Amid uncertainty caused by federal trade policies, Mayor Karen Bass today convened a roundtable meeting with leaders in the goods movement industry to hear from them about the impacts caused by tariffs.
Port of Los Angeles officials are expected to report the latest data on cargo movement later this month. Gene Seroka, CEO of the port, previously warned that the rapid changes in Trump administration trade policies is making it difficult to make short-term forecasts, and anticipated a “pullback in global trade.”
With these concerns in mind, the mayor met with labor, business and key goods movement industry leaders Wednesday to remind them that the city is behind them during these challenging times.
“With the Port of Los Angeles standing as the busiest container port in the Western Hemisphere, the unpredictability of federal trade policy is felt deeply throughout our city,” Bass said in a statement. “Millions of Angelenos rely on the Port not just for products, but for good paying jobs. The city of Los Angeles stands firm with the Port of L.A., its employees and all Angelenos. Los Angeles remains open for business.”
According to her office, those present at the meeting expressed concern over how this “uncertainty and unpredictability” is disrupting trade, private investment and job stability and growth.
Councilman Tim McOsker, who represents the Harbor Area, which includes the port, participated in the roundtable discussion. He added that the “chaos” of these tariffs creates a “real economic harm” at the port and for his constituents who live and work in the 15th Council District.
“Uncertainty and a lack of coherent trade policy has slowed ship calls, impacted jobs, and the livelihoods of our residents,” McOsker said in a statement. “And, it’s both an unforced error and self-inflicted wound. There’s no reason that American workers, from the docks to the warehouses, from trains to trucks, should bear the burden of unpredictability that no one in Washington, D.C. can explain.”
Seroka described Wednesday’s meeting as an “essential conversation” and a reminder that the port stands with its workers and trading partners. About 40% of U.S. imports move through the port, supporting roughly one million jobs throughout the L.A. region.
Last month, Seroka reported that the port handled 843,000 containers in April, a 9.5% increase over the same period last year, marking the 10th straight month of year-over-year growth driven in part by a strategy to offload shipments ahead of U.S. tariffs.
May figures are scheduled to be released later in June.
Seroka previously said that growth was propelled by a “robust economy and higher consumer confidence,” as well as a push by companies to bring cargo in ahead of the enactment of federal tariffs.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump announced his long-promised “reciprocal” tariffs — calling for a 10% baseline tax on imports and other higher rates for U.S. trading partners that run so-called trade surpluses. The U.S. placed tariffs on Canada and Mexico by 25%, which officials offered to drop to 12% once certain demands were met. Trump similarly announced a 34% tax on imports from China, 24% on Japan and 32% on Taiwan, among others.
These levies were ultimately paused for 90 days, but Trump did impose a baseline 10% tariff on nearly all trading partners. China was the only exception — the U.S. increased the tariff to 145% and China threatened a 125% tariff on U.S. goods.
The two nations eventually agreed to scale back those tariffs for 90 days while negotiations continued. U.S. officials said it would reduce its tariffs on imports from China to 30%, while China said it would reduce its tariffs on U.S. goods to 10%.
Tariffs are still elevated, and these deadlines coming up will cause a little bit of trepidation — not knowing where we’ll all land after the pauses of 90 days with respect to China and the rest of the world,” Seroka said.
According to The Budget Lab at Yale University, a non-partisan policy research center, consumers face an overall average effective tariff rate of 17.8%, the highest since 1934. Additionally, tariffs disproportionately affect clothing and textiles, with consumers facing 15% higher shoe prices and 14% higher apparel prices in the short-run.
Trump has said the tariffs are an effective bargaining tool to create better trade deals for the United States.
