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Los Angeles City Councilmember Tim McOsker speaks during the State of the District at the Dalmatian American Club in San Pedro on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

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Los Angeles Councilmember Tim McOsker didn’t deny this has been a tough year for the city.

Giving his third State of the District speech in San Pedro on Thursday, Oct. 9, McOsker acknowledged that Los Angeles has had more than its share of challenges.

And shrouding parts of the lunchtime gathering at the Dalmatian-American Club in San Pedro were several days when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents made numerous arrests throughout the port town, which has strong immigrant ties that go back generations.

McOsker called the raids “inhumane” and “cruel.”

“The surge of immigration raids has shaken all of us,” MsOsker, who represents the 15th District, told the crowd of about 300. “We have families living in fear, children afraid to go to school.”

The nearly hourlong speech provided an expansive look at the past year and also what’s ahead for the district, which includes San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City, Harbor Gateway and Watts.

The annual and much-anticipated “State of the District” tradition provides the sitting councilmember with a chance to lay out accomplishments and talk about what will come in the next year.

Among his surprises, McOsker said, was what seemed to be a “crisis of confidence” inside City Hall when he took office in December 2022.

“From inside and outside the government,” he said, there was “a fear that we cannot meet these challenges.”

But, he said, he strongly refutes that notion.

From destructive wildfires to a “staggering” $1 billion budget shortfall in just the past year, the challenges have been many, McOsker acknowledged.

Serving as a member of the council’s Budget Committee, McOsker enumerated several successes, including working to restore critical positions and funding for needed departments.

“Step by step,” he said, the city has “managed to bring the number of layoffs down without increasing spending.”

“And,” he added, “something especially important to harbor residents and all animals lovers, we restored funding for the Department of Animal Services to keep all six (L.A. city) shelters open, including the one here in the harbor.”

McOsker also hailed the City Council’s move last month to approve a “much-overdue expansion” of the Los Angeles Convention Center that, he said, will bring more tourism, money and business to L.A. — along with what he said would be “more than 15,000 good jobs” over the next 30 years.

He also praised residents who came together to join volunteering and providing relief for those impacted but the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires.

“From Watts to the waterfront,” McOsker said, “organizations like the Sisters of Watts, the East Side Riders Bike Cub, Pedro2Palisades at Port Town Brewery, and the ILWU all stepped up. They organized drives, delivered supplies and stood with those in need.”

McOsker also gave a shout-out to the volunteer Harbor Area Peace Patrol and its response to the ICE activity in San Pedro.

Those volunteers, he said, “have been on the streets every day tracking enforcement vehicles leaving Terminal Island, checking in at schools, businesses, and community centers — making sure our neighbors know when it is safe. That’s neighbors protecting neighbors.”

Addressing a proposal to reopen the top portion of Sunken City on San Pedro’s southern ocean bluffs, McOsker said work is underway with city engineers and community members that should bring a plan forward for review as soon as early next year, with a possible opening of the upper portion in spring.

In other remarks, McOsker said:

  • Historic-Cultural Monument status for the Tuna Street buildings on Terminal Island was secured, preserving the memory of what was a thriving Japanese American fishing village “that was erased during World War II.”
  • Ground has been broken on the first phase of the One San Pedro redevelopment at Rancho San Pedro.
  • Business district improvement initiatives are underway throughout the 15th District.
  • Clean-air and other environmental initiatives are seeing success within the Pports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and with innovative demonstration projects at AltaSea.
  • Preparations for San Pedro to host sailing events at the 2028 Olympics are actively underway, with proposals for a water taxi between San Pedro and Long Beach.
  • “We are beginning to see progress” in the effort to address homelessness, McOsker said, noting that more permanent supportive housing is opening.
  • An approved HarborLA Community Plan (covering Harbor Gateway North and South, Harbor City, and Wilmington) should be implemented in spring 2026, McOsker said. with the goal of reducing incompatible land uses, protecting community character, and fostering growth.
  • San Pedro’s Piazza Miramare, an Italian plaza in the downtown district, is “near completion.”
  • Agreements are secured with Caltrans to protect residential streets in Wilmington, Harbor City and San Pedro when the Vincent Thomas Bridge closes, and detours will be implemented. Wilmington, McOsker pledged, “will not bear the brunt” of the redirected traffic.
  • Permitting and plan checks are “well underway” for the impending opening of San Pedro’s West Harbor waterfront development.
  • Initiatives for a clean environment and union jobs at the Port of L.A. remain a priority for him, the councilmember said. “The idea that you have to choose between clean air and good jobs is a false dichotomy,” he said, “and it’s meant to divide us, but we must work together: government, terminal operators, environmentalists and workers alike.” He reiterated his concerns about automation and its impact on jobs on the docks.