Truck parking lot plans near Port of Los Angeles spark backlash among residents

A driver checks out his cargo container at the Port of Los Angeles in Wilmington on March 4. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) By Caroline Petrow-Cohen Staff Writer Follow June 27, 2026 3 AM PT 5 min Click here to listen to this article Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp Copy Link URL Copied! Print 0:00 0:00 1x This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. Set us as preferred A proposal to build a truck parking lot near the Port of Los Angeles is facing backlash from nearby residents. Port officials say the parking lot would provide much-needed designated space for cargo trucks waiting to pick up loads from the port, helping to ease congestion in the area. But some neighborhood groups say the proposed staging area would only increase traffic and air pollution in Wilmington. Gina Martinez, chair of the executive board of the Wilmington Neighborhood Council, said the land in question provides a vital buffer between port activity and residential communities. “It’s been a bad deal from the beginning,” Martinez said in an interview. “We want open space because we’ve been promised for decades a clear separation from port activities.” The Port of Los Angeles processed 890,861 container units in April, 5.7% above last year -- the second-best April on record despite war, higher fuel costs and trade uncertainty. The Los Angeles Harbor Commission signed off on the project in a meeting on June 11, but it was vetoed by the Los Angeles City Council this week. The veto does not permanently ban the project, but allows for more time to discuss the implications for stakeholders and the community. Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker, who introduced a special motion to halt the truck plans, said he was acting on behalf of community residents. McOsker represents Harbor City, Harbor Gateway, San Pedro, Watts, and Wilmington. Under a new chief executive, the Port of Long Beach is getting ready to double its cargo capacity by 2050. The port handled a record amount of cargo in 2025. “Generally, folks in the community would say, ‘we don’t want the port industrial properties to creep into neighborhoods. We want them to retract or hold the line,’” McOsker told The Times. The John S. Gibson Truck & Chassis Parking Lot, which was originally proposed in 2023 by the Port of Los Angeles, would cover 18 acres of privately owned land and include 393 truck and chassis parking stalls. The land is currently designated as open space, though it’s undeveloped and not available for any recreational use. The completion of the parking lot would require a Port of Los Angeles master plan amendment to switch the land’s designation from open space to maritime support. Martinez said the land should have never been sold to private developers because it’s included in the California State Lands Commission’s tidelands trust, which says certain land near the ocean must be available for public enjoyment. Building a truck and chassis waiting lot on that space would increase congestion on the freeways and in Wilmington neighborhoods, add particulate matter into the air and increase already-problematic noise pollution from the port, she said. Shipping companies are imposing fuel surcharges and avoiding expensive routes as the cost for container ship fuel rises amid the war in Iran. “Of all the things Wilmington needs, it is not another parking lot for trucks,” Martinez said at a Los Angeles Harbor Commission meeting earlier this month. “It is not the responsibility of our community to take on every single truck that runs through the port.” At the same meeting, Noel Gould of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council said the council is supporting the project after working closely with the developers to reach compromises. The parking lot would prevent port-bound trucks from idling near schools and parks, he said. The lot would also include landscaping with native coastal plants. Founded in 2025, Humble Robotics is building self-driving freight trucks with no steering wheel, driver’s seat or gas pedal. “We didn’t start out in a position of support, but we worked very closely with them to get to a place where we felt it was really something that would benefit the community,” Gould said at the meeting. In an interview, McOsker said there is already space set aside for trucks to wait to access the port. At the Los Angeles City Council meeting Wednesday, the council unanimously approved what’s known as a 245 motion, which gives the council authority to temporarily veto certain actions taken by city boards and commissions. “The 245 gives us the opportunity to meet and confer and see if there are revisions or additions or mitigation that can better protect the full community,” McOsker said. The motion sends the project proposal back to the Harbor Commission for further review. As the California Depa

Truck parking lot plans near Port of Los Angeles spark backlash among residents

Key takeaways

More in local