Mayor Ronald Dellums steps up on behalf of the Port of Oakland truckers and their families
Mayor Dellums emphasizes the importance of his support for the
new environmental regulations and the right of truck drivers to organize, while
also supporting the needs of small businesses and individual truck drivers.
The Mayor believes that these needs are not mutually exclusive and must be
balanced together to develop a healthy economy and community.
|
|
CITY of OAKLAND 
1 FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA 3RD FLOOR OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94612
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Office of the Mayor
Ronald V. Dellums
Mayor
December 23, 2009
Mary Nichols
Chair
California Air Resources Board
1001 "I" Street
P.O. Box 2815
Sacramento, CA 95812
Jack Broadbent
Chief Executive
Bay Area Air Quality Management District
939 Ellis St.
San Francisco, CA 94109
VIA MAIL AND EMAIL
Dear Ms. Nichols and Mr. Broadbent;
As you know, I am firmly in support of the new California Air Resources Board's emissions regulation for Port trucks which embraces Oakland's goals of reducing environmental impacts, while we work to sustain Port operations in Oakland. At the same time, we need to support the truck drivers who are trying to comply with the new regulations but facing financial barriers to doing so. I understand that funds from the regulatory agencies to assist truck owners, especially small businesses, in complying with the new environmental regulations are insufficient to meet the needs.
I am writing to request your assistance in preventing economic harm to impacted Port of Oakland truck drivers and their families and to the City and Port of Oakland. I am also offering my assistance to secure additional funding resources for the truck retrofit and replacement program.
I commend your efforts to secure the funding resources needed for the Port truck retrofit
program. The City of Oakland, along with the Port of Oakland, have been very supportive of the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) grant applications to the federal government. The $22 million in funds secured for this air quality enhancement program is unprecedented and reflects a committed partnership between your organizations, the City and Port of Oakland, and the State and Federal governments to balance environmental standards with Port economic development needs.
However, based upon the reports we have received, it appears that about 1,200 truck
drivers who service the Port of Oakland applied for funding support and were denied
based upon insufficient funding availability. There is likely to be significant hardships
for these truck drivers and their families, and attendant negative impacts on Oakland's economy. With Oakland's current unemployment rate at 17%, it is imperative that we focus our efforts on increasing employment opportunities and prevent the significant loss of jobs.
I am asking you to consider granting an extension of time to Port of Oakland truck
drivers who applied for the BAAQMD truck retrofit program on time and were denied funds based upon insufficient funding resources. I understand that the truck drivers whose applications were accepted have been given until April 30th to implement their retrofits. I am requesting that you consider a similar extension for the drivers whose
applications were denied while balancing the environmental and public health impacts of
delaying the enactment of the new regulations. We also need to be mindful of the
individual, family, and community health impacts associated with unemployment
stressors.
This extension would have to be coupled with a collective commitment from your organizations; federal, state, regional, and local political offices; and community and business stakeholders to secure additional resources to fund the truck retrofit and replacement program. I am committed to working with you to advocate for additional federal support and will follow up with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on his commitments made to me and Congresswoman Barbara Lee. As the BAAQMD is the administering agency for the truck retrofit program, I am requesting that you work with my office in the development of a written proposal for federal officials. In addition, I understand that there are efforts underway to secure potentially available existing State
resources to fund the Port truck retrofit program.
I have also directed my staff to work with our partners to find ways to secure job training
and employment services for truck drivers affected by the January 1st compliance deadline.
In addition, I am requesting that you work with my office in convening key stakeholders
involved in the Maritime Air Quality Improvement Plan's Inter-agency working group to
develop the details for a smooth transition that protects the health and well-being of
residents and workers, preserves jobs, and secures more funds for the truckers who will be affected by the new regulations. Please contact Marisol Lopez, my Chief of Staff, at 510-238-3120 and/or Margaretta Lin, my senior advisor on the stimulus and other initiatives, at 510-238-4906 to work on next steps.
I look forward to our continued partnership to make Oakland a model and healthy city.
Sincerely,
Ronald V. Dellums
Mayor
Cc: Cynthia Marvin, California Air Resources Board
Jean Roggenkamp, Bay Area Air Quality Management District
Omar Benjamin, Port of Oakland Executive Director
Victor Uno, Port of Oakland Commission President
James Head, Port of Oakland Commission
Margaret Gordon, Port of Oakland Commission
Anthony Batarse, Port of Oakland Commission
Pamela Calloway, Port of Oakland Commission
Gilda Gonzalez, Port of Oakland Commission
Ken Katzoff, Port of Oakland Commission
Barbara Lee, U.S. Congress
Loni Hancock, State Senate
Sandre Swanson, State Assembly
Keith Carson, Alameda County Board of Supervisors
Nate Miley, Alameda County Board of Supervisors
Anita Siegal, Alameda County Public Health Department
Sandra Witt, Alameda County Public Health Department
Richard Grow, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
|
|
|
|
|
To view printing and/or distributing original letter click on link below
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mayor Dellums Letter on Port Truck Retrofits.12/23.pdf~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
|
|
|
|
