The Port is an independent, self-supporting department of the government of the City of Los Angeles. The Port is under the control of a five-member Board of Harbor Commissioners appointed by the Mayor and approved by the City Council, and is administered by an executive director. The Harbor Commission was founded in 1907.
The container volume was 5.6 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) in fiscal year 2002 and 5.0 million TEUs in fiscal year 2001. The Port is the busiest port in the United States by container volume.