Proposed School Must Pay L.A. Port for Rehab

A proposed charter school must reimburse the Port of Los Angeles thousands of dollars for building renovations made by the port despite the state’s warnings that the work was illegal.

The charter high school intends to lease a port building in San Pedro and begin classes this fall. Port officials moved ahead with more than $6 million worth of work, despite warnings from the state Lands Commission that the spending was a misuse of port funds, which must be used for water-related purposes and the people of California.

The charter school has been spearheaded by port Commissioner Camilla Townsend, with strong backing from former Mayor James K. Hahn and his sister, Councilwoman Janice Hahn.

Now the commission and port have crafted an agreement that would allow the school to lease the building for five years at the market rate and specifies that the school repay the port for renovations done for the school.

The commission’s executive director, Paul D. Thayer, said the new school owed the port at least $500,000.

The agreement, which also stipulates how a new park can be built as an entrance to San Pedro, appears to stave off a state lawsuit against the port.

Port officials authorized buying three parcels of land for the park, despite state warnings that the spending was inappropriate. Now the state will allow the port to buy the land as long as it swaps the pieces in the next two years with city-owned land that can be used for port purposes.

“What the port is doing is consistent with the public trust doctrine as applied in other parts of the state,” Thayer said.

Port spokesman Arley M. Baker said the port was pleased with the agreement. “We ironed things out with state Lands; we feel good about it, and we’re moving forward,” Baker said.