ION FEST™ | ECONOMIC & SOCIAL IMPACT

THE PORT OF LOS ANGELES - ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE

The Port of Los Angeles is one of the world's largest trade gateways and the scope of its economic contributions to the regional economy is far-reaching. The Port is connected directly and indirectly with tens of billions of dollars in industry sales each year in the Southern California region. Those sales translate into hundreds of thousands of local jobs and billions of dollars in wages, salaries, and state and local taxes.

Regional Port of Los Angeles benefits include:

• 259,000 full- and part-time jobs (one of every 24 jobs in Southern California)
• 1,353,500 jobs nationwide
• $26.8 billion annually in industry sales
• $8.4 billion annually in regional wages and salaries ($1 of every $23 in Southern California)
• $1.4 billion annually in state and local taxes
• Approximately 70% of the regional direct, indirect and induced benefits connected to the Port occurs within Los Angeles County.

The Port contributes substantially to the economy, in part, through the following activities:

:: PORT INDUSTRIES

Port industries are businesses involved in the moving and handling of maritime cargo.

Dollars: For every dollar spent by port industries - an estimated $764 million - another 97 cents is generated in indirect sales in the region.

Jobs: Accounts for approximately 16,360 direct port industry jobs (85% of which are trucking and warehousing jobs).

:: PORT USERS

The biggest contributors to the economy, port users are businesses that use the Port to receive imports or ship exports. Export manufacturers are major port users. Other port users include local manufacturers who process imported unfinished goods.

Dollars: Port users generate approximately $12.1 billion and stimulate an additional $5.5 billion in local industry indirect sales. Local "re-spending" by workers employed by port users and the industries they impact amount to approximately $4.1 billion. Each dollar of spending for port user goods and services produces about 79 cents of additional industry sales in the region.

:: PORT CUSTOMERS

Port customers are the retail and other non-cargo businesses in the Port. They are most important to communities near the Port as a source of jobs, recreation and specialty consumer goods.

Dollars: Port customers contribute about $760 million to the local economy.

Jobs: Direct jobs associated with port customers numbered about 6,400 or roughly half of the jobs actually located in the Port. For every one of these port customer jobs, nearly 1.7 additional jobs are created elsewhere in the region.

:: The Port of Los Angeles and San Pedro Waterfront Development - From Bridge to Breakwater®

The Port of Los Angeles' Bridge to Breakwater® waterfront development project is a long-term plan to develop 400 acres of Port property along the eight-mile stretch of waterfront from the Vincent Thomas Bridge to the Federal Breakwater in San Pedro. Designed to bring the community closer to the water and increase open space by 120 acres, this exciting development will dramatically change the appearance and attractions of the Port's wonderful working waterfront. The new commercial development along the waterfront will directly benefit surrounding harbor communities and boost local tourism.

:: The Port of Los Angeles and ionFest

The Port of Los Angeles is one of the world's largest, busiest and most successful seaports. Located in San Pedro Bay, about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, the Port complex occupies 7500 acres of land and water along 43 miles of waterfront. This represents a large opportunity for commerce to connect with the community. While it is likely that if your goods are produced in a foreign country, you are already connected to the Port and its labor force. Likewise, ionFest and the Bridge to Breakwater® related events are a high level example and celebration of this type of opportunity for visible Corporate relation to the Port and its growing development.

As an economic powerhouse, the Port of Los Angeles plays an important role in the creation of jobs. In fact, approximately 259,000 jobs - or one out of every 24 jobs -- in Southern California is directly or indirectly related to the Port industry. In addition, the Port impacts $1 out of every $23 in wages in Southern California. That's $8.4 billion.

Growth in cargo volumes at the Port of Los Angeles is unprecedented. And one thing is certain: Cargo moving across Port docks will continue to grow, along with the ships and terminals that handle it. Conservative estimates call for annual volume increases through Los Angeles of 5% to 7%, with an overall doubling of cargo over the next 10 years.

:: Labor, ILWU and ionFest

The famous Port of Los Angeles is also famous for its proud Labor force.

As a foundation to Harbor Area families, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union employs thousands of men and women, responsible for the movement of goods on and off shipping vessels in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach

The ILWU has approximately 42,000 members in over 60 local unions in the states of California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Hawaii. An additional 3,500 members belong to the Inlandboatmen's Union of the Pacific, which constitutes the Union's Marine Division. Another 14,000 members belong to the autonomous ILWU Canada. Each are invited to participate in ionFest and the Bridge to Breakwater® Run.

:: ionFest and the Cruise Industry

The World Cruise Center is the busiest passenger port of call on the West Coast, and as most major cruise lines offer vacation cruises to the Mexican Riviera, Alaska or other destinations from the World Cruise Center.

From the World Cruise Center, Popular Catalina Island is an easy 26 miles across the sea ride by express boat (about an hour) or helicopter (15 minutes) from the San Pedro Catalina Terminal.

:: ionFest, Cabrillo Beach and the Cabrillo Beach Bathhouse

The Cabrillo Beach Bathhouse, a 1932 Mediterranean-style structure was the last of the bathhouses built in Southern California, and was at the end of the original "Red Car" (streetcar) line running from Los Angeles to San Pedro and out to Point Fermin. It is now a center of water sports recreation and popular location for dozens of movie shoots.

As the finish line for the Bridge to Breakwater® race and the headquarters and host beach for the Six Man Beach Volleyball World Championships, the 26,000 square foot Bathhouse and Beach area incorporates shower rooms, lifeguard facilities, snacks for beach-goers, and community meeting rooms. For more information, please visit www.cabrillobeach.org.

In the good 'ol days - before automobiles were prevalent, folks from all over Los Angeles would travel to the beach, and patronize the Bathhouse, where they could pick up a swimsuit and a towel for a ten cent rental fee and enjoy a day at the seashore.

Learn more...