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Port Sued Again For Inadequate China Shipping Air Quality Mitigations

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Port Sued Again For Inadequate China Shipping Air Quality Mitigations

SAN PEDRO — The 20-year battle for clean air at the China Shipping Terminal is headed back to court, as the original China Shipping plaintiffs and allies have filed suit to void the City Council’s Aug. 12 vote to certify the Port of Los Angeles’ plan to make up for 11 promised mitigation measures that it never implemented. 

“The Port of L.A. broke the law by abandoning its clean air commitments in the original EIR and, without justification, adopting measures that are far less protective,” said Melissa Lin Perrella, Senior Director of Environmental Justice at Natural Resources Defense Council.

“The Port hid its actions from the public for nearly a decade, resulting in communities shouldering more and more pollution. The Port is not above the law. Our lawsuit seeks to hold the Port accountable.”  

“The Port has shamelessly violated environmental protections it committed to more than a decade ago,” said Dr. John G. Miller, President of the San Pedro and Peninsula Homeowners Coalition. “Residents of San Pedro, Wilmington, and Long Beach face higher cancer risks, asthma rates, cardiovascular mortality rates, and a higher risk of death from COVID-19 in the diesel death zone that surrounds the Port. We refuse to keep suffering with the consequences of pollution from the Port. Today’s lawsuit is yet another chapter in our fight for justice.”  

“The Port legally promised it would adopt health-protective measures to minimize toxic air pollution from ships, trucks, and equipment at the China Shipping terminal,” said Janet Schaaf-Gunter of the San Pedro Peninsula Homeowners United, one of the three original activists responsible for initiating the original lawsuit. “Instead, Port authorities slithered around behind closed doors, abandoning many of its original environmental commitments, which resulted in unfathomable health consequences for residents and dockworkers living and working in this diesel death zone around the Port. We demand better air for our families and our communities.”

A separate suit was also filed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. “We are extremely disappointed that the Port did not  at least require clean fuel or electric trucks,“ said Wayne Nastri, South Coast AQMD Executive Officer.

Statewide Measures on the Nov. 3 Ballot

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Statewide Measures on the Nov. 3 Ballot

The following are the local, county and statewide initiatives that will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot. The info printed here only reflects the cities in Random Lengths News’ circulation area, the county and the state.

Proposition 14

Authorizes bonds to continue funding stem cell and other medical research. Initiative Statute.

A “yes” vote supports issuing $5.5 billion general obligation bonds for the state’s stem cell research institute and making changes to the institute’s governance structure and programs.

A “no” vote opposes issuing $5.5 billion general obligation bonds for the state’s stem cell research institute, which ran out of funds derived from Proposition 71 (2004) for new projects in 2019.

Proposition 15

Rescinds Prop. 13 for Commercial Properties

A “yes” vote supports this constitutional amendment to require commercial and industrial properties, except those zoned as commercial agriculture, to be taxed based on their market value, rather than their purchase price.

A “no” vote opposes this constitutional amendment, thus continuing to tax commercial and industrial properties based on a property’s purchase price, with annual increases equal to the rate of inflation or 2%, whichever is lower.

Proposition 16

Repeals Prop. 209

This is a proposition asking California voters to amend the Constitution of California to repeal 1996’s Proposition 209, which banned the use of affirmative action in California’s public sector.

A “yes” vote supports this constitutional amendment to repeal Proposition 209 (1996), which stated that the government and public institutions cannot discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to persons on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, and public contracting.

A “no” vote opposes this constitutional amendment, thereby keeping Proposition 209 (1996), which stated that the government and public institutions cannot discriminate against or grant preferential treatment to persons on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, and public contracting.

Proposition 17

Allows parolees to vote

Proposition 18

Lowers voting age to 17

This proposition would allow 17-year-olds to vote in primary and special elections if they will turn 18 by the subsequent general election.

Proposition 19

Protection for the elderly and the disabled after wildfires.

Legislative Constitutional Amendment, which if passed would permit homeowners who are 55, severely disabled, or whose homes were destroyed by wildfire or disaster, to transfer their primary residence’s property tax base value to a replacement residence of any value, anywhere in the state. Allocates most resulting state revenues and savings (if any) to fire protection services and reimbursing local governments for taxation-related changes.

Proposition 20

Restricts Parole For Non-violent Offenders

A “yes” vote supports this initiative to add crimes to the list of violent felonies for which early parole is restricted; recategorize certain types of theft and fraud crimes and require DNA collection for certain misdemeanors.

Proposition 21

Expands Local Governments’ Authority To Enact Rent Control On Residential Property

A “yes” vote supports this ballot initiative to allow local governments to enact rent control on housing that was first occupied over 15 years ago, with an exception for landlords who own no more than two homes with distinct titles or subdivided interests.

A “no” vote opposes this ballot initiative, thereby continuing to prohibit rent control on housing that was first occupied after February 1, 1995, and housing units with distinct titles, such as single-family homes.

Proposition 22

Changes Employment Classification Rules For App-based Transportation And Delivery Drivers.

A “yes” vote supports this ballot initiative to define app-based transportation (rideshare) and delivery drivers as independent contractors and adopt labor and wage policies specific to app-based drivers and companies.

A “no” vote opposes this ballot initiative, meaning California Assembly Bill 5 (2019) could be used to decide whether app-based drivers are employees or independent contractors.

Proposition 23

Authorizes State Regulation Of Kidney Dialysis Clinics. Establishes Minimum Staffing And Other Requirements.

A “yes” vote supports this ballot initiative to require chronic dialysis clinics to: have an on-site physician while patients are being treated; report data on dialysis-related infections; obtain consent from the state health department before closing a clinic; and not discriminate against patients based on the source of payment for care.

A “no” vote opposes this ballot initiative.

Proposition 24

Amends Consumer Privacy Laws

A “yes” vote supports this ballot initiative to expand the state’s consumer data privacy laws, including provisions to allow consumers to direct businesses to not share their personal information; remove the time period in which businesses can fix violations before being penalized; and create the Privacy Protection Agency to enforce the state’s consumer data privacy laws.

A “no” vote opposes this ballot initiative to expand the state’s consumer data privacy laws or create the Privacy Protection Agency to enforce the state’s consumer data privacy laws.

Proposition 25

Referendum To Overturn A 2018 Law That Replaced Money Bail System With A System Based On Public Safety Risk

A “yes” vote is to uphold the contested legislation, Senate Bill 10 (SB 10), which would replace cash bail with risk assessments for detained suspects awaiting trials.

A “no” vote is to repeal the contested legislation, Senate Bill 10 (SB 10), thus keeping in place the use of cash bail for detained suspects awaiting trials.

COUNTY/COUNTYWIDE MEASURES

Measure J

Community Investment And Alternatives To Incarceration Minimum County Budget Allocation

Shall the measure, annually allocating in the County’s budget no less than ten percent (10%) of the County’s locally generated unrestricted revenues in the general fund to address the disproportionate impact of racial injustice through community investment and alternatives to incarceration and prohibiting using those funds for carceral systems and law enforcement agencies as detailed in the ordinance adopting the proposed charter amendment, be adopted?

City of Carson

Measure K- Carson Essential City Services, Emergency Response Protection

To maintain city services, such as public safety, natural disaster/public health emergency preparedness; 9-1-1 emergency response, protect local drinking water/environment; assist local small businesses/retain jobs; repair streets/potholes; and other general City services, shall the measure establishing a ¾-cent general transaction and use (sales) tax providing Carson approximately $12,000,000 annually until ended by voters, requiring public spending disclosure, all funds for Carson, be adopted?

City of Long Beach

Measure US – Long Beach Community Services General Purpose Oil Production Tax Increase

To provide funding for community healthcare services; air/water quality and climate change programs; increase childhood education/ youth programs; expand job training opportunities; and maintain other general fund programs, shall a measure be adopted increasing Long Beach’s general oil production tax from 15¢ to maximum 30¢ per barrel, subject to annual adjustments, generating approximately $1,600,000 annually, until ended by voters, requiring audits/ local control of funds?

Los Angeles Unified School District

Measure RR – School Upgrades And Safety Measure

To update classrooms/labs/technology for 21st century learning; implement COVID-19 facility safety standards; address school facility inequities; reduce asbestos, earthquake and water quality hazards; and replace/renovate aging school classrooms/buildings, shall Los Angeles Unified School District’s measure be adopted authorizing $7,000,000,000 in bonds at legal rates, levying approximately $0.02174 per $100 of assessed valuation, generating an estimated $329,528,000 annually until approximately 2055, with independent audits, citizens’ oversight, no funds for administrative salaries?

Lomita City

Measure L- City of Lomita Local General Municipal Sales Tax Measure

To protect Lomita’s long-term financial stability; maintain City services; improve local drinking water quality; repair streets/potholes; keep parks and public areas clean/safe; maintain emergency/public safety response; help retain local businesses; and provide other city services, shall a measure be adopted establishing a ¾ cent local sales tax providing approximately $1,300,000 annually until ended by voters, requiring annual independent financial audits with all funds benefitting Lomita residents?

Signal Hill City

Measure R- City of Signal Hill Financial Stability Measure

Shall a measure establishing a ¾ (three quarter) cent sales tax providing an estimated $5,000,000 annually to the City’s general fund to maintain city programs such as: street, pothole, and infrastructure repair, clean public areas, 9-1-1 emergency response, crime prevention, and other general services until ended by voters, with independent audits, all money used locally for Signal Hill, be adopted?

Stay Housed L.A. County Launched To Provide Free Legal Services To Tenants Facing Eviction

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Stay Housed L.A. County Launched To Provide Free Legal Services To Tenants Facing Eviction

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today launched Stay Housed L.A. County, a countywide initiative to provide legal assistance and support for tenants facing eviction amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The launch included the release of StayHousedLA.org, a website connecting tenants with useful information about their rights, workshops for residents who need legal assistance, and other support. Stay Housed L.A. County is a partnership between the County of Los Angeles, legal aid groups and community-based organizations to provide emergency support to tenants in need.

Virtual Know Your Rights workshops will also be offered by participating community organizations to provide L.A. County residents with critical information about permanent and emergency tenant protections that can help tenants facing eviction or other challenges related to their rental housing. Community organizations will provide targeted ongoing support to help tenants with case management support.

When tenants have legal representation, a family’s chance of avoiding homelessness due to eviction increases by over 70 percent.View a short video about Stay Housed L.A. County at https://vimeo.com/stay-housed-la.

August Imports Fuel Cargo Surge at POLA

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August Imports Fuel Cargo Surge at POLA

SAN PEDRO – The Port of Los Angeles processed 961,833 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) in August, the first monthly cargo increase in a year. The 12% gain in cargo was driven by imports, which eclipsed 500,000 TEUs for the first time.

The overall monthly volumes were the strongest ever at the Port of Los Angeles. Year to date, cargo has decreased 11.7% compared to 2019. 

“With our recently released ‘Signal’ data powered by the Port Optimizer™, we are working with supply chain partners to improve cargo fluidity and advanced visibility to track, plan and prepare for cargo,” Seroka said.

The Signal provides a three-week look at cargo coming into Los Angeles and is updated daily here.

August loaded imports increased 18% to 516,286 TEUs compared to the previous year. Loaded exports decreased 10.2% to 131,429 TEUs. Empty containers increased 13.3% to 314,118 TEUs. 

There was one canceled sailing in August, with none scheduled for September. The Port had 89 vessel calls in August, including eight megaships (container ships capable of handling more than 13,000 TEUs). The 17,000-TEU-capacity APL Merlion handled nearly 29,600 TEUs during its visit in August, holding the second highest all-time record for TEUs handled in a single ship visit.

Supervisors Approve First Year of Funding for LASD Body Worn Camera Program

Terelle Jerricks
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Supervisors Approve First Year of Funding for LASD Body Worn Camera Program

Los Angeles — The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors have voted to transfer $25.5 million to the Sheriff’s Department for implementation of the new body worn camera program. The motion was authored by Supervisor Janice Hahn and co-authored by Supervisor Kathryn Barger and will cover the first year of the program at five stations across the county starting as early as October.

During the past four years, the Board has set aside a total of $35 million to purchase body worn cameras. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Aug. 11, finalized an agreement with Axon Enterprise, Inc. for enough cameras to equip 5,200 deputies and security officers with the devices over the next two years. 

The motion authorizes $25.5 million of the funding set aside to be given to the Sheriff’s Department for the first year of the body-worn camera program. This will allow the Sheriff’s Department to move forward with implementing the cameras in October starting with five stations: West Hollywood, Lancaster, Lakewood, Industry, and the Century Station. The next phase will include ten additional stations beginning Jan. 1, 2021.

Long Beach Announces Funding for Businesses and Nonprofits

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Long Beach Announces Funding for Businesses and Nonprofits

The City of Long Beach announced on Sept. 8 that funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act would be used for community activities and programs. The city allocated $19.13 million for the city’s COVID-19 response, $14.4 million for community support and $6.75 million for business recovery and resiliency. 

The City Manager’s Office is working with Long Beach City Council and other city departments to create programs for the community and businesses. An equity lens will be used to develop each program, so that the most negatively affected members of the community can be helped. This includes older adults, people with underlying health conditions, homeless people and people in overcrowded housing, as well as black, Latinx and Cambodian residents. 

The new programs include small business and nonprofit personal protective equipment distribution, as well as the funding of homeless shelters and funding for the city’s economic inclusion coordinator.

Community Forums on Police Reform

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Community Forums on Police Reform

LOS ANGELES — Members of the Board of Police Commissioners, in conjunction with the Advisory Committee On Building Trust and Equity, are conducting virtual community forums, at 4 p.m. Sept. 17 and 24, and Oct. 1.

The series are aimed at listening to ideas and suggestions for police reform from community groups, social justice advocates, clergy, academics and other community-based organizations.

The recommendations will be used by the police commission and the advisory committee in building a roadmap for continued police reform. Under the direction of the commission president, the advisory committee has begun its comprehensive review to evaluate existing reform proposals, past reforms recommended for the Los Angeles Police Department, recruitment and hiring, data collection and retention and discipline and accountability.

Members of the public may listen to the virtual meeting using the Zoom link provided below. In addition, members of the public wishing to provide specific proposals on police reform may submit their written ideas, maximum of two pages, to 

policecimmissionadvisorycommittee@lapd.online.

Time: 4 p.m. Sept. 17 and 24, and Oct. 1

Details: 855-880-1246; https://lapd.zoom.us/j/97273589743Meeting ID: 972 7358 9743

The Presidential Election: “A 200-Pound Sack of Concrete” vs. “The Orange Menace”

Norman Solomon
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The Presidential Election: “A 200-Pound Sack of Concrete” vs. “The Orange Menace”

At a time when long-winded polemics and punditry about the upcoming presidential
election are all over the place, a longtime progressive populist author and agitator has just summarized it all in less than a minute.
“Hi, Jim Hightower here,” a just-released video begins, “with a message for
progressives who don’t like Joe Biden’s corporate-hugging politics. Neither do I! But –and it’s a very big ‘but’ — Trump is a crackpot, a total plutocratic toady who’s literally
destroying the lives of workaday people and killing America’s progressive possibilities.”
Hightower continues: “Trump has to be gone before we the people can move forward
with our agenda of fairness and justice for all. So I don’t care if Biden is a 200-pound
sack of concrete, we have to carry him into the White House to eject the Orange
Menace. I urge all of you, especially in swing states like mine, to suck it up and do this heavy lifting. Let’s dump Trump, then we’ll take on Biden!”
I’m excited that my colleagues on the Vote Trump Out project have teamed up with the writer of the monthly Hightower Lowdown to produce the new video, which concisely hits key points that often get lost in the haunted funhouse of election rhetoric:
** There’s truly an enormous amount in Biden’s record for progressives not to like. No point in pretending otherwise.
** The extreme destructiveness of the Trump presidency must not be evaded. Fighting for a progressive agenda must go hand in hand with fighting the forces of white supremacy, nativism, political repression, absolute climate denial and more. Being in denial about Trump’s fascistic momentum is, to put it mildly, unwise.
** “Dump Trump, then we’ll take on Biden.” With Trump in the White House and his
fanatical right-wing underlings running every federal department, progressives haven’t been able to block increasingly horrendous policies, much less advance our agendas. If there’s a President Biden, we’ll need to fight him from day one — and we’ll actually have a chance to move policy.
Franklin Roosevelt won the presidency 88 years ago running as a centrist. Militant
grassroots movements propelled his administration to the left, bringing a transformative New Deal. We have a real chance to move Biden-era policy into a Green New Deal, a $15 federal minimum wage, and so much more — if we fight like hell after getting rid of Trump.
Of course, nothing’s guaranteed. The entrenched system is heavily weighted — always has been — against the interests of working people, women, people of color, the poor and others deprived of power by structural inequities. We always have to keep organizing and putting up a fight.
We’ve already hit bottom with Trump, and then some. In reality (unlike some fanciful
notions that things must get even worse before they get better), the worse it gets, the worse it gets. The horrific directions that Trump has taken this country must be
reversed.
Jim Hightower’s new video underscores that progressives have the opportunity to get
much better results fighting President Biden than fighting President Trump. Moving “a
200-pound sack of concrete” is bound to be a heavy lift, but the possibilities would be
real. The votes in swing states will determine whether we get the chance.

Norman Solomon is the national director of RootsAction.org and the author of many
books including “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to
Death.” He was a Bernie Sanders delegate from California for the 2020 Democratic
National Convention.

Police Response to Press at Black Lives Matter Protests Tests First Amendment

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Police Response to Press at Black Lives Matter Protests Tests First Amendment

WASHINGTON – During recent protests in Washington over the death of George Floyd in police custody, police in riot gear were videotaped striking a news crew as officers cleared media and protesters from Lafayette Square, an area near the White House.

The footage, captured on June 1, was of a scene repeated in cities across the United States during Black Lives Matter demonstrations following the May 25 death of the 46-year-old African American in Minneapolis.

Journalists have been tear-gassed, hit by rubber bullets and detained. Many say they identified themselves as press or showed credentials that police ignored.

Read more at: https://www.voanews.com/press-freedom/police-response-press-black-lives-matter-protests-tests-first-amendment

Long Beach Issues New Health Order Protocols for Higher Education Institutions and School-Aged Childcare Providers

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Long Beach Issues New Health Order Protocols for Higher Education Institutions and School-Aged Childcare Providers

The Long Beach Health Department Sept, 9 issued protocols for the City’s Safer at Home Health Order addressing institutes of higher educatio and school-aged childcare providers in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19.

K-12 Schools

The State Public Health Officer requires all public and private schools (K-12) in counties in Tier 1 of the State’s Blueprint for a Safer Economy, including the County of Los Angeles and the City of Long Beach, to remain closed to in-person instruction. Public and private K-12 schools may provide specialized in-person services for high needs students, such as those with Individual Education Programs, disabilities, English language learners and other at-risk students, and limited to no more than 25% of maximum occupancy of a particular school. Each stable group, or cohort, can be no more than 14 students and two instructors and must not mix with other cohorts.

Institutes of Higher Education

Colleges and universities in Long Beach will not be able to resume all in-person academic instruction at this time. Institutions may continue to offer in-person training and instruction for essential workforce for only those activities that cannot be accomplished through virtual learning. All other academic instruction must continue to be done via distance-learning.

School-Aged Childcare Providers 

To the extent possible, childcare facilities must operate under the following mandatory conditions:   

Childcare must be carried out in stable groups (called cohorts) of no more than 14 and shall not exceed capacity requirements per guidance from the California Department of Public Health. California Department of Social Services licensing requirements may mandate smaller cohorts in certain situations.

Children shall not change from one cohort to another.  

If more than one cohort of children is cared for at one facility, each group or cohort shall be in a separate room. Groups shall not mix with each other. 

Childcare providers shall remain solely with one cohort of children. 

Providers shall adhere to the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services Guidance for Early Care and Education Providers and Protocols for Programs Providing Day Care for School-Aged Children.Any other conditions required by the California Department of Social Services found here.

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