LOS ANGELES—Councilwoman Janice Hahn announced today that two parking lots in San Pedro, maintained by the Department of Recreation and Parks, will be closed after hours. The two parking lots are located at White Point and at the corner of Gaffey and Paseo Del Mar.

"Neighbors are concerned these parking lots are being used for parties at night," said Councilwoman Hahn. "This will improve our community by reducing loud activities that disrupt our neighborhoods at night."

This action builds upon a program the City instituted in 1988 to close Recreation and Parks on a daily basis during the night to reduce incidents of alcohol, drug abuse, loud noise and other disturbances after hours in City owned parks.

Pilot Area Located in South Shores in San Pedro

The Los Angeles City Council today adopted a 30-day pilot program, with one site in the South Shores area of San Pedro, to restrict overnight parking of oversized vehicles. The ordinance, proposed by Councilwoman Janice Hahn, to eliminate the long-term storage of recreational vehicles (RVs) on designated streets. The Councilwoman requested the new ordinance, which will prohibit the parking of oversized vehicles (vehicles longer than 22 feet and taller than 7 feet) on city streets from 2 - 6 a.m. daily, in response to numerous complaints from local residents.

"Large RVs parked in our neighborhoods are not only eyesores, but also create a public safety hazard," said Councilwoman Janice Hahn. "Since taking office, I have heard many complaints about RVs parking on neighborhood streets. It has been an ongoing problem and I hope that this new ordinance will allow people to load and unload their vehicles during the day, but discourage the overnight storage of these vehicles on our streets."

The City Council had adopted a citywide ordinance last year, but implementation was delayed. The pilot program will allow the Department of Transportation to test the process and make any needed changes before it is implemented citywide. The pilot program will include a provision to allow RV owners to load and unload their vehicles, through a permitting process. Once signs are posted in mid-March, residents can contact the City Council office at 310/732-4515 for information on purchasing permits.

Signs will be posted in the South Shores neighborhood on streets where the ordinance will be enforced. The area effected will be west of Western Avenue, Morse Drive to Paseo Del Mar.

Study asked of Public Works on dealing with city wide sidewalk damage

Read the motion here.

Officials are confident that business leaders pushing for more cargo capacity at L.A., Long Beach facilities can iron out differences with environmental, health advocates.

Read the LA Times article here.

Graffiti Teams to Begin Daily Sweeps in January

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn announced today that she will be funding dedicated graffiti removal teams in San Pedro and Wilmington to combat the recent increase in tagging in both communities.

"Tagging is a problem all over Los Angeles but has increased recently in San Pedro and Wilmington. No neighborhood should have to tolerate graffiti and these new 'tag teams' will identify hot spots in our communities and sweep them daily to remove any new tagging," explained Councilwoman Hahn.

The Councilwoman is providing an additional $100,000 to the Gang Alternatives Program (GAP), which is a currently a graffiti removal contractor with the city. Working with the Council office and community groups, GAP will identify graffiti hot spots in San Pedro and Wilmington for daily removal for the next two years.

"Everyone can get involved and report graffiti in their neighborhood. If you see it, call GAP at 310/519-7233 or 311 to report it and get it removed," added the Councilwoman.

Ordinance affecting oversize vehicles to include RV's is expected to go into effect on September 15th. Permits for loading/unloading will be available at police stations at a machine that is automated. Cost will be $10 per day. City ordinances take approximately 44 days to take effect, unless they include an emergency clause. That's 30 days for public notice and two weeks for the City to publicize the action.

For a copy of the ordinance click here.

A new statewide survey finds nearly three out of four Californians favor tougher air pollution controls for cargo ships, trucks and trains even if such controls raise the cost of transporting goods. The annual survey, released by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) on Thursday, showed that responses did not vary much by region, although Los Angeles County residents expressed the greatest support. Additionally, according to the survey, air pollution continues to be the most important environmental issue facing Californians.

The findings bolster support for the proposed policy outlined in SB 760 legislation (authored by state Sen. Alan Lowenthal) that will help reduce air pollution, while also increasing security at the ports and rail efficiency, by collecting a modest $30 for each massive container entering the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. SB 760 will help create jobs and provide safe air, safe ports and safe roadways. The $30 collected translates into mere pennies on each DVD player sold.

Today, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the largest fixed source of air pollution in the South Coast region. According to the California Air Resources Board, 2,400 Californians die prematurely each year due to pollution from transporting goods. With these mortality figures in mind, it is not surprising the state's residents are willing to support increasing the costs of transporting goods to ensure their health is better protected.

To view the complete PPIC Survey http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/survey/S_706MBS.pdf.

The following letters by Board Members recently appeared in the Daily Breeze:

Container Fees Needed At Ports - Peter Warren (Adove Acrobat required)

Step Up Efforts To Better Air Quality - Richard Havenick (Adove Acrobat required)

LA Weekly writes compellingly about air pollution in the basin and the role the transport industry plays in it. There is a powerful and emotional story in the package about how $$$$ moves legislators, featuring Jenny Oropeza and Al Lowenthal as two who stand up and are seeking a solution that works for people and business. The articles tell the story of an industry that is strip mining the community and failing to pay to minimize the damage it does to air, infrastructure and children.

The following are articles from that issue are of particular interest to all Coastal San Pedro NC stakeholders.

Clear and Present Danger
Industry money to the "Mod Caucus" fouls the fight for clean air
http://www.laweekly.com/index.php?option=com_lawcontent&task=view&id=8131

Clear and Present Danger
The Air That We Breathe
http://www.laweekly.com/index.php?option=com_lawcontent&task=view&id=8132

What 16 million people in the L.A. basin can't see is sickening and killing them at rates only now becoming known. Every year, 9,600 people statewide die from cancer and respiratory problems caused by air pollution, most of them in Southern California, says state toxicologist Bart Ostro. Reports released last month by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) show just how dangerous it can be to breathe the air in parts of Los Angeles County where these minute particles are fouling people's bodies and becoming lodged in their lungs and hearts. The highest cancer rates in the county are found near the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, where as many as one of every 200 residents is expected to get a pollution-related cancer during their lifetime.

Clear and Present Danger
Cancer Risk
http://www.laweekly.com/images/ink/05/44/44smog-cancer.pdf

The average cancer risk in the region determined in the 1999 study was about 1,000 per million people, meaning that up to 14,000 people living in greater Los Angeles can expect to get cancer simply through breathing. Many scientists and environmentalists expect the update to show the cancer risk has grown since 1999 because of the gathering cloud of diesel exhaust caused by the rush of international trade. Shipments through the region's ports have doubled over the past seven years, and are projected to quadruple over the next 20 years.

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