When Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa visited the Los Angeles seaport this week to introduce the members of his new Harbor Commission, he pointedly noted that port officials have been refurbishing the harbor community of San Pedro.
"But I noticed, when I saw that development, that Wilmington didn't have quite its fair share," the mayor said, drawing spirited applause from some in the audience on San Pedro's newly renovated Los Angeles Cruise Ship Promenade.
In laying out his vision for the port, Villaraigosa has clearly signaled that the port's focus on San Pedro at the expense of Wilmington would come to an end.
"You will see a commitment to fair share," he said, "because fair share is so important."
Wilmington is home to roughly one-third of the Port of Los Angeles, but it has long been a poor cousin to San Pedro, which is home to the former mayor, three of the ousted harbor commissioners and many port managers.
Under former Mayor James K. Hahn's administration, San Pedro, on the port's western flank, received most of the port's community funds. Indeed, part of the high-profile $800-million San Pedro waterfront development may include moving two shipping facilities from that waterfront to Wilmington, making room in San Pedro for parks and trees.
That prospect is rankling residents in Wilmington, where a smaller waterfront park plan is lagging far behind.
"The port is making Wilmington a dumping ground," said Ken Melendez, who is overseeing the Wilmington plan for the port's community advisory panel.
Responding to the criticism, port spokesman Arley M. Baker said: "These projects take years to get off the ground, and we're committed to working with our new mayor and the Wilmington community to keep the Wilmington waterfront projects moving forward." The new mayor's avid interest in the neighborhood on the port's northern side was forcefully expressed to port officials, as a top aide tells it, when he toured the harbor last Saturday on the port-owned yacht, the Angelina.
As the boat sat off picturesque Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro, Villaraigosa suddenly said, "Wait a minute, we haven't been to Wilmington. Where is Wilmington?" recalled Robert "Bud" Ovrom, who will oversee the port as deputy mayor for community and economic development.
"Get over there to Wilmington," the mayor said, according to Ovrom. So the boat turned around and headed to the port's north shore, where the mayor talked to children and gave autographs.
