Bill To Boost Money For Bay Area Ports

Sacramento- Financial help is on the way to help California protect its ports. Congressman Dan Lungren announced Friday that President Bush will sign his Safe Port Act next week, making $400 million dollars a year in grants available to states for the next five years.

Rep. Dan Lungren, (R) Gold River: "California is an inviting target for those who'd wish to do damage to our economy."

The news is welcomed because California got short-changed last month when a new federal allocation formula by the Department of Homeland Security meant less funding for this state.

The ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach only got $12 million dollars -- half of what they got in 2005. Oakland got zero, compared to nearly $3 million dollars the previous year.

Matthew Bettenhausen, CA Homeland Security Director: "There is something fundamentally wrong with an allocation formula that does not include the fourth largest container port in the United States."

Overall, California ports handle 47 percent of the country's imported good, but only receive 8 percent of port security fundingjc.

The federal formula apparently doesn't weigh terrorist risk heavily. But the money in the new Safe Port Act should bode well for California ports.

Rep. Dan Lungren, (R) Gold River: "We made it law that this will be grants based on risk."

California already knows it wants to improve video surveillance technology, conduct background checks and screen cargo.

Matthew Bettenhausen, CA Homeland Security Director: "Build up our capacity overseas to begin the inspection process and the intelligence process on containers, ships, port workers and ship workers."

A study by the Public Policy Institute of California found that a terrorist attack at a major California port could cost the economy $45 billion dollars.

While the new $400 million dollars over the next five years will help, the state needs more. California leaders are now working with Washington to change the way the bigger pot of Homeland Security funds is given out.