City Council confirms five Port of Los Angeles commissioner nominees after extended community-focused questioning

The Los Angeles City Council confirmed five nominees to the Board of Harbor Commissioners after hearing nominees and community representatives describe environmental and community concerns related to port expansion and operations.

Council members voted to confirm the slate after committee approval and public comment; the roll call recorded 13 ayes and the council declared the nominees confirmed.

The confirmations follow public hearings and a large community meeting in San Pedro, Councilwoman Hahn said, where roughly 200 residents attended to “exchange ideas with the nominees, to express their concerns, their frustrations” about port impacts. Hahn told the council she supported the nominees and urged commissioners to “stop and ask first how it will impact the surrounding communities.”

Nominee Nicholas Toncic told council members he had met with numerous community leaders and acknowledged complaints about the adequacy of environmental impact reports for proposed facilities, including the China Shipping terminal. “Most specifically…it’s what they perceive as the industrialization of the port,” Toncic said, and he said he supported thorough public hearings and review of environmental impact reports before they are finalized.

Edward Louis, another nominee, said he had experience on cases involving environmental impact reports and pledged to consider alternatives and community concerns before voting: “I am concerned that we be sensitive and do the right thing and balance the concerns about the port expansion…as well as do it in a way that is sensitive to the environment and to the community members.”

Tom Warren, introduced as representing the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and a dockworker for 34 years, framed the issue in workforce terms while also describing local air-quality impacts: “I can see the air changing color and the particulate matter being dropped on top of us,” he said, and described industry moves toward cleaner fuels and equipment as possible paths forward.

Council members pressed nominees on concrete steps to reduce diesel emissions and truck traffic. Nominees pointed to participation in freight-rail improvements—specifically the Alameda Corridor construction—as a measure that could reduce truck trips, and to aesthetic and landscaping measures to reduce the visual impact of large cranes and stacked container storage in residential areas.

Nominees also discussed potential community benefits. One nominee described exploring port trust interpretations and potential amendments to permit recreational uses and other community-oriented projects. Councilman Reyes asked how the port could “start sharing the wealth” with nearby neighborhoods, noting pockets of poverty in census tracts around the harbor; nominees pointed to property identification for community uses, small-business outreach, and an education proposal described by a nominee as a possible Port of Los Angeles Charter Public High School focused on international trade, transportation and related skills.

The formal action recorded at the meeting was confirmation of the five Harbor Commission nominees; the council’s clerk announced the vote and the confirmations were sent forward.

The new commissioners and council members repeatedly emphasized that conservation of jobs and port competitiveness must be balanced with community health and environmental review. Council members also signaled follow-up oversight: nominees were asked to continue community outreach and to ensure environmental analyses undergo robust public review before final decisions.

The council moved on to subsequent items after the confirmation vote; there were no motions recorded to rescind or delay the confirmations.