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425 S. Palos Verdes Street,
San Pedro, California USA 90731
Phone: (310) 732-3508
Email: community@portla.org




LoVLA: A Pandemic Response Initiative

In March 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Port of Los Angeles Executive Director and City of Los Angeles Chief Logistics Officer Gene Seroka launched an emergency-response group to form Logistics Victory Los Angeles (LoVLA)––a team of City employees designated to match medical and non-medical suppliers of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with L.A. area health care providers in need of PPE and other supplies to treat COVID-19 patients.
 
Staffed with representatives from the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles Department of General Services, and Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, LoVLA’s core mission was achieved by helping hospital procurement teams track and expedite supplies across the medical supply chain that flows from overseas through L.A.'s port and airport. The team also connected hospitals directly to suppliers and procures essential medical supplies by leveraging the purchasing capability of the City of Los Angeles. 
 
Throughout the pandemic, LoVLA received several extremely generous donations of critical medical supplies that were distributed to local hospitals and frontline medical workers, saving lives. The City of Los Angeles acknowledges and thanks these donors for their generosity in this time of great need.

Throughout the pandemic, LoVLA supplied more than 10 million units of PPE and other supplies to nearly 250 organizations.

LOVLA DONORS
Timeline

 
March 31, 2020 • Former Mayor Eric Garcetti names Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka the Chief Logistics Officer for the City of Los Angeles.

April 7, 2020 • Garcetti and Seroka announce Logistics Victory Los Angeles (LoVLA) and the launch of LoVLA.org, a website dedicated to matching available medical supplies with health care providers in need.

April 17, 2020 • Apple Inc. donates 160,000 face shields through the Apple Giving program to assist in L.A.’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 20, 2020 • Operation USA donates 8,000 medical isolation gowns that were delivered to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center and St. Francis Medical Center to help treat COVID-19 patients.

April 29, 2020 • Garcetti and LoVLA announce an agreement with Honeywell to purchase 24 million N95 masks as part of a City stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE).​

May 20, 2020 • Harbor Freight Tools donates more than 11,000 pieces of PPE that will be distributed to various local health and medical facilities.

May 28, 2020 • LoVLA receives delivery of the first part of a larger order of 24 million N95 masks purchased by the City from Honeywell for doctors, nurses, firefighters, and first responders.​

May 28, 2020 • Shipping line CMA CGM donates 200,000 face masks that will replenish the City's stockpile and support frontline port workers.

July 1, 2020 • YS Media Agency, Japan External Trade Organization Los Angeles and Nippon Express donate 10,000 bottles of hand sanitizer; Toyota Motor North America donates 1,000 face shields. 

August 13, 2020 • The Port of Los Angeles and California Manufacturers & Technology Association sign a Memorandum of Understanding to further streamline the supply and provision of PPE.

August 31, 2020 • The Port of Los Angeles, LoVLA and CMA CGM donate 75,000 masks to United Farm Workers for farm workers who continue to work outdoors amid the pandemic, wildfire smoke and extreme heat.

October 9, 2020 • CMA CGM sends emergency supplies and shipping containers to Los Angeles Fire Department and the counties of Fresno and Madera to support efforts to contain the California Wildfires.

November 18, 2020 • CMA CGM donates 2,000 turkeys to Los Angeles families and 300 prepared meals to three Harbor Area homeless shelters for the Thanksgiving holiday.

August 19, 2021 •  LoVLA distributes its 10 millionth piece of PPE. 

January 7, 2022 •  Los Angeles County Health Officer Order requires employers to provide and require employees who work indoors in close contact with others to wear a well-fitting medical grade mask, surgical mask, or higher-level respirator such as an N95 filtering facepiece respirator or KN95, at all times while indoors at the worksite or facility. LoVLA provides businesses the opportunity to purchase N95 masks at wholesale costs (less than $1 each). 

News about LoVLA

LoVLA in the News

September 1, 2020
Alive! News from the Employees Club of California: Port Logistics Manages Medical Gear for LA Area During the Pandemic

August 10, 2020
Spectrum News 1 SoCal/Inside The Issues: Impact of the Pandemic on the Port of Los Angeles

June 22, 2020
Los Angeles Business Journal: Heavy Duties: Gene Seroka guides the Port of LA — and the city’s PPE supply efforts

May 18, 2020
AJOT: Port of LA’s Seroka Outlines Port and City Public Private Partnerships​

May 8, 2020 
Bloomberg Radio: Port of L.A. Executive Director on Trade, LoVLA

April 29, 2020
Spectrum News 1 SoCal: Inside the Issues with Alex Cohen (LoVLA)

April 28, 2020
Daily Breeze: LA Port director working overtime in push to secure coronavirus medical supplies

April 23, 2020
KABC: Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka on Cargo Movement, PPE

April 14, 2020
American Journal of Transportation: COVID-19: Port of LA’s Seroka outlines new challenges

LoVLA News Releases

October 9, 2020
CMA CGM Sends Emergency Supplies, Shipping Containers to Support Efforts to Contain California Wildfires

August 31, 2020
Port of Los Angeles, CMA CGM Group Donate 75,000 Masks to United Farm Workers

August 13, 2020
Port of Los Angeles to Work With California Manufacturers & Technology Association Under New Agreement

August 13, 2020
Port of Los Angeles July Volumes are Strongest of 2020

July 1, 2020
Consulate General of Japan Facilitates Donations to LoVLA for COVID-19 Response

May 28, 2020
COVID-19: The CMA CGM Group donates 200,000 face masks to Mayor Eric Garcetti, for the City of Los Angeles

May 28, 2020
Video and Photo Release: Mayor Garcetti Welcomes first Shipment of N95 Masks from Honeywell

May 20, 2020
Port, Logistics Victory Los Angeles Receive Personal Protective Equipment Donation from Harbor Freight Tools

April 30, 2020
Video Update: Logistics Victory L.A. Utilities Port of Los Angeles' Supply Chain Power
 
April 29, 2020
Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti, LoVLA Announce Long-Term Partnership with Honeyweel for Acquisition of 24 Million N95 Masks
 
April 17, 2020
Apple Donates 60,000 Face Shields to Logistics Victory Los Angeles to Help the City Combat Spread of COVID-19

Naming LoVLA

The name Logistics Victory Los Angeles (LoVLA) was inspired by the U.S. Merchant Marine Victory class of cargo ships.
 
Built during World War II, Victory and Liberty ships were cargo ships that came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output, transporting cargo and materials in support of Allied war efforts.
 
Victory ships had a more modern design compared to the earlier Liberty ships, and were slightly larger with powerful steam turbine engines. A total of 531 Victory and 2,710 Liberty ships were built nationwide. During World War II, both of these ship types were built on Terminal Island at the Port of Los Angeles, which temporarily ceased cargo operations in order to support the nation’s war efforts.
 
Today, the Port of Los Angeles is home to the SS Lane Victory, a rare surviving Victory ship that was built at the Port in 1945. A cargo ship used in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War, it was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1990 and is now a museum on the LA Waterfront.