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News Briefs
WORLD NEWS news briefs
By: Katherine M. Clements
LOCAL Harbor Department Reissues Request for Proposals for Whale’s Tail Parcel
VENTURA— The Ventura County Harbor Department has reissued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to redevelop a Channel Islands Harbor parcel where the popular, Whale’s Tail restaurant formerly operated.
An RFP was issued in Aug. 2021 and yielded two applications. Unfortunately, neither of the applications ultimately met all the RFP criteria.
Harbor Department Director Michael Tripp said the department is anticipating increasing interest now that the business climate is beginning to improve.
“It would be a great time for a developer to invest in the Harbor, particularly as the old Casa Sirena property is being demolished and a new waterfront hotel will be constructed in the next three years,” Director Tripp said in a press release from April 13. “The Channel Islands Harbor has a bright future, and this is a great opportunity for a new developer to join this community.”
The RFP can be downloaded here: https://www.channelislandsharbor. org/reports-publications/.
The RFP for the Whale’s Tail location was issued following the Harbor Department’s “Harbor Visioning Process.”
In 2020 and 2021, the Harbor Department facilitated the public visioning process by utilizing a consultant with multiple community designs and public engagement experiences to explore the types of uses preferred in the Harbor. In addition, a steering committee comprised of County of Ventura and City of Oxnard representatives, Harbor business representatives, and residents met to discuss possible future development. As a result, a preliminary survey was circulated to obtain viewpoints of residents, businesses, and visitors. Subsequently, a virtual public workshop was held to present ideas on the future development of the Harbor.
For this parcel, the visioning process concluded that the most desired development, in ranked order, include: • A marine education center and aquarium • Mixed-used bed & breakfast/small restaurant facility • A restaurant
The RFPs for the Whale’s Tail parcel are due May 26. Once the RFPs are received, they will be reviewed by the Harbor Department and a Harbor Advisory Committee. One or more proposals may be selected for follow-up, including a formal presentation or request for follow-up information. It is also possible all proposals are jilted.
STATE/NATIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL Labor Boss Says West Coast Dockworker Employers Will Get Deal
International Longshore and Warehouse Union International President Willie Adams said dockworkers at the U.S.’s West Coast ports and their employers would likely reach an agreement to change labor hours when their current contract expires this summer.
“It takes a collaboration, and we will get there,” said Adams in an April 12 interview with the Pacifi c Maritime Association when asked about the union’s relationship with ocean carriers and terminal operators. “It’s like a marriage, right? There are bumps, there’s ups and downs, but you’ve got to enjoy the ride.”
Talks to hammer out a new labor contract for West Coast dockworkers are set to begin May 12, ahead of the July 1 expiration date for the current contract.
The expiring contract covers about 22,000 West Coast dockworkers -- represented by the ILWU -- and their employers, ocean carriers, and port operators, represented by the PMA.
While Adams and ILWU Coast Committeeman Frank Ponce De Leon didn’t say specifi cally what their demands would be for the labor talks, they called on the PMA to be more involved in developing training programs through a new facility at the port.
“I’m going to challenge PMA. They need to be fully invested in developing the training programs, not only for longshore but also for mechanics and our clerks and foremen,” Ponce De Leon said in an interview with Bloomberg. “We’re their workforce, and you can’t say that you’re committed and use a lot of lingo, and then you’re missing an action,” Adams said of the PMA’s involvement in labor-force training programs.
Adams credited efforts by the White House to get parties to the negotiating table and resolve congestion and supply-chain issues at the ports brought on throughout the pandemic.
“The president was challenging everybody to put some skin in the game,” Adams said.
PMA Chief Executive Offi cer Jim McKenna gave 50-50 odds that the talks will conclude smoothly before July 1. Mckenna said they may be a bit too optimistic, but “we are certainly trying to accomplish that. There will not be a lack of trying.”
Some past disputes between the union and the PMA have proved crippling for shipments to the western seaboard, stoking fears of a repeat just as dockyards work to clear backlogs of goods brought on by pandemic disruptions and historic consumer demand for goods.
NOAA Fisheries Designates Critical Habitat for Ringed and Bearded Seals in U.S. Arctic
National Oceanic Atmospheric Association Fisheries has designated critical habitat in U.S. waters off Alaska’s coastline for the Arctic ringed seals and the Beringia distinct population segment of bearded seals, both of which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. (ESA).
The Act requires NOAA Fisheries to
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