mainline construction and the entire project taken as a whole must result in a net reduction in criteria pollutants.

3. Prior to the initiation of the environmental review process, all Tier 1 Community Advisory Committees must have formally endorsed the freeway improvement design concept.

4. Prior to adopting a preferred alternative the OPC must conduct a study and cost benefit analysis of potential goods movement alternatives as an alternative to increasing the capacity of the I-710 Freeway.

5. A study of the impact of construction on air quality, traffic, congestion, noise and impact on surrounding communities must be conducted, and if construction does go forward, specific mitigation plans must be developed and put into effect during the construction process to minimize and mitigate the impact of construction on the surrounding communities.

6. Major infrastructure improvements must be conditioned on achieving a net decrease in noise impacts upon the affected communities.

Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga, who chairs LB City Council-appointed I-710 oversight committee, is specifically asking the LB City Council for a resolution recommending that the Gateway Cities Council of Governments OPC:

• Approve the Tier 2 committee's recommendations "as guidance for the environmental analysis in the next phase of the process of examining potential improvements to the I-710 Corridor" and that the issues, concerns, and recommendations in the Tier 2 report "be fully analyzed, evaluated and considered and appropriate mitigations of the impacts upon the environment, community and residents set forth therein be identified in conjunction with the next phase of the process of examining potential improvements to the I-710 corridor." and

• Approve the design concepts developed by LB's Council-appointed I-710 oversight committee (with community input) "as the Long Beach locally preferred strategy pursuant to the Major Corridor Study for the purposes of environmental analysis in the next phase of the process of examining potential improvements to the I-710 corridor"

Vice Mayor Peña: In order to move this process along, I think both the OPC and the Tier 2 Advisory Committee have to realize that we all have to come to the table together and just say, you know what, we need to get this done. I think taking an ostrich approach to public policy and putting your head into the sand and saying, 'We don't want to do anything" and it never works that way. And us as elected officials have to take on the responsibility of doing something about this.

LBReport.com: Well, they've produced this report. They apparently are taking this seriously, so you guys are agendizing it on the 28th [of October]

Vice Mayor Peña: We're agendizing it on the 28th and as you see in the report that came out [presented at the Oct. 6 COG meeting by Dr. John Husing, Ph.D., report for So. Cal Ass'n of Gov'ts, "Logistics & Distribution: An Answer to Regional Upward Social Mobility"] today on the study by Dr. Husing is, some of these numbers are staggering. Some of these numbers, they're projected numbers, are ahead of schedule. So for us to say that, you know what, we've got to take this really slow because [of] air quality issues, air quality are there, they're excruciatingly important in our area. We've got the highest rates for air pollution, cancer in our area alone. Extremely important, but at the same time, these issues are not going to go away by us not doing anything about it.

So we all have to come together and say what's the best solution for this? What is the best solution? And I think that the hybrid that the Technical Committee put together, it's a great start. Do we have to tweak it? Yes, we have to tweak it. I think it's, like I said, I think it's a matter of all of us coming to the table together.

Excerpts from I - 710 / MAJOR CORRIDOR STUDY
Tier 2 Community Advisory Committee
Major Opportunity/Strategy Recommendations and Conditions
August, 2004

TIER 2 COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Glenna J. Amos*
City of South Gate

Harold Arsenian*
City of Vernon

Dr. Ed Avol
USC School of Medicine

Hamid Bahadori
Automobile Club of Southern California

Gerald Burgess*
City of Paramount

Victor Caballero*
City of Huntington Park

Gustavo Camacho*
East Los Angeles

Malcolm Carson
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles

Roberto Chavez*
City of Compton

Louis Diaz
International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Clifford Dunbar*
City of Bell Gardens

Bob Eula*
City of Commerce

Belinda Faustinos
San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy

Larry Galvan*
City of Cudahy

Julie C. Gonzalez*
City of Bell

Steve Goodling
Long Beach Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

Patricia Herrera*
City of Long Beach

Roger Holman*
City of Long Beach

Alan Hose*
City of Long Beach

Tom Houston*
City of Compton

Randy Kendrick
City of Bell

Bobbi Kimble*
City of Long Beach

Angelo Logan
Coalition for Environmental Health and Justice

Dr. Joseph Magaddino
California State University at Long Beach

Mandy McLaughlin*
City of Compton

Dr. Domenick Miretti
Marine Clerks Association

Dr. Elisa Nicholas
Long Beach Alliance for Children with Asthma

Harold Omel*
City of Long Beach

Servando Ornelas*
East Los Angeles

Bill Pagett
Technical Advisory Committee Chair

Noel Park
San Pedro Peninsula Homeowners Coalition

Ray Park*
City of Carson

Luis Romero*
City of Maywood

Patty Senecal
Transport Express

Harold Tseklenis*
City of Downey

Linda Vitale*
City of Long Beach

Rod White*
City of Lynwood

Harold Williams
South Bay Council of Governments

*Designated Tier 1 Community Advisory Committee Member representing corridor communities. Note: Some communities had a change in representatives during the process

Executive Summary

INTRODUCTION

This report presents the final consensus resulting from nine months of deliberations by a broad-based group appointed by I-710 corridor communities and the I-710 Oversight Policy Committee. Known as the Tier 2 Committee, this group represented a broad base of interests, including local communities, academic, environmental, business, community and environmental justice. The most directly impacted communities in the corridor were invited to form community-level committees (known as the Tier 1 Committees). The chairs of these committees were also represented on the Tier 2 Committee, along with a representative named by each City Council in the remaining corridor cities.

The following guiding principles define the priorities of the Tier 2 Committee and reflect the consensus that emerged during this process:

1. This is a corridor -- considerations go beyond the freeway and infrastructure.

2. Health is the overriding consideration.

3. Every action should be viewed as an opportunity for repair and improvement of the current situation.

The Committee recognizes that something must be done to address the current congestion and design of the I-710 freeway. The high number of trucks on the freeway uses up capacity and the mix of cars and trucks poses a serious safety concern. The committee agrees that the hybrid design concept presented could accomplish maximum build out in a manner that reflects the Tier 1 CACs’ concerns and recommendations for their communities, with the exception of the City of Commerce and East Los Angeles area, which require further study. However, the I-710 corridor is more than just a place for trucks to pass through on their way to their final destination. It is the location of our homes, businesses, schools, parks, and lives. Today, particulates and other pollutants from diesel truck traffic in the I-710 Corridor and the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles are our communities’ primary air-quality-related health concern. Therefore, the conditions for major infrastructure improvements must be as follows:

1. Implement a corridor level action plan to improve community air quality.

2. Major infrastructure improvements must be conditioned on achieving air quality goals to protect public health; corridor air quality must comply with county, state and federal standards prior to the start of mainline construction and the entire project taken as a whole must result in a net reduction in criteria pollutants.

3. Prior to the initiation of the environmental review process, all Tier 1 Community Advisory Committees must have formally endorsed the freeway improvement design concept.

4. Prior to adopting a preferred alternative the OPC must conduct a study and cost benefit analysis of potential goods movement alternatives as an alternative to increasing the capacity of the I-710 Freeway.

5. A study of the impact of construction on air quality, traffic, congestion, noise and impact on surrounding communities must be conducted, and if construction does go forward, specific mitigation plans must be developed and put into effect during the construction process to minimize and mitigate the impact of construction on the surrounding communities.

6. Major infrastructure improvements must be conditioned on achieving a net decrease in noise impacts upon the affected communities.

The Committee recognizes that certain aspects of the design concepts, particularly for designated on-ramps, may be appropriate for implementation prior to addressing the "mainline" issues. However, these improvements cannot be constructed in isolation from all of the other recommendations such as public health, community enhancement, and noise abatement. The I-710 design must take into account the safety and quality of life of the communities in the corridor, including provisions for greenbelts and open space...

HEALTH

Air quality is the number one public health issue. Poor air quality has had significant negative impacts on public, economic, environmental and community health in the corridor. Particulates and other pollutants from diesel truck traffic in the I-710 Corridor and the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are our communities’ primary air-qualityrelated health concern. The first consideration for approval of any improvements within the I-710 corridor must be the project’s ability to reduce air quality impacts. Therefore, these steps must be taken before construction can begin on the “mainline” project to reduce air pollution.

The Tier 2 Committee recommends the following air quality improvement strategies:

1. Develop an action plan to improve air quality in the corridor.

2. Implement a corridor level action plan to improve community air quality.

3. Implement local alternative fuels/electrification and/or hydrogen policies and programs to reduce diesel emissions.

4. Pursue opportunities for incremental improvements.

5. Implement port-specific air quality improvement strategies.

...

SAFETY

The I-710 corridor is one of the most unsafe freeways in the State. Increasing truck traffic, conflicts between cars and trucks, aging infrastructure, and outdated design are all contributing causes to accidents in and around the freeway. The high concentration of older trucks, which frequently become disabled, poses a significant safety hazard, as do truck intrusions into nearby communities and neighborhoods. Just as the Alameda Corridor helped reduce conflicts between trains and automobiles, any improvements to the I-710 corridor must resolve the inherent conflicts between automobiles and trucks.

The Tier 2 Committee recommends the following safety improvement strategies:

1. Continue support and implementation of safety programs.

2. Increase enforcement of traffic and vehicle safety laws and regulations.

3. Increase public and trucker education on safety and neighborhood issues.

4. Implement infrastructure improvements.

5. Separate trucks and cars.

NOISE

Excessive noise is a serious public health concern in the corridor and cannot be resolved by simply building more sound walls. A comprehensive analysis of noise along the corridor must lead to a plan that recognizes the health impacts to our communities and seeks to resolve those impacts by providing appropriate relief. Major infrastructure improvements must be conditioned on achieving a net decrease in noise impact upon the affected communities.

The Tier 2 Committee recommends the following noise control strategies:

1. Provide appropriate and effective sound walls to reduce noise impacts to neighborhoods and schools adjacent to the freeway.

2. Implement noise mitigation programs.

3. Conduct a study to assess how truck traffic from extended gate hours for trucks and 24/7 port operations will impact communities, and assess what mitigations may be appropriate.

...

ORGANIZATION AND PROCESS

To ensure that the work of the Tier 2 Committee is carried forward as set forth in the full report, a task force of representatives from the Tier 2 CAC, the OPC and the TAC should be established to plan and oversee the implementation of the conditions and recommendations of the Tier 2 CAC.

The Tier 2 Committee recommends the following organization and process strategies:

1. This Tier 2 Report will be formally "agendized" and presented to the OPC when it convenes in September 2004 for its consideration and decision. All Tier 2 members will be invited to the OPC meeting, and the presentation of the Tier 2 report will be delivered by a representative group of Tier 2 spokespersons.

2. Following the OPC’s meeting, there will be a follow-up meeting(s) of the Tier 2 Committee to discuss actions taken by the OPC.

3. Prior to the beginning of any formal EIR for the I-710 Major Corridor Study, Metro (MTA) and the Gateway Cities COG will work with the communities, appropriate agencies, organizations and community groups in developing a collaborative process for community participation in the environmental review process. This process will continue to work collaboratively throughout the EIR process.

CONCLUSIONS AND NEXT STEPS

This report is hereby presented by the Tier 2 CAC to the I-710 Oversight Policy Committee. The Committee expects that its recommendations will be carried forward by the OPC, the Gateway Cities COG, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and the California State Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Further, we expect our recommendations to be used as required guidance in the planning and development of future corridor improvements. The Committee and the communities we represent expect to have continued formal and meaningful participation in the I-710 corridor improvement process and look forward to working with the OPC and future project sponsors toward an improved and revitalized I-710 Corridor.