Brief

Councilmember Tim Osker moved to establish a goods movement training campus at the Port of Los Angeles, seconded by Heather Hutt. The motion directs city departments to support workforce training efforts and examine funding considerations for the facility. The Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee approved it in February, and City Council adopted it on March 10, 2026 by an 11-0-4 vote. It was referred back to the Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee in September for further work.

Full summary

This file tracks the City Council's response to the collapse of a joint Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and Port of Long Beach (POLB) plan to build a Goods Movement Training Campus (GMTC) — a workforce training facility intended to prepare workers for careers in the regional goods movement industry. The project had been backed by $110 million in state funding and was originally envisioned as a joint effort between the two ports, with the Wilmington neighborhood as the proposed site. The February 2026 motion by Councilmember Tim McOsker responded directly to POLB's notice of withdrawal from the project, which rendered the framework established in the related Council File 25-0364 no longer applicable. Rather than abandon the effort, McOsker's motion directed the Executive Director of POLA to appear before the Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee and provide a verbal update on the project's current status — including any alternative plans, funding considerations, independent or collaborative initiatives, and paths forward for supporting a world-class goods movement workforce. The committee approved the motion unanimously on February 24, 2026, and the full Council adopted it 11-0-4 on March 10, 2026. By September 2026, the project had evolved further and new complications had emerged. POLA was evaluating a potential shift from the Wilmington site to the former U.S. Customs building on Terminal Island, and questions remained about whether the original POLA-POLB agreement was still legally in effect or had been formally terminated. With the state grant set to expire in 2026 and expenditures already committed to an AECOM design contract and staffing costs, McOsker introduced a second motion on September 18, 2026 — also seconded by Councilmember Heather Hutt — directing POLA's Executive Director to submit a detailed written report covering five specific areas: the status of POLB's participation, the revised project proposal and reasons for the site change, the state of the $110 million grant including amounts spent and remaining, a full accounting of all expenditures and contracts, and the anticipated next steps and timeline for moving forward. The file remains open and pending in both the Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee and the Housing Committee, with the September motion awaiting committee action. The expiration of state grant funding in 2026 makes the timeline for resolution particularly pressing for Harbor communities and port-area workers.

Activity (7)

• 2026-09-18 Motion referred to Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee.
• 2026-03-11 Council action final.
• 2026-03-10 Council adopted item, subject to reconsideration, pursuant to Council Rule 51.
• 2026-03-06 City Clerk scheduled item for Council on March 10, 2026.
• 2026-02-24 Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee approved item(s) .
• 2026-02-20 Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee scheduled item for committee meeting on February 24, 2026.
• 2026-02-04 Motion referred to Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee.

Documents (4)

• 2026-09-18 Motion · motion
• 2026-03-11 Council Action · council_action
• 2026-02-24 Report from Trade, Travel, and Tourism Committee · report
• 2026-02-04 Motion · motion

Council votes (1)

• 2026-03-10 Vote — 11-0-4 · Regular