Container fee bill lives on

Some nifty sleight of hand by State Sen. Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, has resulted in the Assembly passing legislation that would assess a $30 fee on cargo containers moving through the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. If it makes it into law, the fee would generate $500 million a year. The money would be used for security enhancement, pollution mitigation and rail improvement. (Story got buried in this morning's LAT.) Lowenthal's original bill, SB 760, was basically dead when he gutted most of the language in a little-noticed land use bill, SB 927, and replaced it with most of the provisions in the earlier 760. The trick - er, technique - is known as "gut and amend." "If the governor signs this bill he'll be saving lives," said Martin Schlageter, campaign and advocacy director for the Coalition for Clean Air. Shippers aren't nearly as happy - nor is the California Chamber of Commerce, which calls it a job killer because port business might move elsewhere (possible, I suppose, though LA and LB are still where it's at for shippers). Of course, even if the Senate signs off on 927, there's still Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to get through.