Here's the announcement from Catalina Express about the Long Beach situation (from their website):
January 12, 2005
For Immediate Release
Catalina Express Announces a Temporary Service Change
Effective Immediately
All scheduled departures for Catalina Landing, Downtown Long Beach will operate from the Catalina Terminal in San Pedro through Thursday, January 20, 2005.
SAN PEDRO, Calif. - Heavy storm silting at the Los Angeles River Basin at the entrance to the Catalina Express terminal in downtown Long Beach, has blocked passage of Catalina Express vessels to the port. The Catalina Express will run the Landing schedule from the Catalina Express port in San Pedro. In the meantime, the San Pedro schedule of departures to Avalon will be canceled and the Two Harbors service will continue as scheduled.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will perform an emergency assessment, and a report is expected early next week.
Greg Bombard, President of Catalina Express reports "storm silting at the base of the Los Angeles River has happened in the past. We are fortunate to have a strong line of communication with the City of Long Beach and the U.S Army Corps of Engineers so that we have their urgent attention and hope for a speedy resolution to the silting problem. In the past, it was a matter of dredging the channel. The report will tell how extensive the repairs will be."
San Pedro operations to Two Harbors are not affected. Catalina Express regrets any inconvenience to passengers and requests travelers contact Catalina Express to reschedule trips or to obtain the latest information. The Catalina Express Call Center is also attempting to contact customers who have already booked transportation.
