That’s Debatable:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has asked Gov. Schwarzenegger to veto a fee on cargo containers that pass through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Supporters say the $400 million raised annually by the fee would fund anti-pollution projects. Critics like Palin say it will drive up already high prices for goods in her state and hurt business in California. How did you vote on the bill, and why?

I voted against the bill. It is likely unconstitutional for California to levy a special tax on imports. It is also a tax that should require a two-thirds vote of the legislature. What we should do instead is allow private industry to build and operate a truck-only toll road out of Long Beach to a major logistics center in the Inland Empire. This solution would avoid both Constitutional issues and tax issues while improving traffic flow, safety and air quality. I proposed such a measure in 2005, only to see my proposal hijacked by the majority and put into the final budget bill with a poison pill provision that ensured the toll roads would never be constructed.

Chuck DeVore

Assemblyman

(R-Newport Beach)

Sarah Palin is 100% correct. Increasing shipping costs through California ports by $400 million annually will do just the opposite — erect a barrier to prosperity that will encourage companies to ship their goods elsewhere and hurt our economy.

Increasing shipping costs will do nothing to improve air quality in California, and it may damage the environment in the long run. Higher costs will drive companies to ship goods through ports that don’t share our commitment to protecting the environment, utilizing less-efficient modes of transportation that emit pollution.

Van Tran

Assemblyman

(R-Costa Mesa)

I support Gov. Palin’s objections. This measure increases the cost of doing business in California, specifically to ports where as much as 40% of the cargo arriving are discretionary, meaning it is destined for locations outside the state and therefore can be brought into the country from other ports.

California is already one of the most costly places in the world to do business. Rather than finding new ways to increase the cost of doing business here, the legislature should be finding ways to assist industry in becoming more efficient and competitive.

Tom Harman

State Senator