LB Chamber Cheers Gov. Schwarzenegger's Veto of Cargo Container Fee SB 927

The Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to hear of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's veto of Chamber opposed legislation that would have imposed a $60 fee on containers moving through two of the nation's largest ports.

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the source of imported goods that are sold across the nation, as such; the ramifications would have reverberated throughout not only the Long Beach economy, but the entire global market. This fee would have amounted to a tax that would have driven up the price of consumer goods for working Americans shopping in retail stores in virtually every state, not just California. This would have been a tax on consumers, not foreign entities.

Today the Governor showed that he is serious about keeping the Long Beach economy strong and healthy with his veto of the Chamber opposed SB 927. We concur with the Governor, in that this bill is laudable in its intentions; however, SB 927 is flawed in its construction, application, lack of accountability and failure to coordinate with other public and private financing sources while ignoring opportunities to leverage additional funding.

As the voice of business in Long Beach, the Chamber now looks to the future—we look forward to holding a dialogue with local, state, and international stakeholders in addressing environmental externalities at the nation’s largest port. The Long Beach business community is actively committed to finding meaningful solutions to congestion relief, improving security and reducing pollution at California’s ports.