The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, signed an executive order directing state agencies to find ways to address congestion at the state’s ports.
According to the executive order, state agencies should continue coordinating with the Biden-Harris Administration Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to mitigate state, national and global supply chain challenges.
It also requires the Department of Finance to work with state agencies to establish longer-term solutions in order to support port operations and goods movement.
Furthermore, it charges state agencies with identifying state-owned, along with private and federally owned, properties that could be available to address short-term storage needs.
The executive order also gives the Department of Transportation 30 days to evaluate and identify priority freight routes to be considered for a temporary exemption to current gross vehicle weight limits.
As for the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency, it is tasked to identify potential training partnerships to increase education, career technical education, job training and workforce development opportunities.
What is more, state departments and agencies are requested to “use all existing legal and financial authority to expedite and prioritize these activities, including by giving them preference in the award of state funding.”
This directive comes at a time when the volume of ships waiting had reached a new record earlier this week, as up to 100 vessels had been waiting.
