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.