City Council designates two Terminal Island buildings as Historic‑Cultural Monuments

The Los Angeles City Council voted to designate two Terminal Island buildings as Historic‑Cultural Monuments on Aug. 18, 2025, preserving what officials described as the last two remaining structures tied to the island’s pre‑World War II Japanese American fishing community.

Council member Tim McCosker said the buildings provide “a tangible link to the Japanese American story,” and supporters at the meeting urged the city to formally protect the structures to ensure they are commemorated for their historical role in the fishing industry.

The designation recognizes the buildings as part of Terminal Island’s commercial and residential history. Before World War II, more than 3,000 Japanese Americans lived on Terminal Island and the area once had a busy commercial center on Tuna Street, the council briefing said. Supporters said the two buildings are the last physical reminders of that community in the city’s records.

The motion to designate the two structures was recorded on the council agenda; the meeting transcript states that the council “voted to designate 2 Terminal Island buildings as historic cultural monuments,” but it does not list a mover, seconder or a recorded roll‑call tally in the excerpt provided. The outcome in the transcript is described as approved. The Terminal Islander preservation initiative said protecting the structures will ensure Japanese American stories of immigration and resilience are formally commemorated.

The transcript did not include details about subsequent preservation steps, funding for maintenance or the dates when plaque installation or stabilization work would begin. The preservation group and council materials were cited in general terms but no ordinance number or Municipal Code citation was given in the excerpt.

Preservation advocates at the meeting called for formal commemoration to prevent demolition or neglect, noting the community and cultural value of keeping the buildings accessible as part of Terminal Island’s history. The council action, as recorded in the public segment of the program, commits the city to the monument designation but leaves follow‑up implementation details to future staff reports or council direction that were not included in the transcript.