Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-39) urged Governor Gavin Newsom, state health officials and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to include dock workers and other personnel at the San Pedro Port Complex as essential workers along with others currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
With COVID-19 cases on the rise at the port, vaccinations for these workers on the front lines of international commerce will allow for the continued exchange of goods and services, boosting our local and national economy during this public health and economic crisis.
“As you know, the operation of these ports is critical to the economy of not only Southern California but the United States as a whole, including our nation’s supply chain, millions of jobs and international commerce. In normal times, the San Pedro Port Complex makes up a quarter of our nation’s total exports, 40% of containerized imports and processes $2 billion in goods each day. Slowdowns due to COVID-19 infections have already caused a bottleneck of dozens of ships filled with goods and supplies waiting to be unloaded. Further delays and terminal shutdowns will have a negative impact on our already fragile economy,” wrote Kim.
Read the full letter HERE.
