The partnership between the twin ports in Long Beach and Los Angeles to construct an ambitious workforce training facility set to open in 2029 appears to be off.
The Port of Long Beach, citing “unmet terms on equitable partnership conditions” and uncertainties surrounding the project’s cost, has notified L.A. that it will withdraw from the effort, though not many details of that decision have been made public. The matter is scheduled to come up for an agenda discussion at the Port of L.A.’s commission meeting on Feb. 26.
The Port of L.A., however, has indicated it plans to go forward with the proposal for the Goods Movement Training Campus.
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka announced during the Thursday L.A. harbor commission meeting that the Long Beach port had advised him it would be “stepping away from the project.” It’s a “regrettable change,” he added, but the Port of L.A. “remains fully committed to this project.”
Commissioner John Pérez said he had “concerns about the characterization” of what the Long Beach port said led to the decision as laid out in a letter sent to Los Angeles by Long Beach. The letter has not been made public.
Port of Los Angeles staff, Seroka said in response, will bring a “full report” to commissioners for discussion at their Feb. 26 meeting.
A written statement by Port of Long Beach CEO Noel Hacegaba said that port “remains committed to developing the goods movement workforce of tomorrow by building on our successful education and workforce development initiatives and award-winning programs.”
“These efforts do not require an affiliation with the Goods Movement Workforce Training Facility project and are complementary to the Port of Los Angeles’ project,” Hacegaba said. “Unmet terms on equitable partnership conditions regarding co-ownership and management of the project, as well as uncertainty about the cost of the project, were factors that led to the port’s decision to step away from the project.
“We believe it is to the benefit of the San Pedro Bay ports complex and the state of California for the Port of Long Beach,” Hacegaba added, “to focus on its own initiatives while our organizations continue to collaborate on other objectives.”
He cited a number of other projects the Long Beach port is currently involved in to boost workforce training, including:
The Maritime Center of Excellence and other programs through Long Beach City College to offer goods movement workforce training.
High School Pathways with the Long Beach Unified School District to provide valuable instruction and experiences in the industry.
K-8 programs to raise awareness of careers in related fields among younger students, and supporting internships and $400,000 in scholarships annually.
“All of these programs,” he said in the statement, “draw learners from and provide benefits to communities across Southern California.”
During a March 24, 2023, gathering at the training facility’s future site to celebrate the state pledging $110 for the project, officials from both ports hailed complex as a groundbreaking 20-acre workforce training center that was expected to be the first of its kind in the nation to focus on training a new generation of supply chain workers. The total cost of the project announced then was expected to total up to $150 million. It has been expected to be open by 2029.
Ramon Ponce De León, president ILWU Local 13, speaks at a press conference announcing the permanent joint workforce training center plan to serve both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, in Wilmington on Friday, March 24, 2023.
(Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal speaks at a press conference announcing the joint workforce training center plan to serve both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, in Wilmington on Friday, March 24, 2023.
(Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Mario Cordero, executive director of the Port of Long Beach, speaks at a press conference announcing the joint workforce training center plan to serve both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, in Wilmington on Friday, March 24, 2023.
(Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
A press conference was held announcing the joint workforce training center plan to serve both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, in Wilmington on Friday, March 24, 2023. The campus received a $110 million pledge from the state of California and is part of a long term strategy to increase the number of career path opportunities across the entire goods movement sector.
(Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka speaks at a press conference announcing the joint workforce training center plan to serve both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, in Wilmington on Friday, March 24, 2023.
(Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
L.A. City Councilmember Tim McOsker speaks at a press conference announcing the joint workforce training center plan to serve both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, in Wilmington on Friday, March 24, 2023.
(Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
Assembly Member Mike A. Gipson, D-Carson, speaks at a press conference announcing the joint workforce training center plan to serve both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, in Wilmington on Friday, March 24, 2023.
(Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
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Ramon Ponce De León, president ILWU Local 13, speaks at a press conference announcing the permanent joint workforce training center plan to serve both the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, in Wilmington on Friday, March 24, 2023.
(Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)
From longshore to trucking and warehouse jobs, the new center was envisioned to provide a safe environment that also could integrate new and evolving zero-emissions equipment that are only now starting to come online.
The center will be located on Port of L.A. property between the two neighboring ports, sitting within Wilmington proper and surrounded by port activity on all sides.
The idea had been talked about for several years and was first put forward by the late Dave Arian, former Los Angeles harbor commissioner and past International Longshore and Warehouse Union international president. It was set up to be a partnership between the two ports, the California Workforce Development Board, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Association.
During the 2023 event, Seroka said that along with contributions from the ports and Pacific Maritime Association, the private sector would also be urged to pitch in with in-kind donations of machinery and funding.
Former Port of Long Beach CEO Mario Cordero also said during that 2023 gathering that the center was an example of the “great things” that happen when the two ports collaborate.
It would be, Cordero said at the time, “the greatest, the most significant” supply chain workforce training center in the United States when it opened.
As for Hacegaba, who took over the CEO post in January after Cordero retired, he said the two ports will continue to collaborate on many other initiatives.
“The two ports have a long history of successful partnerships, including the Clean Air Action Plan, the recently signed Cooperative Agreement with the South Coast Air Quality Management District and advocating together to bring billions in state and federal funding to modernize our terminals and infrastructure,” he said. “We look forward to continue working with the Port of Los Angeles to support our port complex and our world-class workforce.”