Officials at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach may be among the most optimistic people in the world.
As the new year started, they already were facing turbulent times from stiffer competition as the shipping industry undergoes mergers, changing alliances and, in the case of one giant shipper, bankruptcy.
Now, in addition to dealing with those uncertainties, the ports have a new worry: President Trump’s trade policies.
Despite all of these uncertainties, port officials remain optimistic. Are they wearing rose-colored glasses as the seas get rougher?
In one of his first major actions, Trump pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation agreement that would have bolstered trade in the Pacific and fueled growth at the port.
Trump also has vowed a “major border tax” on companies that move jobs outside the United States. And he has signaled a more aggressive trade policy with China, a major importer at the two ports.
There is a fear among some observers that the Trump administration is going to stem the flow of imports to the United States, which could adversely affect the huge, local port complex, according to reporter Rachel Uranga.
Nearly 40 percent of the nation’s imports come through the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports, the bulk coming from Pacific nations. The ports and the logistics industry employ 650,000 people in L.A., Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
How will the Trump policies impact the twin ports? No one knows for sure yet.
In the meantime, officials at both ports have plenty of issues to keep them busy, from reducing pollution to upgrading facilities to cutting congestion in and out of the ports on area streets and highways.
Long Beach has an added concern in finding a leader to succeed Jon Slangerup, who left his job as the port’s executive director months ago.
Harbor commissioners hope to fill this critical job by March. Before Slangerup was selected, one observer said Long Beach needed “someone who could walk on water” because of political turmoil at the time.
We don’t think the new CEO needs to walk on water, but he or she must be able to navigate the rough seas ahead.
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