City Government
Truckers Call for Third Work Stoppage
Their backs to the wall, independent truckers at the Port of Oakland have voted to authorize a third work stage since August as they await the results a meeting with local and state officials over new emission standards that will put many of the truckers out of business on Jan. 1.
Honking big rigs surrounded Oakland City Hall last week as members of the Port of Oakland Truckers Association (POTA), an informal organization of independent truckers, met last week with Port of Oakland Executive Director Chris Lytle, Deputy Mayor Sandré Swanson, and members of the California Air Resource Board (CARB) and Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) to protest new CARB emissions standards that go into effect in January that prohibit trucks built before 2007 from working at the port.
As a result, truckers would have to take out loans for $60,000 to $80,000 to buy new trucks, and their old trucks will have little resale value.
The truckers are demanding a one-year extension on the CARB regulations and a “green emissions fee” of $50 per load to help pay loans for upgrading their trucks.
They are also asking $50 congestion fee for trucks that are being forced to wait in line for four to six hours to drop off loads at terminals that are inefficient and understaffed.
Truckers are also demanding that the city drop its lawsuit against two owner-operator truck drivers for their alleged participation in a work stoppage Aug. 19 and drop an injunction on protests at the port.
CARB has denied demands for a deadline extension and funding.
Before the Nov. 13 meeting ended, Mayor Quan and Port Director Lytle said they would look into finances to find funding for truckers.
The trucker association could strike as early as next week if there was no response to their demands.
“We are fighting for jobs over here in the Port of Oakland. Oakland and the state of California cannot afford to lose 800 jobs in one day,” said Frank Adams, spokesperson for POTA and a trucker who has worked at the port for almost nine years.
“We’re hoping that the Port of Oakland and the city can step up and get funding for truckers that need to stay in work,” he said.
While truckers have a little over a month to comply with clean-air emissions standards. CARB has given transport corporations seven years to meet the same requirements. Truckers are asking for equal treatment from the port and CARB.
A strike would shut down economic activity at the port, which amounts to about $8 million a day.
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Oakland Post: Week of March 13 – 19, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 13 – 19, 2024
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Oakland Post: Week of March 6 – 12, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 6 – 12, 2024
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Alameda County
Michael P. Johnson Garners Major Support in Run for Alameda County Superior Court Judge
Michael P. Johnson is running for Alameda County Superior Court Judge, Seat 12, after having been appointed as a temporary judge over the past five years. Hon. Charles Smiley, presiding judge of the Alameda County Superior Court, said he had “personally observed Michael’s professionalism as judge pro tem, and his work as a pro tem judge ranks among the finest in our country.”
By Post Staff
Michael P. Johnson is running for Alameda County Superior Court Judge, Seat 12, after having been appointed as a temporary judge over the past five years.
Hon. Charles Smiley, presiding judge of the Alameda County Superior Court, said he had “personally observed Michael’s professionalism as judge pro tem, and his work as a pro tem judge ranks among the finest in our country.”
As a resident of Alameda County for over 30 years, Johnson served as assistant vice president and senior counsel for AT&T and Warner Media.
Johnson said, “For decades, I have been an active member of the Alameda County Bar Association (ACBA) as well as the ACBA’s non-profit Volunteer Legal Services Corp. (now, Legal Access Alameda).
“I have been honored to have served as the president of the Board of Directors for both organizations. I am a lifetime member of the Charles Houston Bar Association, a non-profit organization comprised of African American lawyers, judges, and law students throughout Northern California.”
Hon. Winifred Y. Smith (ret.), a past presiding judge for the county said, “The Alameda County Superior Court needs Michael Johnson. He is smart, has great judicial temperament and is a man of the community. I have known Michael for over 15 years and can attest to his qualities and qualifications to serve on the Alameda County Superior Court bench.”
Johnson told the Post that he was also a member of CABL (California Association of Black Lawyers) as well as the National Bar Association (a global network of African American attorneys and judges) and the American Bar Association.
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