Los Angeles Harbor Commission

After 10 years of contentious discussions, the Los Angeles Harbor Commission is expected to vote today on a $1.2-billion project designed to transform the San Pedro waterfront into a vibrant commercial district. The action would bring to a close a master-planning process that some in the seaside community thought would never end. But the struggles over what should arise along 400 acres available for development are just getting started. The project calls for replacing the ailing Ports O' Call Village tourist spot with up to 300,000 square feet of new restaurants and shops and a 75,000-square-foot conference center.

The Los Angeles Harbor Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a clean air plan requiring shipping companies to buy and maintain a modernized fleet of big rigs and employ thousands of independent truckers who currently operate under contract. A spokesman for the American Trucking Assn. derided the plan as a "scheme to unionize port drivers" and vowed that his group would sue the port.

The Los Angeles Harbor Commission on Thursday approved a controversial proposal to increase ship calls by 30% at one of the West Coast's largest shipping terminals and add 1,800 daily truck trips to an area already struggling to cope with some of Southern California's most polluted air. About 200 people attended the commission hearing at Banning's Landing Community Center in Wilmington. The panel voted 4 to 0 to certify the environmental impact report for the $1.

The Los Angeles Harbor Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a measure to impose a $35 fee on every cargo container entering or leaving the port by short-haul trucks beginning June 1, 2008. The action follows a similar fee approved by the Long Beach Harbor Commission on Monday. The nation's two busiest ports aim to generate about $1.6 billion that will be charged to cargo owners and used to help replace the area's 16,800 trucks with newer models and retrofits.

The city Harbor Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to proceed with a long-awaited Wilmington waterfront project, prompting applause and a few cheers from residents at the meeting. The port has long ignored the working-class neighborhood that has borne the brunt of harbor air pollution and traffic. But the commission appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa agreed to a $10.8-million contract with Sasaki Associates to plan and design the waterfront revitalization.

Three Los Angeles City Council members called Wednesday for an inquiry into how two partnerships involving Harbor Commissioner James Acevedo defaulted on $4.1 million in city loans and whether political appointees should be prohibited from receiving city funds. In a letter to City Controller Laura Chick, council members Jack Weiss and Wendy Greuel asked for an inquiry into Acevedo's projects, which missed the March 20 deadline for repaying loans on housing projects that were never built.

Los Angeles Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa, in his first public foray into the city's business since his May 18 victory, called on the Harbor Commission on Tuesday to delay votes scheduled for this morning on two major port financial matters. Villaraigosa faxed a letter Tuesday evening to Commission President Nicholas Tonsich, asking that commissioners postpone approving the annual budget until port staff reassesses projected revenues, a spokesman for the mayor-elect said.

The Los Angeles Harbor Commission bowed Wednesday to a request from Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa and postponed approval of a proposed $693.5-million budget as well as a 50-year lease for a port-owned marina in San Pedro. Villaraigosa, who does not take office until July 1, faxed two letters to the port Tuesday asking for time to review the proposals and sending a message that he intends to closely monitor the actions of the city's commissions in the final days of Mayor James K.

The Los Angeles Harbor Commission will consider cutting its proposed operating budget for next year by 11% today to accommodate concerns by Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa that port revenue may be lagging too much to support the spending plan, officials said Monday.

The Los Angeles Harbor Commission approved an annual budget Tuesday after the port staff trimmed its planned spending in response to concerns from Mayor-elect Antonio Villaraigosa about flat revenue estimates. The $693.5-million budget calls for $418.6 million in capital and operating expenses, an 11% decrease from the draft budget that port interim Executive Director Bruce Seaton proposed last week. After Villaraigosa raised concerns, the port staff shaved spending by $68.