LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass delivered remarks at the 9th annual State of the Port today for more than 500 attendees including port workers, community members, labor leaders and business leaders. Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker, President of the Los Angeles Harbor Commission Lucille Roybal-Allard, Vice President of the Harbor Commission Diane Middleton and Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka were among those in attendance. Mayor Bass highlighted the national role that the Port of Los Angeles plays as “America’s Port” and praised the workers who operate the port each and every day.
Mayor Bass’ remarks as delivered:
It is very very nice to be here with you and this is a great way to start the new year, highlighting the Port of Los Angeles. “America’s Port.”
This port serves as a gateway for goods all across the world, to go all across the country. Powered by good paying union jobs, the best in the country and I would argue the best in the world.
It's a great honor to be here with you today to highlight the incredible progress already made, and the visionary path that lays ahead of us.
I, of course, want to recognize our stakeholders who are here with us today. Thank you also to the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association for organizing this annual luncheon. A round of applause.
And of course, I want to thank the workers, the members of the ILWU.
You are the reason why our port stands today. You not only are the pride of this region, the pride of San Pedro and Wilmington, you are the pride of our city and of our nation. The work you all do is a product of love and purpose and what you give to the country, you give back tenfold to the surrounding community.
Let me also recognize the Executive Director of the Port of Los Angeles, Gene Seroka. Where is he? Where is Gene? Stand up. Stand up. You have guided Los Angeles through challenging times and helped keep a steady supply chain. Thank you Gene for continuing your leadership.
People often call our port the economic engine and of course that's a fitting description, because this is America's largest and most vital trade gateway. Last year $432 billion in international trade moved through this complex more than 19% of all U.S. seaborne trade.
This complex ranks number nine in the entire world. Cargo is the fuel that powers this economic engine, our goods movement workforce across the greater Los Angeles region and beyond.
One in nine jobs in the region helps distribute the power of this economic engine to our nation. Every time a cruise ship calls this port, it generates over $1 million to the city economy.
The Port of L.A. for more than two decades is America's Port and continues to be the number one container port in the US.
The port contributes to the expansion of our city's middle class everyday and that's because of our nationwide reach.
The auto plant in Michigan making cars, the parts they’re using come through our port. The flat screens playing the Ram’s Superbowl win all across the country in 2022, they came from our port.
The manufacturing for surf inspired apparel and footwear like Quicksilver and RVCA comes through our port. Even the farmer in North Dakota is using the tractor with parts that came through our port.
So let me repeat just to make sure everyone's clear. And I know everyone here is very clear that our port is vital to the entire city. The entire state. And the entire country and at City Hall we want you to know that we have your back.
Under my administration, we have tried to be very clear that L.A. is open for business. And that of course includes our port. Fueled by a new labor deal that ensures fair pay for Angelenos, our port is well positioned to serve as an economic engine, not only in 2024, but to act as an opportunity engine for years to come.
For the past 20 years, our maritime industry, thanks to many who are here today, has demonstrated its leadership and its commitments with investments that help increase cargo capacity while also reducing emissions.
And I want to acknowledge the Board of Harbor Commissioners, led by former Congresswoman, my colleague in Congress and President of the Commission, Lucille Roybal-Allard. Please stand. And Vice President Diane Middleton. Is Diane here? Where’s Diane? Stand up. I want to thank you for your work helping guide our port into the future and ensuring that we are providing good paying jobs in safe and sustainable ways.
Along our L.A. waterfront, hundreds of acres have been transformed into parks, promenades, and open spaces that provide recreation and respite to local families in our surrounding harbor communities.
We will continue our work to support our emerging cruise industry, our signature visitor serving businesses, inspirational non-profits and future-focused institutions that attract people from throughout the region and around the world.
So just think, just 20 years ago, many of the wonderful Port of L.A. assets I just described were mere aspirations. Now you're seeing it come to fruition, but I believe that the best is yet to come.
Yes, there are many formidable challenges ahead of us, particularly in the area of meeting our zero emission goals in the coming years for the benefit of all Southern California. But I'm committing to locking arms and working with our maritime industry stakeholders to secure the public support and funding that will help us build the infrastructure and accelerate the technologies that we need to deliver clean air for the port adjacent communities and develop the nation's most efficient, resilient and sustainable port.
And I know that first of all, we are very fortunate to have a leader like the Councilman, Councilman Tim McOsker. And I know he is ready, please stand. The region here is lucky to have a Councilman that is so committed to his district, and so committed to the port and very committed to locking arms with everyone in the city, the county, the state and the federal government to make sure that we have the resources in this area to achieve our goals.
As our goods movement industry takes bold steps towards supply chain decarbonization in the coming years, let's work together. Our city, port and business stakeholders to build an opportunity engine that creates job paths into the port careers of the future.
Let's create more opportunities to expose our youth to the marine sciences that will help this urban waterfront weather the impacts of climate change.
And let's create a pipeline to make sure we train the future generations to work these docks.
And speaking of our dock workers, I want to again thank the workforce, the hard work of these Angelenos, nothing you see here today is possible without them. So I want to ask if there are members of the ILWU here, please stand. Stand up so we can applaud you. Thank you for your work every day. So when I look around this room, I am filled with optimism.
Let's work to create more opportunities for all. Let's do everything we can to turn this economic engine into an opportunity engine that benefits everyone.
I want to again thank all of you for being here today in support of the Port of Los Angeles, EXP and our local seafarers center.
Thank you so much.