Riverside Unleashes Second Wave of Port Protest

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The city of Riverside has struck again at a port expansion plan.

On the heels of a lawsuit filed against the Port of Los Angeles, Riverside is protesting a $750 million proposal by the Port of Long Beach to upgrade and expand terminal facilities.

Riverside officials filed an appeal April 22 with the Long Beach City Council, claiming the impact of increased rail traffic on the city was not addressed adequately in an environmental impact report on the Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project.

“The project will increase train trips 15-fold, to more than 2,000 annual trips, a majority of which travel through the city of Riverside,” wrote Riverside City Attorney Gregory P. Priamos in a letter filed with the appeal. “Yet the environmental report did not analyze the impacts of those trips.”

In February, Riverside raised eyebrows when it filed a lawsuit against the L.A. port claiming that an environmental impact report on the China Shipping Group project failed to study the effects of the additional cargo trains in Riverside.

While community groups near the ports have long fought expansion plans by citing potentially deleterious health effects, Riverside’s lawsuit was surprising since it is located some 60 miles away from the San Pedro ports.

However, the city is split by major rail lines, and officials claimed the China Shipping project when built out would result in an additional six trains passing through each day. The city is seeking a revision of the EIR and millions in funding to build bridges at rail crossings.

Riverside also is seeking funding for rail crossings if the Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project is approved. The project would replace two old terminals with one larger one, doubling cargo-handling capacity while allowing the port to accommodate bigger ships.

The project, approved April 13 by the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, still has to be approved by the City Council. Any one person or entity can appeal the commission’s decision within two weeks to the council, which Riverside did.

Long Beach Harbor Commission President James C. Hankla defended the port’s handling of the report, saying in a statement that “this project is critical to the competitiveness of the port, supporting badly needed jobs and greatly improving the environment.”

The Long Beach City Council is scheduled to take up the project at its May 12 meeting.


JetBlue Staying Put

JetBlue planes might be taking off from Long Beach, but the company won’t, according to JetBlue Airways Chief Executive Dave Barger and Long Beach Airport officials.

After meeting with senior airport officials, Barger in a conference call with investors seemed to back away from his threat last month that JetBlue might leave the small airport.

“We remain committed to Long Beach,” said Barger in the April 23 call. “I’m very encouraged by the visit that took place this week by the Long Beach Airport Authority and look forward to seeing some of these improvements in the near future.”

Barger stirred up controversy after he told the CrankyFlier blog that Long Beach hadn’t moved quickly enough in improving their terminals, which are located in temporary buildings. He also said that the Los Angeles International Airport, where JetBlue will start flying out of next month, seemed to “want them” more.

Although Barger reiterated in the call that he was “disappointed” in the lack of improvements, he said JetBlue views staying in Long Beach as the best way to serve the entire L.A.-area market. The airline also flies out of Burbank.

Mario Rodriguez, Long Beach’s airport director, said his staff is preparing a proposal on which improvements should be made, how to fund them and a timeline for completion. The plan is likely to be pitched to the Long Beach City Council this summer.

“We are focusing first on replacing the temporary holding rooms where passengers wait for boarding, and want to have permanent rooms with bigger bathrooms and concessions,” Rodriguez said. “JetBlue and our airport see eye to eye on the need and desire to improve the facility.”


News & Notes

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has appointed Alex H. Cherin as the Port of Long Beach’s managing director of trade relations and port operations. Cherin is a former assistant auditor for the city. The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce will kick off World Trade Week with a breakfast Thursday. Speakers include USC President Steven Sample, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and United States Trade Representative Ambassador Ron Kirk. Tickets are $65 and can be purchased through LAChamber.com.


Staff reporter Francisco Vara-Orta can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225, ext. 241.

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