Beverly Hills is looking to the future by planning to develop a public transportation program featuring self-driving cars.

The City Council voted unanimously on April 5 to pursue a policy of having a fleet of city-owned autonomous vehicles transporting the public in a bid to reduce traffic and improve parking.

Passengers will be able to order one of the cars using their smartphones, similar to how drivers for Uber and Lyft are called now.

The motion acknowledges it will take years before such a system is developed and usable, but it is looking ahead to the Purple Line subway extension, where two Beverly Hills stops are expected to be operational by 2026.

With no parking lots planned at those stations, the idea aims to help people get to them.

The city plans to develop partnerships with Tesla Motors Inc., Alphabet Inc., and others that are investing in autonomous car programs, as its works with regulators and policymakers to develop the program.

Still, as Craig Crowder, a member of the council committee researching the project, acknowledged, “There are a lot of hurdles to overcome at this point.”

Record-Breaking Port Activity

The Port of Los Angeles has had the busiest first quarter in more than a 100 years.

Over the last three months, more than 2 million 20-foot containers (TEUs) moved through the port.

That made the overall volume surge 11.3 percent compared with the same period last year.

“Our first-quarter growth is significant and encouraging,” Gene Seroka, the port’s executive director, said in a statement.

“The feedback we are receiving from cargo owners and exporters is that the port is delivering on speed, efficiency, cost, and service,” he said. “Our terminal operators and supply chain partners are working with us to continuously improve and optimize operations.”

Two megaships, the CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin and the Maersk Edmonton, will dock at the port next week, bringing large volumes of cargo that could help the next quarter’s numbers also hit record levels.

Meanwhile, the Port of Long Beach had its best quarter in nine years. Cargo volume there increased by 6 percent in the first three months of the year compared with the same period in 2015. The port handled roughly 1.5 million TEUs in the January-March period.

Efficiency Urged

The Long Beach port will launch a rebate program for its terminal operators, offering funds to companies that upgrade outdated equipment with energy-saving lighting, air conditioning, and other technologies. The goal of the program, begun last week, is to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency. 

The payments became possible after the Board of Harbor Commissioners approved the Energy Efficiency Rebate Match Program, which will offer terminal operators more than $500,000 in rebates.

Under the program, Southern California Edison will match rebates offered by the port. Each tenant with an active Edison account will be eligible for up to $50,000 in rebates.

“For us, it’s a low-hanging fruit,” said Christine Houston, manager of sustainable practices at the port. “We want to generate electricity on the site and lower electricity usage.”

Houston said the program will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.

“With Earth Day coming soon, April is the perfect month to start talking about this program,” commission President Lori Ann Guzman said in a statement. “As we build the green port of the future in Long Beach, it’s our responsibility to encourage the use of the newest, most efficient equipment.” 

The rebate program is part of the Energy Island Initiative introduced in 2015 by the port’s chief executive, Jon Slangerup. The initiative is designed to help terminals operate independently from the grid in case of emergency, and in general to lower air pollution levels.

A workshop about how to earn the rebates will be held on May 5 at the port’s maintenance facility.  

Warehouse Strike

More than 200 warehouse workers at the Port of Los Angeles are protesting layoffs due at the end of the month at California Cartage Co.

They went on strike April 6 to demand they be retained and promoted to full-time positions.

“People are struggling and working harder than ever and you can’t let those things go,” said Steve Hapch, 64, a driver for California Cartage. “We’re trying to achieve better working conditions and safety improvements in the warehouse.”

Workers said they have been asking for permanent positions, wage hikes, and better workplace conditions since 2014. 

Staff Reporter Olga Grigoryants can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 549-5225 ext. 226.