Rep. Young Kim Statement on San Pedro Port Complex Reopening 24 Hours

Statement

U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-39) released the following statement on the Biden administration announcement to reopen for 24 hours Southern California ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, known together as the San Pedro Port Complex.

"Our Southern California communities are reeling from the impacts of backlogged ships at our LA and Long Beach ports, from supply chain shortages driving up inflation to the recent oil spill that may have been caused by a ship anchor. I am pleased that the Biden administration acknowledges and is taking action to address the preventable economic and public safety crises directly caused in part by backlogged ports. I have been working since January to safely reopen our ports and address supply chain backlogs, and I will continue to work my colleagues in Congress and federal, state and local officials to support pro-growth policies that help our economic recovery and protect the public health and safety of local communities," said Congresswoman Kim.

Congresswoman Kim has been working tirelessly since January to safely keep our ports open and boost the flow of goods in and out of the San Pedro Port Complex.

In January, Congresswoman Kim urged Governor Gavin Newsom, state health officials and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to include dock workers and other personnel at the San Pedro Port Complex as essential workers along with others eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

In March, Congresswoman Kim urged Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Michael Kouri to take action regarding vessel-operating common carriers (VOCCs) declining to ship U.S. agricultural commodity exports from our ports.

Last week, Congresswoman Kim joined Reps. Michelle Steel (CA-48), Darrell Issa (CA-50) and Ken Calvert (CA-42) in a letter to President Biden urging his administration to open a federal investigation into the oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach, including the causes of the spill, the pipeline's history of violations and any delays by federal officials to sufficiently respond to the spill.

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