Port of Los Angeles reports record cargo year, committee debates leasing policy, workforce training plan

The Port of Los Angeles told a City Council committee on Monday that 2024 was one of its strongest years and outlined plans for a goods‑movement training campus, while committee members and union representatives pressed for changes to the port’s leasing policy to make job‑impact analyses more transparent.

In a quarterly update, Port official Jean Soroka said 2024 was “the second best year in our shipping business in the 117 year history of the Port Of Los Angeles” and that the port remained the largest container port in the Western Hemisphere for the 25th consecutive year. Soroka said year‑over‑year cargo volume rose roughly 20 percent and the port handled about 1,600,000 more container units than the previous year. He said the port opened 2025 with more than 922,000 containers in the first month, “about 8% better than a year ago, 13% better than the 5 year average.”

Why it matters: committee members and labor leaders said strong throughput does not guarantee local jobs. Speakers urged the committee to require systematic job counts and post‑project comparisons so the public can see whether automation or redevelopment reduces employment in port‑adjacent communities.

Union leaders and counsel for several longshore locals urged the…