A proposal for the John S. Gibson Truck & Chassis Parking Lot near the Port of Los Angeles—18 acres with 393 stalls—was approved by the Los Angeles Harbor Commission on June 11 but vetoed by the Los Angeles City Council this week, after neighborhood residents
On a proposal intended to reduce gridlock near the Port of Los Angeles, the fight has now moved to the city level—where residents of nearby neighborhoods say the costs are being shifted onto them.
The Los Angeles Harbor Commission signed off on a truck and chassis parking plan in a meeting on June 11. This week, the Los Angeles City Council vetoed it, sending the proposal back for more review and giving the city additional time to weigh how the project would affect the surrounding community.
The plan centers on the John S. Gibson Truck & Chassis Parking Lot. Originally proposed in 2023 by the Port of Los Angeles. it 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 is undeveloped and not available for any recreational use. If the lot is built. the Port of Los Angeles would need to amend its master plan to switch the land’s designation from open space to maritime support.
Wilmington residents and neighborhood leaders say they’ve been promised for decades that port activity would remain separate from residential communities—and that this project would blur that boundary.
Gina Martinez. chair of the executive board of the Wilmington Neighborhood Council. said the land is a “vital buffer” and criticized the plan as a long-running broken promise. “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.”.
Martinez also argued that the land should not have been sold to private developers because it lies within the California State Lands Commission’s tidelands trust. which says certain land near the ocean must be available for public enjoyment. She said building a truck and chassis waiting lot there would increase congestion on freeways and in Wilmington neighborhoods. add particulate matter to the air. and increase already-problematic noise pollution from the port.
“At a Los Angeles Harbor Commission meeting earlier this month, Martinez said, “Of all the things Wilmington needs, it is not another parking lot for trucks,” and added, “It is not the responsibility of our community to take on every single truck that runs through the port.”
Not all nearby neighborhoods are opposed. At the same Harbor Commission meeting earlier this month, Noel Gould of the Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council said his group supports the project after working closely with developers to reach compromises.
Gould said the parking lot would prevent port-bound trucks from idling near schools and parks. The plan would also include landscaping with native coastal plants.
“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.
The city council’s decision hinges on a procedural tool meant to pause actions and reopen negotiations. 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.
“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.
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. McOsker said the motion gives the city room to adjust the proposal. “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. ” he said.
The veto does not permanently ban the project. It allows more time to discuss the implications for stakeholders and the community, and the motion sends the project proposal back to the Harbor Commission for further review.
McOsker also said there is already space set aside for trucks to wait to access the port.
Supporters of the parking lot argue that the land is currently uninhabited and would require a consistent police presence to deter criminal activity. They say the facility would provide the designated staging space for cargo trucks waiting to pick up loads from the port. which they contend would help ease congestion in the area.
The dispute echoes a larger conflict between the Port of Los Angeles and coastal communities. Last year, the port clashed with those communities over the possible raising of the Vincent Thomas Bridge.
At the time. the bridge was already slated to be redecked by the California Department of Transportation. but Port of Los Angeles executive director Gene Seroka proposed raising the bridge height as well. Seroka said raising the bridge would allow larger cargo ships to pass under its deck. helping create jobs and keep the port relevant.
For commuters and businesses, the plan carried a costly timeline. The change would have meant the bridge would be closed for around 28 months rather than the originally planned 16 months. In December, the California State Transportation agency rejected the proposal to raise the bridge.
Port of Los Angeles truck parking lot John S. Gibson Truck & Chassis Parking Lot Los Angeles Harbor Commission Los Angeles City Council Tim McOsker Wilmington Neighborhood Council Gina Martinez Coastal San Pedro Neighborhood Council Noel Gould Vincent Thomas Bridge 245 motion