Back to the Port

It has been a while since I posted about the port with all the other excitement around the city involving dumps and council antics, but it is time for a check-up to see how our friends to the South are fairing...

The LA Business Journal gives an update on the PierPass program and night operations in the port.

The move to extend gate hours at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles has gotten off to a stronger-than-expected start as roughly one-fifth of all cargo loading has shifted to nighttime and Saturday hours.

But the experimental program has spawned new problems, including nighttime delays in loading containers at many terminals, increased early-morning truck noise on local freeways and a scramble at trucking firms to find enough drivers to take the night shift.

"They'’ve exceeded their expectations in moving cargo off-peak, but the price of success is this congestion that we never used to see before at night,"” said state Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, who was instrumental in setting up the extended gate hours.

The Daily Breeze notes that Deputy Mayor Bud Ovram got an earful about the San Pedro Waterfront:

Harbor Area residents haven't wasted any time reaching out to Los Angeles' new mayor to talk about front-burner issues like waterfront redevelopment, port expansion and pollution.

"There are some really serious issues here," said Danial Nord of San Pedro, who helped organize a meeting this week with a deputy mayor for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "It's very painful for me to see what's been going on as far as community relations with the port and the development plans."

And to Janice Hahn's credit, I give you the following excerpt:

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn said she encourages residents to meet with the Mayor's Office, adding she did not feel slighted that the council office wasn't asked to send a representative.

"I didn't feel it was appropriate for our office to be in on the meeting," Hahn said. "The more this administration is accessible and meets with the community, the better."

While neighborhood councils and the PCAC are the official avenues of community input, Hahn said there is nothing wrong with private citizens also asking for meetings with the Mayor's Office.

That is a great example of a Councilmember working with the community and realizing that while she won't get the headlines, the problems might actually get solved with the increased involvement by the community and her lightning rod of attention with the Mayor's office might not be the best thing in this situation. So, we give her her due and some positive kudos for that recognition. It takes a lot for an elected to step out of the spotlight...