LOS ANGELES — The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach announced further postponement of the “Container Dwell Fee” on Monday.
They chalk it up to a 33% decline across the complex in aging cargo on the docks.
The decision came after meetings involving several stakeholders including John Porcari, who the White House named the port envoy to the Biden-Harris administration’s Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force. The task force was established in June to address supply and demand mismatches that emerged in several sectors as the economy reawakened.
After a recent tour of the harbor, Porcari referenced some of the ripple effects from the flurry of activity in and around the ports.
“Here in Long Beach and Los Angeles and in port-adjacent communities throughout America, these communities should get the benefits not just the impacts of this economic development,” he said.
Lucia Moreno-Linares is calling out one of the unintended consequences. She sees containers almost everywhere she looks. It’s not just because Moreno-Linares sits on the LA Board of Harbor Commissioners, it’s also an inescapable part of living in Wilmington which is nestled right next to the ports.
“What’s coming in in the containers benefits all of society, but we’re paying the price for it,” said Moreno-Linares.
Given the historic backlog, truckers are being pushed to the limit. This means some drivers are taking illegal shortcuts such as driving on streets not built for heavy loads or leaving their containers on the side, or even in the middle, of the road. This is dangerous, especially when things go wrong.
“We don’t need more laws. We just need them to be enforced,” said Moreno-Linares.
Despite the fact over the last two months LA Port Police have handed out more than 800 parking citations for trucks in Wilmington alone, the commercial enforcement unit is a team of only eight. They can’t be everywhere all the time.
Sgt. Glenn Twardy leads the unit.
“I mean why should these people have to get their car aligned every year because of pot holes created by these trucks illegally traversing through their community?” said Twardy.
As it is now, fines start at less than $100 for non-moving violations. Some are willing to pay that without blinking an eye. Twardy is working to institute a much heftier fine for parked commercial trucks within five Wilmington blocks where businesses are butted right up against homes.
“If they plan on using the streets again as storage…it’s going to be a lot cheaper just to go to a yard and store it there,” said Twardy.
Moreno-Linares doesn’t want to stand in the way of economic prosperity. She also doesn’t want to get run over by it.
“It’s just not right what’s happening to the community,” she said.
As the supply chain evolves, the port’s nearest neighbors feel the growing pains, too.