Port Hueneme officials tout jobs and emissions grants as residents raise air, noise and truck-safety concerns

Kristin Deakos, CEO and port director of the Oxnard Harbor District, told the Port Hueneme City Council on April 7 that the Port of Hueneme has grown into a multi‑billion‑dollar economic engine while pursuing large environmental grants to cut emissions.

The port presentation — delivered during the council’s regular meeting and followed by public comment — highlighted that port‑related economic activity grew from about $800 million to roughly $2.8 billion over a decade, and that related jobs rose from about 10,000 to 24,000. Deakos said the port has secured state and federal grants for capital work, and described a $43 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency award to convert most cargo‑handling equipment to battery electric, and an $80 million state grant plus other funding that together support roughly $160 million in capital projects to modernize docks and terminals. “You can’t have commerce without community,” Deakos told the council.

The presentation drew sharply mixed public comment. Josie Gonzalez, who identified herself as a Surfside resident, described being endangered by fast, motorized e‑bikes on the pier and cited an ordinance she read as banning “wheeled vehicles.” “I almost got bowled over twice by these big motor electric bikes that speed down the pier,”…