Los Angeles voters decide Port charter amendment PRT on workforce disclosure for harbor leases

Los Angeles voters decide Charter Amendment PRT on November 3, a package of changes affecting the city's airports, harbour and Department of Water and Power, including new workforce disclosure requirements for leases at the port. The measure would require applicants for certain new Harbor Department leases, extensions and amendments to provide information on their employment and economic impacts, to be assessed by the Board of Harbor Commissioners. (Cover photo is a file photo of the Port of Los Angeles.)

What the amendment would require

Under the proposal, applicants for certain new harbor leases, lease extensions and lease amendments would have to submit employment and economic impact information for the Board of Harbor Commissioners to assess. The ballot measure also includes provisions on funding for waterfront public access projects, longer lease terms for certain city departments and changes to the composition of the Airport Commission. Polls close at 8 p.m. Pacific time, with results to follow as ballots are counted.

Business groups warn of lost investment; port declines to comment

A coalition of more than 50 business and supply-chain organisations, including the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (PMSA), urged the City Council to retain the existing charter provisions governing port operations, arguing that embedding operational requirements in the City Charter could weaken the Harbor Commission's authority and its ability to respond to changing market conditions and technologies, and risked introducing uncertainty into underwriting and leasing decisions, discouraging investment and diverting cargo to competing ports. The Port of Los Angeles declined to comment, saying it had played no role in the amendment. Whether the measure passes depends on Tuesday's vote.