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Council moves to enshrine local port investments, adds local seats for Port Commission
Summary
The council adopted a charter-mandated ordinance change to require two Port of Los Angeles commissioners from local port communities and voted to send ballot measures to institutionalize a public infrastructure investment program and to require job-impact consideration in port leases.
The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday approved measures to change how the Port of Los Angeles is governed and to ask voters to consider charter amendments aimed at directing more port investment back into nearby neighborhoods.
On Item 34 the council adopted ordinance language responding to a voter mandate to modify Port Commission membership, for the first time requiring two commissioners to come from local port communities — one representing San Pedro and one representing Wilmington as defined in the ordinance. The measure was adopted on a 14-0 vote.
Councilmembers also voted to place additional charter amendments on a future ballot that would institutionalize the Public Infrastructure Investment Program (PAIP), which had been a voluntary port reinvestment commitment of roughly 10% of operating budgets for a prior period, and would require the port to consider job impacts when negotiating leases, permits and proprietary land uses.
“Thank you very much for all the support that came from this body, but most importantly, from the voters of the City Of Los Angeles who authorized or required in the charter that we modify the way that the port commission is established,” a councilmember said during the discussion. The speaker told colleagues he was placing related charter amendments on a future ballot to make the reinvestment requirement mandatory and to ensure the commission considers local jobs and economic impacts when making lease and permit decisions.
Supporters said the changes are historic and intended to give San Pedro and Wilmington more voice over port decisions that affect air quality, traffic, water quality and local economic opportunity. The ballot proposals would ask voters to make the PAIP permanent and to require port decision-makers to evaluate how lease or permit approvals would affect jobs before and after approvals.
Votes at a glance
- Item 34: Charter/ordinance amendments related to Port Commission membership and related ballot referrals. Vote: 14 ayes, 0 noes.
The council’s action instructs city staff and the City Attorney to prepare the ballot language and follow the charter process to place those measures before voters on a future ballot cycle.
