Tuesday, September 30, 2025
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Port of Los Angeles Completes $73 Million On-Dock Rail Expansion Project on Pier 400

 

LOS ANGELES — The Port of Los Angeles July 10 announced it has completed construction of a major rail expansion project on Pier 400 that will improve cargo flow, reduce emissions and improve roadway safety at the nation’s busiest port.

“This $73 million rail project will increase cargo efficiency while reducing emissions — a cornerstone of the Port’s blueprint for sustainable growth,” said Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. “Advancing capital improvement initiatives like this are key to ensuring the Port remains competitive.”

By increasing use of the Pier 400 on-dock rail yard, the project will in turn create additional rail capacity for all Port of Los Angeles terminal operators. The rail yard serves as a link between the San Pedro Bay port complex and the Alameda Corridor, which carries about 10% of all waterborne containers entering and exiting the United States.

As rail demand increases, the expanded rail yard is projected to eliminate an estimated 1,200 truck trips per day by 2040.

Construction of the upgraded, expanded intermodal rail storage yard near the container terminal operated by APM Terminals began in 2021. The project added 31,000 linear feet of track with five new railroad storage tracks, a concrete rail bridge with lighting, an asphalt access roadway, new crossovers and turnouts and modifications to the compressed air system.

Work also included the relocation of a portion of the lead track onto Port of Los Angeles property, realignment of the track connection to the rail storage yard, modifications to Reeves Ave., and relocation of the at-grade crossing from Nimitz Ave. to Reeves Ave.

Construction was completed by contractors Herzog/Stacy and Witbeck Joint Venture.

The Port received $21.6 million in grant funding from the California Trade Corridor Enhancement Program or TCEP, which funds improving freight corridors in the State. The port funded the remaining cost of nearly $51.6 million.

Preventing Homelessness: Mayor Bass and Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles Announce Partnership to Serve Foster Youth At Risk of Homelessness

 

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass July 9 joined the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles, Children’s Law Center of California and The RightWay Foundation to announce a partnership that will help connect young adults leaving foster care in Los Angeles with services including housing navigation, job readiness and job placement, financial education and more.

Homelessness disproportionately impacts Angelenos who have spent time in the child welfare system. When a foster youth turns 18 or 21, they are cut off from all support and left to fend for themselves. At least 30% of former foster youth become homeless or incarcerated within two years of leaving the system. To address homelessness generally, Los Angeles is working to confront the policies that lead to causes of homelessness within the child welfare system, the criminal justice system, the mental health and addiction treatment system, and more. This partnership builds on the announcement made by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority or LAHSA last month with the results of the 2024 Homeless Point-In-Time Count, which showed a decline in homelessness in the City of Los Angeles for the first time in six years and historic reductions in street homelessness.

The Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles is an independent 501(c)(3) which brings together business, philanthropy, the nonprofit sector and local government to address urgent needs of all Angelenos. Their primary homelessness prevention program, We Are LA, connects residents at risk of eviction with resources available to help them stay in their homes or otherwise stabilize their housing. Program caseworkers screen and connect residents to programs they already qualify for, like CalFresh, MediCal, child care assistance and earned tax credits. About 60% of the individuals and families the program has served report stable housing, with many others still working through the process.

The We Are LA Children and Youth program will extend this same model to youth exiting foster care, pairing each young person aging out of the system with a trained caseworker who has been in the foster care system themselves to connect them to available resources and to help secure housing for them. We Are LA is partnering with the Children’s Law Center and The RightWay Foundation to provide these new services.

The results of the 2024 Homeless Point-In-Time Count also saw a 17% increase in the number of people moved off the streets.

 

Homicide Detectives Investigating the Shooting Death of a Male Adult.

 

On July 8, about 9 p.m., officers responded to the 4900 block of Long Beach Boulevard, regarding multiple gunshots heard and at least one person who was shot inside of a local business.

Upon arrival, officers located a male adult subject suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. Officers rendered medical aid and attempted life saving measures until being relieved by Long Beach Fire Department personnel who determined the subject deceased at the scene.

Homicide Detectives responded to the scene to investigate the incident. Through preliminary investigations, detectives determined two armed suspects entered the bar to assault a patron. The bar patron was also armed, and shots were fired between the parties. The following injuries were reported:

  • Suspect #1 – was struck by gunfire and determined deceased at the scene, who was identified as Arthur Rainey III, a 38-year-old resident of the city of Los Angeles.
  • Suspect #2 – fled the scene before officers’ arrival.
  • Bar patron – was struck in lower body and transported to a local hospital.
  • Uninvolved victim – sustained a minor injury to upper body and was treated on scene.

The investigation to determine the motive for the shooting remains under investigation.

Detectives believe there were additional witnesses in the area and are encouraging them to come forward.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact Homicide Detectives Ethan Shear or Chasen Contreras 562-570-7244 or anonymously at 800-222-8477; www.lacrimestoppers.org

 

Padilla Announces More Than $233 Million for Low- and Zero-Emission California Commuter Buses

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) July 9 announced that the Department of Transportation or DOT awarded over $233.9 million to 16 California projects to help transition to low- and zero-emission bus models across the state. The funding comes through the Federal Transit Agency’s or FTA Low or No Emission or Low-No grant program and Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities program. Padilla supported the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s substantial increase in funding for these programs.

The Low-No program helps transit agencies buy or lease U.S.-made low- or no-emission buses and make critical facility, station, and charging upgrades to facilitate this transition. The Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities program provides federal funding for transit agencies to buy and rehabilitate buses and vans and build and modernize bus facilities.

“For too long, communities along busy transit corridors — especially lower income communities — have felt the impact of poor air quality,” said Senator Padilla. “This substantial investment in the transition to low- and zero-emission buses will protect public health and promote a cleaner commute for millions of Californians. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is not only building a more sustainable, dependable transportation system, but also building the workforce needed to deploy modern technology.”

Local recipients of funding from the Low-No and Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities programs include:

  • Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) — $77.54 million: This funding will help LA Metro buy dozens of battery electric buses and install new chargers at its West Hollywood bus yard, strengthening transit service while making environmental and air quality improvements. The buses will run on multiple lines and enhance access and mobility with direct access to all Metro rail lines.

Details: The full list of awards for California is available here.

Union Leaders and Elected Officials Sign Agreements to Construct, Operate, and Maintain High Desert Corridor High Speed Rail Project in Palmdale

 

The high desert sun shone brightly July 8 in the Antelope Valley, leaders from various unions gathered to celebrate a milestone for the multimillion High Desert Corridor or HDC High Speed Rail Project.

The project is often referred to as a “connector” high-speed rail project by the agency overseeing its creation, the High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Agency or HDC JPA. Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who is also chair of the HDC JPA, several of her fellow HDC JPA board members, and various union labor representatives signed two agreements for the HDC High Speed Rail Project just before noon. The agreements consist of a Community Workforce Agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding that codify the project’s use of highly skilled union labor — an action that will create thousands of essential jobs required to construct, operate, and maintain the HDC High Speed Rail Project.

More than 16 unions were represented and included in the agreements, which took nearly one-year to develop with support from the US High Speed Rail Association.

Details: Find information on the HDC High Speed Rail Project at www.highdesertcorridor.org

Harbor Commission Names Director of Project Controls

 

The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners July 8 approved the selection of Ashley Morteboy to lead the project controls division at Port of Long Beach.

Ashley Morteboy Jpg

The director of project controls is responsible for establishing and tracking schedules, budgets and costs for the timely delivery of the port’s infrastructure projects for the Engineering Services Bureau.

Morteboy comes to the Port of Long Beach after working two years as director of project controls at UC Davis Health, where he similarly oversaw the planning and design of the agency’s capital improvement program. He previously served as a senior manager at Procter & Gamble for two years and brings more than 18 years of project controls experience working nationally and internationally throughout his career, which spans a wide range of capital investment ventures for many sectors and industries.

Morteboy earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom.

The appointment of Morteboy is effective July 29.

San Pedro Bay Ports Give Quarterly Clean Air Action Plan Update

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The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will give a progress update on the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan or CAAP July 30. The meeting will include updates on green shipping corridors, the ports’ clean truck programs, and feasibility assessments for cargo handling equipment and drayage trucks.

Participation is in-person only; a virtual meeting link (live only) is available for online observers here – https://tinyurl.com/CAAP-Virtual-Mtg-link

Minutes and presentations of prior meetings can be found here. https://cleanairactionplan.org

Limited street and lot parking is available. For validated lot parking, the Liberty Hill Plaza parking lot is across the street from the Harbor Administration Building.

Updated in 2017, the CAAP is a comprehensive strategy for accelerating progress toward a zero-emissions future while protecting and strengthening the ports’ competitive position in the global economy. The document calls for the ports to reduce GHGs 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. The Clean Air Action Plan was originally approved in 2006.

The ports will take public comments in-person at the advisory meeting to receive input on CAAP implementation. The agenda will be posted on the CAAP website prior to the meeting.

Time: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., July 30

Cost: Free

Details: cleanairactionplan.org.

Venue: Harbor Administration Building, 425 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro

Assembly Passes Key Environmental Legislation

 

SACRAMENTO — The California Assembly July 1 approved Senate Bill 674 The Refinery Pollution Reduction and Transparency Act by Majority Leader Gonzalez (D – Long Beach). The bill will create a statewide standard for air monitoring at refineries to ensure that toxic pollutants are measured, and that best practices and technologies are used to protect the health and wellbeing of the surrounding fenceline communities. Next, it is headed to the Senate for a concurrence vote, then to the Governor’s desk for approval.

In addition to creating a statewide air monitoring standard, the bill mandates refineries to provide timely public notifications. This would include emails and text messages to be sent promptly whenever toxic emissions that could harm people’s health exceed threshold levels. The bill also requires quarterly reports, readily accessible real-time data from air monitors, third-party audits, and a root-cause analysis within 24 hours of any emissions exceedance incident. Furthermore, both the root-cause analysis and corrective action information must be made public within 14 days.

The Refinery Pollution Reduction and Transparency Act reflects years of investigative work, research, and grassroots advocacy led by environmental justice community leaders and organizations. Many of these advocates live in pollution-burdened communities, experiencing firsthand the health impacts on themselves, their families, friends, and neighbors. While this legislation will not address all the environmental issues burdening these communities, it is robust and comprehensive, designed to ensure transparency from refineries regarding the toxic pollution they emit, and to safeguard public health.

Murder investigation, Stanley Ave. LB

 

Homicide detectives are investigating the murder of a male adult that occurred on July 4, 2024 in the 1000 block of Stanley Avenue.

At approximately 10:03 p.m., officers responded to the 1000 block of Stanley Avenue regarding a stabbing. Upon arrival, officers contacted a male adult victim with life-threatening stab wounds to the upper body.

Officers rendered medical aid and attempted life-saving measures until being relieved by Long Beach Fire Department personnel, who transported the victim to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The suspect fled the scene before officers arrived.

Homicide detectives responded to the scene to investigate the incident. Through their preliminary investigation, detectives determined the victim and a male adult suspect were in a verbal dispute, which escalated when the suspect stabbed the victim. The motive is under investigation.

The victim was identified as Arnold Archivald Garcia Baide, a 36-year-old resident of Long Beach.

Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact Homicide Detectives Michael Hutchinson or Lisette Temblador 562-570-7244 or anonymously at 800-222-8477;www.lacrimestoppers.org

 

One Week Left. McOsker Urges Residents to Submit Comments TODAY for the Vincent Thomas Deck Replacement Project

 

The Vincent Thomas Bridge is facing critical deck deterioration due to heavy truck traffic. Since last year, Caltrans has been developing a proposal for the Vincent Thomas Bridge Deck Replacement Project. The state agency aims to replace the entire bridge deck and install seismic sensors to ensure structural integrity and enhance overall safety. Originally completed in 1963, the Vincent Thomas Bridge serves as a vital link for approximately 44,500 vehicles daily, including a significant number of heavy trucks.

The project’s construction staging options, ranging from full closures to phased approaches, aim to minimize disruptions to port operations and meet completion deadlines. Currently, anticipated detour routes will redirect traffic to alternative bridges and local streets. However, the current proposal only specifies redirections in Wilmington.

Driving along many of Wilmington’s main streets, you’ll see trucks lined up bumper to bumper. With the impending closure of the Vincent Thomas Bridge for repairs, this congestion will worsen.

In 2011, the city of Los Angeles anticipated “Carmageddon” when a bridge reconstruction project required closing 10 miles of the Interstate 405 freeway on two weekends, leading to horrific traffic jams. Councilmember Tim McOsker stated he fears that with the closure of the Vincent Thomas Bridge, we may experience “Harbor-geddon”.

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Meeting attendees view slideshow at CalTrans’ second public meeting about the Vincent Thomas Bridge Deck Replacement project. Photo by Rosie Knight.

He continued, “as the representative of the One-Five, I am determined to hold Caltrans accountable and will collaborate with the state to mitigate repairs to streets and roadways that are already damaged.

“Historically, there has been unequal treatment of services in the Harbor Area compared to wealthier parts of LA. As the home to the busiest container port in North America, we deserve equitable consideration in project planning and public outreach efforts, as well as the same level of attention and resources typically reserved for high-profile projects elsewhere in the city, to ensure that the Harbor community receives fair treatment throughout the bridge repair process.

“There is still time to submit public comments for Caltrans to consider. I urge you to review the Draft Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Assessment (Draft EIR/EA) and provide your input, which will be accepted through Monday, July 15.”

Details: Click here to learn more and submit your comments.