After months of port congestion creating supply chain challenges, Governor Gavin Newsom has taken action to address the issue. On Wednesday, Newsom signed an executive order directing state agencies to engage in various activities aimed at alleviating some of the strain put on supply chains. The order includes efforts to help remedy the congestion at California ports as well as address trucking shortages.
“California’s ports are critical to our local, state and national economies and the state is taking action to support goods movement in the face of global disruptions,” Newsom said in a press release. “My administration will continue to work with federal, state, labor and industry partners on innovative solutions to tackle immediate challenges while also bringing our distribution processes into the 21st century.”
Under the order, the Department of Transportation will work with the California State Transportation Agency and other stakeholders in addressing delays in shipping. Priority freight routes that could be temporarily exempted from weight limits will be identified, which should allow trucks to carry additional goods. The Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) along with the Department of General Services will be working to identify and review state, federal, and private lands that could be used for short-term container storage. The California Labor and Workforce Development Agency is also being directed to increase education, job training, and workforce development opportunities for port workers and other workers across the supply chain.
The recent order will help to strengthen coordination with the Biden-Harris Administration Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force. State agencies are also being instructed to continue the development of more long-term solutions to avoid and mitigate supply chain challenges. The order builds on similar efforts undertaken earlier in the year by GO-Biz to work with stakeholders in identifying and addressing challenges within the supply chain.
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