Or at least, I have, along with about 35 of my neighbors from both sides of the San Pedro Bay, Wednesday night at the International Elementary School in downtown Long Beach. <\/span>The Port of Long Beach has begun holding a series of “Let’s Talk Port”<\/font><\/a> sessions in communities around the city. <\/span>This week’s was the first I’d been able to get to, so I thought I’d fill you in in case you have likewise been too busy to attend.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n We met in the school auditorium, or possibly cafetorium, with several round tables in the center of the room and display tables to one side reflecting various aspects of port operations. <\/span>Across the room were coffee, cookies and lemonade. <\/span>People gathered between 7 and about 7:30, when Port Executive Director Dick Steinke gave a PowerPoint presentation that largely reprised his “State of the Port”<\/font><\/a> address a few weeks back. <\/span>Harbor Commission President Mario Cordero and the newest Harbor Commissioner, Nick Sramek, were also in attendance, along with several of the senior Port staff.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The questions from the audience were quite far-ranging. <\/span>The first following the presentation had to do with the Port’s earthquake preparedness, in the wake of the 75th<\/sup> anniversary on Monday, March 10th<\/sup>, of the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. <\/span>Port officials explained that they have an emergency management program in place that includes radio communications with the city and “reverse 911” procedures to alert residents as needed. <\/span>They also have business continuity plans to ensure that work disruptions are minimal and cargo keeps moving. <\/span>These plans can benefit city residents since they entail rebuilding roads used by port (and other) traffic and protecting port employees who live in Long Beach. <\/span>In response to a question from a young attendee about asthma, Dick Steinke recapped measures already taken to reduce emissions, such as vessel speed reduction and adoption of low-sulfur fuel, as well as those still forthcoming in the Port’s Clean Air Action Plan<\/font><\/a>. <\/span>He also mentioned the ports’ real-time air quality monitoring data<\/font><\/a>, available on line. <\/span>Another question had to do with how much Port revenue can go to the City of Long Beach and another with implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential program for port worker security.<\/span><\/p>\n