CBFANC to host CPSC seminar on June 23, 2021.  Details and registration here.  

Please connect with us!

Twitter - @cbfanc

LinkedIn - CBFANC

Facebook - CBFANC

• P.A.E.I - Professional Association of Exporters and Importers
• www.paei.org.

• OWIT NC - Organization of Women in International Trade Check website for updates
• Monterey Bay International Trade Association (MBITA) - Monterey Bay International Trade Association
  Check Website for updates
• Norcal W.T.C. - The Northern CaliforniaWorld Trade Center
  Check Website for updates
• PTA. - Pacific Transportation Association Check Website for updates

Above, CBFANC participants at the PCC Mission to DC 2021 virtually meet with Rep. Jackie Speier (highlighted square above).

May 26, 2021 Legislative Meetings
On May 26, 2021, CBFANC Missionaries along with LA and San Diego associations met with staffers with offices of California Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein.   Productive meetings with staffers for Speaker of House Nancy Pelosi (CA-12, D) and House Representatives Barbara Lee (CA-13, D); Jackie Speier (CA-14, D) and; John Garamendi (CA-3, D).  We had yearly wonderful meeting with Jackie Speier where we expressed our appreciation once again for her assistance in restarting fumigation operations at our Port five years ago as well as her unwavering support for her constituents on trade and local concerns

Evey Hwang, Alba Wheels Up Inc, CBFANC President

This year’s Coast Council Mission to D.C. was held virtually on May 25-26, 2021.   Of significance, our last in-person conference (of any kind) was our 2020 Mission to D.C.   During our Hill visits (February 25,^, 2020), by the hour news reports signaled the Covid-19 situation was rapidly changing.
 
Our CBFANC Missionaries this year:  Evey Hwang (Alba Wheels Up); Chris Ramos (KSI); Chris Garcez (TLR); Felicia Addison (IFS-Worldwide); John Lee (SW Logistics); Sarah Stroth (N.F. Stroth); Sugi Suherman (Agiloc Intl); Tom Gould (Flexport); James McNamee (Flexport). 


Read all about Tuesday May 25, 2021--CBP, Agency and FMC meetings;
And  Wednesday May 26, 2021--Senate Finance, Senate Ways & Means and Commerce meeting.
CLICK BELOW FOR FULL DETAILS.
 
 

EOSA Encourages Public Participation in June 14 Zoom meeting.

Here is a message issued by EOSA:
We have been working closely with the Harbor Trucking Association (HTA) and Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA) to develop a list of actions that the Port needs to take to protect our ability to access and efficiently move your cargo. With or without the Howard Terminal project, there are key investments the Port needs to make to build capacity and keep goods moving
CBFANC with PMSA and Motor Carriers continue to advocate on your behalf with the Port of Oakland. On June 14^th, 1 - 3 p.m.,  there is an important meeting to discuss Seaport Compatibility Measures that the Port needs to take to ensure your continued access to the port. 
While you are not required to speak at the meeting, we request that you attend this vital conversation. Your presence is critically important to let the Port of Oakland know that as a customer you are paying attention to what decisions the Port is making. If you are willing to speak, please let me know as we’d love to incorporate you and your asks into the agenda.
Please let HTA and PMSA partners know if you have any specific project ideas or asks. By working together, we will keep your goods moving through the Port of Oakland and ensure continued advocacy for your critical business needs.
Contact:
Eric Mathis, HTA eric@harbortrucker.com
Mike Jacob, PMSA mjacob@pmsaship.com




 

Impatient baseball fans (above) at Petco Park in San Diego attempt to enter the stadium before a ballgame.A parked train creates an obstacle which the fans easily breach. This poses huge liability issues.  Why would Oakland follow this example?

In a letter penned to Oakland News Now longtime AC Transit Board member H.E. Chris Peeples shares his thoughts on the Howard Terminal proposal's lack of an adequate transportation plan stating that the "California PUC is not going to allow 30,000 people to cross an active train line at grade. It will insist on substantial infrastructure so that pedestrians can get to the stadium without crossing an active train line." Simply put, Peeples concludes "there is no reasonable way to get the 30,000 people that the As hope will come to their baseball games at the Howard Terminal site to the site with either public or private transportation." The A's proposal as it stands does not account for the robust transportation infrastructure upgrades required for developing the Howard Terminal site, further driving up the price tag of the project and the burden on Oakland's taxpayers.
 

Angela Ellard, above, was Chief Trade Counsel on the Republican side of the House Ways & Means Trade Subcommittee (where trade power lies on the House side), and met with CBFANC and PCC Missionaries each year in Washington DC for about 15 straight years.  The annual PCC Mission to DC was kicked off with a breakfast speech and comments by Angela before we climbed the steps of the House and Senate buildings to meet with our representatives and their staffers.  No one could give us a better idea of issues in play before we visited Congress to lobby for our industry.  We wish her the best of luck in her new role at the WTO.  Below is the press release issued by leadership of the House Ways and Means Committee.

WASHINGTON - Today, House Ways and Means Committee Republican Leader Kevin Brady (R-TX) and Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statements congratulating Ms. Angela Ellard, Chief Trade Counsel for Ways and Means Republicans, for being selected as one of the new World Trade Organization's (WTO) Deputy Directors-General:

'In the trade world, there is no one quite like Angela Ellard. She is brilliant, hard-working and devoted to getting trade right. She's been a devoted public servant for nearly three decades on the Ways and Means Committee, advancing the prosperity of America's workers and businesses. 

 

ALERT!!!
USDA Lacey Act -Phase 6 -Effective July 1, 2021, includes all products
listed below in Chapters 33, 42, 44, 92, and 96:
 
Ch. 33 Headings (Essential Oils)
•             3301295109-essential oils of cedarwood
•             3301295121-essential oils of linaloe or bois de rose
•             3301295139-essential oils of sandalwood
•             3301295150-essential oils of “other”
Ch. 42 Headings (Trunks, Cases, Suitcases)
•             4202292000-trunks, cases, and suitcases of wood
•             4202992000-other, of wood, not lined
•             4202993000-other, of wood, lined
 

CBFANC and the PCC Work to Provide a Better Future for All

Wrapping up on the Mission, I’d like to share a word used by Mr. Hart, Legislative Director for Representative Garamendi that really stuck an accord – Reciprocity.  The meaning:  the practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit, especially privileges granted by one country or organization to another.   What if our trade policy and business practices were reciprocal?  Trade policy to be the fair exchange of goods and labor across borders?  For ocean carriers to be business partners and engage in fair business practices?  Works in progress…  And why, the Mission accomplished with our five PCC Associations annually always furthers that reciprocity through engagement with our government partners.   Join us on our next Mission!

While missing in-person engagements and meeting with fellow Missionaries, the comradery and energy “rush” in concert with our PCC association endures.   Another amazing (via virtual) Mission facilitated by:  Our Man in D.C. Peter Friedmann; Ray Bucheger; Spencer Young and; Stephen Hudson.   Also appreciation for our PCC leaders:  PCC President Lalo Acosta (RL Jones); Dan Meylor (Carmichael) and; Sandy Cody (AN Deringer)

 

As part of Maritime Day, CBFANC cohosted with Propellor Club for a successful May 20^th Export Strategies for Northern California.   There was a productive exchange on ongoing dysfunction at US ports and ocean carriers’ accountability or lack thereof.  Paul Snell with British-American Shipping supported holding carriers accountable with penalties for loading empty containers back to Asia for their gain.  This unchecked practice (by FMC or any US agency) causes exporters the loss of equipment to load US exports and thereby causes harm to US Commerce.   CBFANC Missionaries to recent PCC Mission to D.C. heard from one Congressional office who cares.   Congressman John Garamendi has been checking with FMC and jointly seeking Port statistics for investigate this negative business practice creating US export crisis.
Click on the link to watch the exporters strategy webinar.
https://propellerclubnortherncalifornia.org/video-pcnc-cbfanc-present-u-s-exporter-strategies-in-2021/
 

Above, Ray Bucheger, FBB Federal Relations

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has been working the past several week to pass legislation that generally aims to address numerous national-security issues related to China and provide resources to help U.S. companies compete better with their Chinese counterparts.
Included in the bill is a bipartisan trade package introduced by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden and Ranking Member Mike Crapo, which among other things, includes provisions of interest to PCC members, including provisions related to the China 301 process, forced labor, GSP and the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB).
What Happens Next
Schumer was forced to delay final consideration of the bill last week due to last-minute objections – a final vote is likely to occur the week of June 7.
 

Mindy Li, Above, CBFANC Agency Committee

FDA DUNS Lookup Portal No Longer Available as of 05/24/2021
DUNS queries via D&B website https://www.dnb.com/duns-number.html.
D&B provides DUNS Free of Charge which takes approximately 45 days, or by expedited service with a nominal fee.  For questions, please visit D&B website Digital Service Center: answers and support for all things Dun & Bradstreet (dnb.com)

FDA Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP) Application Portal will close on 5/31/2021
The online application portal program opens from 01/01/2021 to 05/31/2021 for the fiscal year of 2022.  It is a voluntary fee-based program for importers who meet certain eligibility requirements and maintain control over the safety and security of their supply chains with the benefits of expedited review of food importation. 
Help Desk Tel: 310-796-8745, or email: FSMAVQIP@fda.hhs.gov  for VQIP questions.
 

For those who have never attended WESCCON and have at least two years in the logistics industry, this is a great opportunity.

For more than a decade, the Pacific Coast Council and Avalon Risk Management have offered scholarships to each of the West Coast associations, covering airfare, 3 nights of accommodations, and the WESCCON registration fee. 
 
The application deadline is Thursday, July 1, 2021.

As a requirement for the scholarship, the winner must submit a written summary of their experience by Monday, November 1, 2021

The CBFANC Board of Directors is looking forward to reading your applications and promoting the continued education of one of our members. 

Thank you and best of luck!
 Regards,
 Evey Hwang
CBFANC President

The link below will direct you to the application: 
https://www.cbfanc.org/docs/2021_SCHOLARSHIP_APPLICATION.doc

 

Peter Friedmann, OurManInDC

This is a topic CBFANC and PCC brokers and forwarders know, but now it is being covered in the media and  becoming visible to the general public. This is from Bloomberg:
Lost at sea. Shipping containers piled high on giant vessels are toppling over at an alarming rate, sending millions of dollars of cargo to the bottom of the ocean as pressure to speed deliveries raises the risk of safety errors. The situation has grown more dangerous because of extra stress on supply chains since the pandemic.
·         What's happening: More than 3,000 boxes dropped into the sea in 2020 and the number has already surpassed 1,000 so far this year. The accidents are disrupting supply chains for hundreds of U.S. firms. And while the loss is minuscule compared with the 226 million container boxes shipped each year, it represents almost 60% of the monetary value of all container accidents.
·         What it means: Concern is growing for the industry to address the situation. The IMO's panel on the carrying of cargoes has scheduled its next meeting for September. American International Group says companies should be prepared to go around storms and maintain vessels properly.

Paul Snell, CEO British - American Shipping, warned that the recent consolidation of ocean carriers into now 17 carriers into a smaller number of alliances has been accompanied by downsizing and automation in which carriers “mimic each other” in emphasizing imports over exports and with the unintended effect of “devaluing” U.S exporters.
This consolidation is causing international trade to favor imports over exports to the United States and is creating long-term obstacles for U.S. exporters.
However, Snell emphasized that challenges faced by exporters can be mitigated by investing more in marketing their products abroad including in their logistics staff. Exporters must accept that as import freight rates rise so must export freight rates.
Snell said logistics experts play an increasingly important role in ensuring exports arrive in a timely manner and that shippers who emphasize the lowest price are likely to experience the negative results of what they did not wish to invest in.

 

Crews arriving aboard cargo ships into LA/LB ports are being given the opportunity to get a COVID-19 vaccination.  More than 450 crew members from 27 ships have received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.  About 480 more crew members on other arriving vessels are booked for vaccinations.  The vaccinations are being provided at no cost to international crews aboard ships docking at LA/LB port.  
Port of Long Beach Director Mario Cordero said"  "These men and women are an important part of the supply chain, and they travel all over the world.  It's great to see our city helping these sailors..."
The vaccinations are being provided by the Port of Long Beach, the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Guard.
Info courtesy of Chronicle News Services

 

Customs brokers and freight forwarders are prepared and positioned to lead the trade community in partnering with CBP and its approximately fifty (50) partner government agencies (PGAs) to co-create a legislative framework that presents a platform to execute a state of the art import and export process relevant to the dynamic 21^st century business ecosystem. 
Reimagined Import & Export Process.  The trade landscape has changed dramatically with the proliferation of e-commerce and small package trade and with unanticipated trade flows due to changing trade policy. 

 

As a member of EOSA, CBFANC is a financial supporter of an excellent, high impression billboard on the Nimitz Freeway which will be visible to drivers heading to downtown Oakland and San Francisco that will run for 6 weeks starting May 2nd!!