Karnette legislation calls for public port committees

Karnette legislation calls for public port committees California State Assemblywoman Betty Karnette, D-Long Beach, has introduced legislation in the state assembly that would require all California ports to establish and fund Port Community Advisory Committees.
   Karnette's Assembly Bill 568, co-authored by State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, would require all California port boards to establish PCACs by Jan. 1. The ports would have to provide office space, meeting space, telephone services, document duplication services, technical assistance, and general support for the committees.
   The committees would provide a moderated public forum to discuss all aspects of port projects and policy. After collecting public input, the committees would make recommendations to the port boards that the ports must respond to within 90 days.
   PCACs would be open to representatives of any non-business community organizations.
   The Karnette bill PCACs are be modeled after the Los Angeles Port Community Advisory Committee established by former L.A. Mayor Jim Hahn.    Despite being held up as a model, the Los Angeles PCAC has been labeled in audits and port studies as an adversarial organization too involved in day-to-day port operations and dominated by port critics whose main objective is to limit port growth.
   The Los Angeles PCAC has raised such ire among the Los Angeles city government that current Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's administration is pushing to downsize the Los Angeles PCAC from more than 30 members to 15, limit its actual role, and recommitting the committee to working with the harbor board rather than against it.