POLA likely losing millions due to lack of competitive bidding

Community Announcements: Harbor Area

California Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record

The State of California’s Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record or DCVR portal allows Californians to download their COVID-19 vaccination record.

In order for you to obtain your record: COVID-19 vaccination information must have been submitted to the California Immunization Registry (CAIR2, SDIR, and RIDE) by your vaccination provider.

All the information you enter into the DCVR Portal must match your record in the registry. Details: www./myvaccinerecord.cdph.ca.gov

Port Extends Public Comment Period On Draft EIR For SCIG Project

SAN PEDRO – The Port of Los Angeles July 15, extended the public comment period to Aug. 25 to provide opportunity for additional public comment on a revised draft environmental impact report (revised craft EIR) for the Southern California International Gateway (SCIG) Project.

SCIG is a proposed BNSF intermodal rail yard facility that would be located on an existing industrial site within four miles of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, with direct access to the Alameda Rail Corridor.

All environmental documents related to the SCIG Project, including the revised craft EIR, are available at www.portoflosangeles.org/environment/environmental-documents

Written comments and questions may also be sent via email to ceqacomments@portla.org. Comments sent via email should include “SCIG Project” in the subject line and a valid mailing address in the email. Questions may also be directed to Lisa Ochsner with the Port of Los Angeles Environmental Management Division at 310-7323412.

Toberman Neighborhood Center: Annual School Supplies Drive

Toberman Neighborhood Center is accepting donations through Aug. 6. Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with drive-thru drop off available 3 to 5 p.m. Venue: Drop off at Toberman Neighborhood Center, 131 N. Grand Ave., San Pedro

Harbor Communities Grant Opportunity

The Harbor Community Benefit Foundation, in collaboration with the TraPac Appellants, has announced the solicitation of applications for round two of the Healthy Harbor Communities Initiative Grant Program. Launched in 2020, the purpose of this grant program is to address and mitigate the impacts of Port of Los Angeles and port-related activity on the health and well-being of San Pedro and Wilmington residents.

HCBF intends to distribute up to a total of $350,000 in grant awards. It anticipates awarding funds for three proposals, with $250,000 available for one large grant, and the remaining $100,000 available for two grants of $50,000 each. Details: www.harbor-communities-initiative-grantprogram

Virtual Webinar on Prop. 19 with Assessor Jeff Prang

Overwhelmed by recent news of Prop 19? This law brings tax savings to California residents when inheriting a home. Learn the detailed steps necessary to prepare a transfer of your primary home to your children or grandchildren. Take advantage of this one-on-one time with Assessor Prang. In addition to answering your questions, he will explain the parent-child exclusion, requirements for qualification, and the difference between a will and a trust; plus provide the formula to calculate the specifics. Time: 2 p.m. July 28 Details: RSVP 626-403-5445; ecsforseniors.org/ prop19

311 Call Center Committed to Independent Journalism in the Greater LA/LB Harbor Area for More Than 40 Years

Short-Changed!

Lack of competitive bidding likely costs POLA millions annually, new lawsuit reveals

By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

A recent lawsuit filed by Vopak brings to light a startling reality: The Port of Los Angeles does not normally use competitive bidding to get market value from its long-term leases — its primary source of revenue — resulting in the loss of millions of dollars annually.

Vopak operates a marine terminal and storage facility at Berths 186-190 of the Port of LA, where the company handles petroleum products, chemicals and biofuels with 82 tanks and a total capacity of almost 2.4 million barrels. Vopak also has a terminal at the Port of Long Beach, with 55 tanks and a capacity of almost 350,000 barrels. These are just two of 72 terminals it owns worldwide, either in whole or in partnerships.

On May 24, Vopak filed suit against its former West Coast sales and marketing manager, Anthony Santich, alleging breach of his employee confidentiality agreement and his separation agreement, interference with a business relationship and a prospective relationship, misappropriation of trade secrets and conspiracy. All these allegations derive from claims that Santich provided information arguing that the Port of LA was significantly undervaluing the 30-year lease it was negotiating with Vopak—which would become apparent if the port opened up the lease to competitive bidding via a request for proposal (RFP). Santich also allegedly provided evidence of discriminatory practices to Joe Gatlin of the San Pedro/Wilmington NAACP.

Three days later, Judge Michael P. Vicencia denied Vopak’s application for a temporary restraining order, and on July 13, Santich filed an “anti-SLAPP” motion to dismiss. That motion stated, in part: It is indisputable that the people of Los

Vopak terminal and storage facility in the Port of LA. File photo

Angeles have a “public interest” in the operation of the Port of Los Angeles. That includes, of course, whether operators at the Port have diverse hiring practices. That also includes whether the Port’s operators are conducting business in a manner that benefits the community, or in the alternative, are seeking to extract benefits at the expense of the community. The Port conducting a Request for Proposal (“RFP”) is an excellent way to get at the heart of both such issues, providing a transparent process to assure that these valuable leases on public land are awarded to the operators that serve not just themselves, but the community’s goals as well. Yet, plaintiff Vopak Terminal Los Angeles, Inc.’s (“Plaintiff”) complaint (“Complaint” ) seeks to silence a former employee for speaking out about these very issues…. This is the essence of a strategic lawsuit to prevent public participation, and it is for such circumstances that California’s AntiSLAPP Statute exists. However this lawsuit is ultimately settled, the underlying situation is profoundly troubling. The crux of the matter comes through clearly in a Jan. 13 email to Councilman Joe Buscaino’s chief of staff, Jacok Haik, from Daniel Xia, another former Vopak employee, whom the Vopak lawsuit accuses of being a go-between: “I think the main takeaway is that the POLA is likely leaving more than $100M plus on the table with the current Vopak negotiation.... An RFP open bid process of the terminal is the best way for POLA to get their terminal assets’ real value.”

POLA Secretively Shuts Down Air Pollution Monitoring at “Highest Exposure” Site on Pier 300

By Paul Rosenberg, Senior Editor

The volume of cargo ships entering the Port of Los Angeles is at an all-time high, and the port hasn’t been shy about celebrating — a June 10 press release bragged about becoming “the first port in the Western Hemisphere to process 10 million container units in a 12-month period.” But the port didn’t make a peep one month earlier when it was time to measure pollutants, not profits. It’s not that the environmental figures were underpublicized or talked down. Without any explanation at all, the port simply stopped reporting emissions from the Source-Dominated Air Pollution Monitoring Site on Pier 300 — the spot where the port, in more talkative times, has repeatedly said “is expected to have the highest exposure to emissions from Port operations, as it is in direct proximity to terminal operators which use a large number of diesel engine sources.”

Andrea Hricko, USC professor emerita of public health, was the lead author of a letter bringing this to the attention of the Harbor Commission, port staff and the two relevant government oversight agencies, the California Air Resources Board and the South Coast Air Quality Management District. She was joined by representatives of San Pedro & Peninsula Homeowners Coalition, San Pedro Peninsula Homeowners United, Inc., West Long Beach Association, Coalition For A Safe Environment, Earthjustice, East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, Sierra Club, Community Dreams Wilmington, NAACP, San Pedro-Wilmington Branch, California Kids IAQ, Wilmington and EMeRGE, Wilmington. Hricko’s efforts to get an explanation from staff have been fruitless, even with a public records act request.

“The volume of cargo ships entering the port is at an all-time high,” Hricko noted. “It is definitely of concern that the port has chosen to suspend the monitoring station that is at the ‘center of Port operations’ at exactly the same time when cargo volume and ship calls at the Port of Los Angeles are at record highs. We note that the Port of Los Angeles has issued six press releases in 2021 alone touting its record cargo volumes.”

She went on to note that “A fact sheet by the California Air Resources Board is attached documenting that up to 40 ships at a time have been seen anchoring in the San Pedro Bay Ports, raising concerns about increased pollution.” That fact sheet shows a 47% increase in TEU volume from March 2019 to March 2021. It estimated health disbenefits of 20 excess deaths a year in the South Coast Air Basin.

The letter called for the immediate reinstatement of the Source-Dominated station, along with the continued monitoring of black carbon as a marker for diesel emissions at the Wilmington and San Pedro monitoring sites, as well as continued posting on the Clean Air Action Plan website.

Mobile Home Park Residents Rally Against the Domino Effect

By Iracema Navarro, Reporter

On July 15, the residents of Imperial Avalon Mobile Estates and their supporters rallied in front of Carson City Hall to protest the announced closure of the facility, which would leave more than 445 residents to fend for themselves in the wilds of an unaffordable housing market.

Three more mobile home parks are slated for closure after the Imperial Avalon Mobile Estates, bringing worry and uncertainty to the city’s remaining park residents.

Most residents of the mobile home park live on fixed incomes, are senior citizens, veterans and disabled people who had expected to live their golden years in the parks.

Eighteen-year Imperial Avalon resident, Peggy Apodaca, warned other Carsonites at the Thursday afternoon rally: “It can happen to you if you have a mobile home.”

The dark side of Carson’s new developments have been discovered, but residents of mobile home parks are still looking for a fair shake.

Some residents have taken one of three offers made by the city from three options: Option A would help residents relocate to another park, option B would give owners a lump sum of money, and option C would relocate residents to interim housing and guarantee an occupancy at a Faring Capital development, the new owner of

Protestors in front of the 32,000 sq.ft. apartment building, Union South Bay. Mobile home park residents face displacement due to such large, expensive developments. Photo by Iracema Navarro.

the Imperial Avalon Mobile Estates.

For the time being, Apodaca is going with her own option — waiting it out and to see what really is going to happen.

“They were supposed to give us interim housing, but they can’t find any interim housing because it’s closed up,” Apodaca said.

Apodaca noted that the problem is rooted in supply and demand. She said she looked online and the cheapest rent she found was $2,250, not including utilities. She didn’t mention its location or its number of bedrooms.

“I pay $412 for my particular space and they’re all about the same, give or take $20,” Apodaca said.

Apodaca observed that some mobile home dwellers took one of the three options offering money. For others, the park owners are allowing residents to rent the mobile home space for around $2,000 or so. Apodaca said the park owner is now making more money renting these spaces at the mobile home park.

“They [park owner] tried to call me the other day,” Apodaca said. “I didn’t even pick up my phone, because I thought, ‘Oh, they’re going to just try to intimidate me and get me to go in there and put my house in escrow.’”

Marcela Steiman and her husband Jeff Steiman, the new Imperial Avalon Mobile Estates Homeowner Association president, bought their home in 2015 and are worried about the mortgage they are continuing to pay.

“Rents are too high, we can’t afford the rent of over $2,000. I can’t afford that,” Marcela said.

Community Announcements: Harbor Area

[Announcements, from p. 3] troller Ron Galperin’s March 2021 report on the city’s 311 program — a call center established in 2002 to provide residents with easier access to government services and improve civic engagement by bringing city hall directly to them. Controller Galperin found that 311 isn’t functioning as well in LA as in other large cities that employ a similar program and proposed that the city reimagine 311 guided by a customer-first approach. Details: www.lacontroller.org/audits-and-reports/311

City Creates Website for Queen Mary Updates

LONG BEACH — On June 4 for the first time in over 40 years, the City of Long Beach regained full control of the Queen Mary and surrounding properties. In an effort to communicate with the public about the process for reopening the ship to visitors and guests, the city has developed a webpage on the Economic Development Department webpage, www.longbeach.gov/QueenMary

#Joints4JabsLBC Free Pot for Vaccines

LONG BEACH — Community-based organizations with the Healthy Long Beach campaign in partnership with the Long Beach Collective Association or LBCA will lawfully distribute tokens redeemable for one free pre-rolled joint on July 24 to Long Beach residents 21 and over who get vaccinated at the one-day pop-up clinic at Houghton Park. This has been dubbed “Joints for Jabs LBC.” The community effort aims to encourage equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine and promote safe practices for Long Beach residents to light up this summer. Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 24 Details: www.lbforward.org/healthylb. Location: Houghton Park, 6301 Myrtle Ave., Long Beach

Parks And Recreation Summer Snacks

The LA County Parks Summer Lunch and Snack Program is here. Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 12 to 1 p.m. and snacks are served from 3 to 4 p.m. Anyone 18 or younger can pick up a free meal and snack at participating locations. Details: parks.lacounty.gov/summerlunch

Gov. Newsom asks CA Residents to Reduce Water Use

On July 8, California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order asking Californians to reduce their water usage by 15%. Newsom had previously declared a state of emergency in 41 counties, and added nine more on the same day. In the order, Newsom listed several ways to save water. • Irrigate lawns more efficiently, by watering one less day per week, not watering during or after rainfall, watering during a cooler part of the day and using a weather-based irrigation system that uses less water. • Run dishwashers and laundry machines only when full. • Find and fix leaks. • Install more efficient showerheads and take shorter showers, preferably under five minutes. • Use a shut-off nozzle on hoses and take cars to car washes that recycle water. Details: https://tinyurl.com/Newsom-water

County Offers COVID-19 Community Ambassador Program

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health or Public Health, with support from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, launched the COVID-19 Community Ambassador Program to visibly represent, capture the support, and actively engage the broader community in best practices to further prevent and slow the spread of COVID-19 in Los Angeles County.

To become a COVID-19 Community Ambassador, residents view a 30-minute training video, which provides helpful insights on COVID-19 prevention and infection control.

This program is available to all Los Angeles County residents and without age restriction. Details: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/CommunityAmbassadorProgram

SP Residents Want a Say in Port’s Connectivity Plan

By Hunter Chase, Community News Reporter

The Port of Los Angeles is putting together a planning document, and many San Pedro residents want to make sure community input is taken seriously.

On July 14, Michael Cham, property manager at the port, gave a presentation on the San Pedro Waterfront Connectivity Plan at the joint Planning and Land Use committee of all three San Pedro neighborhood councils.

The plan will build upon existing public access and private development objectives and guide the future of the waterfront. In addition, it will lay out how each project will be connected to the others using bikes, scooters, pedestrian walkways, sidewalks and crosswalks, as well as public transport, and potentially a rubber tire trolley. It will also include travel on water, such as water taxis.

“It’s going to be periodically updated as things change, as new things come on board,” Cham said.

The plan does not necessarily bind the port to any future actions. While the port will put its actual plans in the plan itself, it is free to change them at any time. The port estimates the plan will take about a year to create.

The port is doing this now because of coming private developments, and to include and consider projects and buildings that were different in 2009, when the port released the San Pedro waterfront environmental impact report. These include progress at West Harbor and AltaSea.

“This connectivity plan is important to do now because it provides … a significant messaging and marketing opportunity,” Cham said.

The port will send out a request for proposal, or RFP, for a consulting company to help. The port estimates this will cost $250,000 to $500,000.

“This is an effort that the port is in the initial stages of,” Cham said. “This is an invitation to the neighborhood councils, as well as other stakeholders to participate in the process with us.”

San Pedro resident Pat Nave suggested the port select people from the neighborhood councils and the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce for a working group to advise the port on the project.

“There have been events where the port has gone forward on its own without really any attempt to really work with the community,” Pat Nave said. “And it’s been disastrous. This is too important for that to happen again.”

Cham said that the port is reluctant to choose people for a working group but encouraged the neighborhood councils to choose their own people for it.

Diana Nave, chair of the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council’s planning and land use committee, said that tenants near the waterfront should be part of the working group.

“I think the working group probably should be set up sooner rather than later,” Diana Nave said. “As you’re developing, finalizing the RFP, that group ought to be involved.”

Doug Epperhart, president of Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council, said the scope of this project is important.

“The port tends to think that the waterfront ends at ports o’ call,” Epperhart said. “As we all know, it doesn’t. Cabrillo Marina, possible new cruise ship terminal … Cabrillo Beach, the aquarium. These are things that draw tens of thousands of people, particularly on weekends.”

Epperhart said he wants the plan to consider these parts of the waterfront, as well as how it will impact nearby residential areas, including 22nd Street and Pacific Avenue.

“Anybody there can tell you about the amount of traffic that moves there,” Epperhart said.

San Pedro resident Jason Herring asked if the presence of the rubber tire trolley would eliminate the possibility of bringing in a railbased street car, as a modern version of the Red Car. Not necessarily, said Cham.

“I put in a rubber tire trolley because that’s what we use right now,” Cham said. “And of course, I am not going to predetermine anything that’s within the plan ultimately as it comes out, because we don’t have a consultant on board, we haven’t done our outreach yet.”

Frank Anderson, former board member of the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council, was also concerned about using a rail-based system. He cited new developments and improvements to San Pedro, and how they could bring a lot more people, including a revamped cruise line, the upcoming West Harbor Project.

“We really have to focus on a transit or connectivity plan to get these people in and out,” Anderson said.

Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council board member Gwen Henry said she liked the plan but criticized its lack of attention to preserving the natural habitat of indigenous species.

“This plan is sorely lacking in bringing back rainbirds, creating sample wetlands, marshlands and interfaces between the freshwater and marine water,” Henry said. “This is an incredible opportunity to bring schools out to see marine creatures and birds in their own habitat and create those places within those connectivity areas.”

She compared it to the Aquarium of the Pacific, which is very industrialized with ships and private marinas, but you can still see local wildlife.

“You can see a blue herring hunting on the rocks over there,” Henry said. “I don’t see any of this incorporated [in the connectivity plan].”