Contemporary Southland Issues

Port of Los Angeles - Expansion and Issues

Containerization begins in the late 1950s, but it wasn't until the 1970s that the technology began to radically change the shipping industry - and with it, the nature of the Port of Los Angeles at San Pedro.

Local Oil industry and the wreckless disposal of shipping waste generated very serious pollution problems in the port area.

So polluted was the water that virtually nothing lived in the harbor. The timber pilings in the back bay, where no marine life existed, were protected from biological degredation from shipworms, barnacles, etc. After harbor officials began cooperating with environmentalists, and complying with emerging law on water pollution, marine life began to return to the harbor area. Today, the Port of Los Angeles strives to serve both ships and marine life.

Harbor unions - the longshoreman's union was "sponsorship" driven - so you needed a family member or friend to sponsor you to get hired into these lucrative, secure jobs. The Civil Rights movement opened these unions to public membership - people of color and women both work.

In the early 1980s, the harbor was dredged once again to allow it to handle the ever-increasing size of container ships, making the port complex the busiest in the United States (surpassing the Port of New York / New Jersey) by 1989. The dredged material was used to create multiple man-made 100+ acre islands that are used today as docks for the massive container ships.

Alameda corridor....closely follows the route established by Banning in 1869. Work began in 1994 adn was completed in 2002....60 trains per day... move from teh port complex to downtown LA's main freight yard. LA the port of entry for Land Bridge trains that carried goods to ports on the East Coast.

Wilmington and San Pedro did not prosper properly with port expansion, but did suffer from the pollution and other stuff.

1907 - annexation of region

2002 San Pedro secession movement. Failed. It was also a legal issue, because the City of LA doesn't own the port - its' the State of California. LA did put some money into some restoration and rehabilitation of port areas, recreational amenities, tourist attractions.

Green Port efforts - move the region toward greatly reduced environmental impacts, especially air quality issues....

San Pedro and Wilmington for generations functioned much like small towns within the official boundaries of Los Angeles, but in many ways culturally far removed from the rest of Los Angeles.

7500 Acres.

27 cargo terminals

259,000 regional jobs.

40% of American trade passes through port of LA.

effect of Panama Canal expansion?

"cleanest harbor in the world" - according to Harbor officials.

History of Port Video Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVZSp0kKrpE&list=PLnIXI2uQ2olmEUXfoMGSvkmoSItEXhbcW