PRT

Why Thrive LA supports PRT

Measure PRT amends the City Charter to make four changes across Los Angeles's proprietary departments: it extends maximum lease terms for the Airports Department and Department of Water and Power from 50 to 66 years (matching the Harbor Department's existing authority), adjusts local residency requirements on the Board of Airport Commissioners, requires the Harbor Department to annually fund a Public Access Investment Plan for waterfront projects, and mandates that applicants for Harbor District leases or Coastal Development Permits submit workforce impact disclosures. The strongest provision here is the lease-term extension. Longer lease terms attract private capital by giving investors greater certainty of return, reducing the effective cost of financing airport and utility infrastructure. Aligning all three proprietary departments at 66 years is a sensible, overdue standardization. The Airport Commission residency changes are modest governance housekeeping, ensuring that commissioners actually live near the facilities they oversee. The measure is not without drawbacks. The Public Access Investment Plan codifies an existing Harbor Department practice of spending roughly $28.6 million annually on waterfront access, but embedding it in the Charter rather than leaving it as an administrative decision makes future reallocation far harder. Charter amendments require another citywide vote to undo. The workforce impact disclosure requirement adds a new compliance layer for businesses seeking Harbor District leases. While small businesses and nonprofits may be partially exempted, any added regulatory friction increases the cost of doing business at the Port. On balance, the lease-term extension is a meaningful improvement for long-term infrastructure investment, and the remaining provisions are either neutral or formalize existing practice. The regulatory and fiscal concerns are real but modest enough to support a Yes vote. Vote Yes on Measure PRT.