Yolanda De La Torre of Wilmington, nominated this month to the Los Angeles harbor commission, is expected to be in place for what is now designated a vacant seat sometime following the panel’s next meeting on Jan. 16.
The appointment was designated to be effective “no sooner than Jan. 17” by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. The commission meets twice a month.
Once confirmed by the Los Angeles City Council, De La Torre will finish out Michael Muñoz’s term, which ends in June, and then is expected to be appointed to a full five-year term.
Los Angeles harbor commission appointee Yolanda De La Torre. (Courtesy of Yolanda De La Torre)
Muñoz’s last meeting was on Thursday, Dec. 5. He was appointed in May 2023 to fill out the remaining term of former Commissioner Anthony Pirozzi. Until De La Torre, 48, a YWCA executive, is confirmed, the seat will be designated as “vacant.” Current sitting commissioners are Lee Williams (term expires June 30, 2026), Ed Renwick (term expires June 30, 2028), Lucille Roybal-Allard (term expires June 30, 2029) and John Pérez (term expires June 30, 2029).
In November, voters overwhelmingly approved Measure HH, which requires two Harbor Area residents — one from San Pedro and one from Wilmington — to serve on the five-member harbor commission.
Measure HH passed with 81.3% support, according to the Los Angeles County registrar’s office.
Williams of San Pedro currently sits on the board as the only local resident. He was appointed in May 2023.
De La Torre’s nomination still must go through the City Council’s Travel, Trade and Tourism Committee, and then must be approved by the full council.
The nomination caps a period turnover on the board, which oversees policy for the Port of Los Angeles, since Bass became mayor in December 2022. Recent appointments left only one Harbor Area commissioner — Williams — on the panel; before that, the commission had three.
Councilmember Tim McOsker, who represents the port and sponsored Measure HH, has pushed to ensure at least two local residents be on the panel, since the Port of Los Angeles’ operations impact surrounding communities.
Officials for the nation’s busiest port, meanwhile, anticipate a busy next few months as shippers race to beat the possible onset of new tariffs in 2026 and the potential for a resumed dockworker strike in the East and Gulf coast ports in January.
“We will have continued strong volumes when we report our November data,” Port of Los Angeles spokesperson Phillip Sanfield said in a Monday, Dec. 9, written comment. “And our Port Optimizer data indicates continued strong volume into December.”
November data will be announced later this month.
Among the factors driving the surge, Sanfield said, was a generally strong economy and employment outlook.
“Also,” he added, “cargo owners are telling us some cargo is being ‘front-loaded’ as a hedge against more tariffs. And the concern about labor issues on the East and Gulf coast is an additional reason for shippers to consider moving cargo normally bound for those ports to vessels coming to LA.”
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The Port of Long Beach is also anticipating continued cargo surges, with Chief Operating Officer Noel Hacegaba saying this year’s numbers likely will be the highest in the port’s 113-year history.
In a recorded conversation with Jessica Dankert, vice president for supply chain at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, a similar forecast was given, with front-loading impacts anticipated for the first months of 2025.
“Mid-January is not quite as shipping-intensive as the early fall season,” Dankert said. “After polling large retailers, we’re seeing it’s continuing to be pretty split, with about one-fourth moving (shipments) up and around half diverting cargo to the West Coast. Many also are staying the course, playing wait-and-see.
“Most definitely, all eyes are on that (union contract) deadline.”
Both she and Hacegaba, however, also stressed that the supply chain has become more flexible and is able to anticipate, respond to and cope with surges in cargo, thanks to lessons learned during the pandemic.
The National Retail Federation, for its part, released a report on Monday that looks at possible minefields ahead.
“Either a strike or new tariffs would be a blow to the economy and retailers are doing what they can to avoid the impact of either for as long as they can,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said in the release, noting that talks have broken down on the East Coast between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, leaving the potential for a strike after the current contract extension reached after a three-day strike in October expires Jan. 15.
“We hope that both can be avoided, but bringing in cargo early is a prudent step to mitigate the impact on our industry, consumers and the nation’s economy,” Gold said. “We call on both parties at the ports to return to the table, get a deal done and avoid a strike. And we call on the incoming administration to use tariffs in a strategic manner rather than a broad-based approach impacting everyday consumer goods.”
Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said in the same NRF news release that retailers are under pressure as they front-load cargo to avoid both the disruption of the strike and higher costs from the tariffs.
“Prospects of reaching a quick agreement on the key sticking point of automation are not looking good,” Hackett said, referring to the port labor contract on the East Coast. “The window to frontload goods on vessels arriving before a potential strike is quickly closing. Then there are issues as President-elect (Donald) Trump promises to increase tariffs when he takes office. It is not clear whether this will actually take effect immediately or whether it will take time to implement the tariffs, but shippers are moving up as much cargo as they can before then.”