Beverly Warns Against Port Revenue Proposal
State Sen. Robert G. Beverly (R-Manhattan Beach) on Wednesday strongly criticized a proposal to tap the deep pockets of major California ports to raise an estimated $90 million to help balance the state budget.
In a letter to fellow Republican Gov. Pete Wilson, Beverly, who represents the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, said the revenue-sharing plan would have “disastrous economic consequences.”
During the recession, Beverly told the governor, international trade through the ports has remained “the only bright spot” in the economy. However, he cautioned Wilson, the proposal “will make many of the port’s large job-creating” expansion projects “impossible.”
Under the proposal, embraced by Wilson, five major state-chartered ports in California would be required to send 50% of their net revenues to Sacramento. The revenue-sharing plan was approved Tuesday by a joint Assembly-Senate budget conference committee.
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