More Reaction to Governor Schwarzenegger's Veto of AB 2042 ("No Increased Air Pollution With Port Growth"):

Statement By LB Area Chamber President/CEO Randy Gordon

The Long Beach Chamber applauds the Governor for making the right decision to stop AB 2042 from becoming law. The Press Telegram's recent report [news article] clarifies how much of an impact our ports have on our community - 300,000 people are applying for 3,000 jobs at the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles. AB 2042 would have Increased the costs of goods and would have prevented job creation at our ports.

The Long Beach Chamber was concerned that this bill would restrict future port growth and would be detrimental to port cargo demands. Finding a compromise between environmental concerns and economic demands was never attained by Assemblymember Lowenthal and those opposing AB 2042.

The Long Beach Chamber is supportive of efforts to reduce port impact on our environment, however, AB 2042 was not the right way to make this happen. The Long Beach Chamber looks forward to working with Assemblymember Lowenthal, the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles and other related groups to find a compromise to this important issue.

I want to thank everyone who took the time to log on to www.LongBeachAdvocacy.biz and email a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger OPPOSING AB 2042. I also want to thank the California Chamber of Commerce, the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association and the numerous trade associations for their hard work in defeating this job killer legislation.