New L.A. Harbor Commissioners Hold First Meeting

Posted by Michelle Howard November 22, 2013

Photo: The Port of Los Angeles

The newly assembled Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners held its first meeting, with four of the five-member panel newly appointed by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. Three of the commissioners are Harbor Area residents. The Harbor Commission is expected to elect its president and vice-president at the next Board meeting on December 12 th.

“Spurring investment and creating job opportunities at our nation’s No. 1 Port is critical to Los Angeles and the entire country,” said Mayor Garcetti. “I’m looking to this panel to assure that the Port remains the premier trade gateway in North America and continues to produce needed jobs here in Los Angeles.”

"I am very happy with the Board of Harbor Commissioners assembled by Mayor Garcetti,” said Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino, whose 15th District includes the Port. “Each member brings a diversity of knowledge and experience that will help the Port grow and prosper in a way that creates more jobs and balances the needs and concerns of all stakeholders."

The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners oversees the management and operation of the Port of Los Angeles. The five-member board is appointed by the mayor of Los Angeles and confirmed by the Los Angeles City Council. The commissioners serve five-year terms.

The five members of the newly seated Board are:

David Arian – A long-time San Pedro and Harbor area resident, Arian joined the Harbor Commission in 2010 and currently serves as vice president. Arian serves as president of the Harry Bridges Institute, a San Pedro-based, nonprofit dedicated to community organization. Arian has long been a fixture on the Harbor waterfront as a union worker, labor leader, and supporter of many community organizations. A longshoreman from 1965-2009, Arian was an active member and held numerous leadership positions in the International Longshore & Warehouse Union. In 2006, he served on the joint port advisory panel for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach’s Clean Air Action Plan.
Patricia Castellanos – Castellanos presently serves as deputy director of the L.A. Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), a leading policy, advocacy nonprofit organization focused on advancing economic development strategies that lead to better jobs and an improved environment. Previously, she served for six years as LAANE’s director of the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports. Before joining LAANE, Castellanos was the harbor area director for former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. A resident of San Pedro, Castellanos was named “Democrat of the Year” for Assembly District 54 by the Los Angeles Democratic Party, and “Woman of the Year” by the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce in 2006.
Vilma Martinez – Martinez most recently served as U.S. Ambassador to Argentina from 2009-2013, appointed by President Obama and the first woman to hold the position. Since 1982, Martinez has served as a partner in the law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson, where she has specialized in federal and state court commercial litigation, and equal employment opportunity and diversity policies for businesses. Prior to that, she was president and general counsel of the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), a litigation associate at a New York law firm, and a staff attorney with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. She was a University of California regent for 15 years, and served as its chairman from 1984 to 1986. She was also a President Clinton appointee to the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations from 1994 to 1996.
Anthony Pirozzi, Jr. – Pirozzi currently serves as the director of systems integration, test and launch organization at the Boeing Satellite Development Center in El Segundo. He has worked for Boeing for 23 years, building and launching communication satellites. A native San Pedran, Pirozzi is actively involved in the community. He became a member of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce in 2006, and served as the chairman of its Board of Directors from 2010 to 2012. He was president of Eastview Little League in San Pedro from 2009 to 2012, and has been a columnist for the local San Pedro Today newspaper since 2009. Pirozzi is also active in local youth sports and theater.
Edward Renwick – Renwick is a partner at The Yucaipa Companies, LLC, a Los Angeles-based private investment firm. In addition, he co-founded and is chief executive officer of Raineth Holdings, a $40 million real estate investment fund. Prior to joining Yucaipa in 1999, Renwick was a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and senior vice president of business development at the Chongqing Wanli Storage Battery Company in China. Renwick holds a B.A. from Stanford University and a J.D. and M.P.P. from Harvard University.

The Port of Los Angeles is America’s premier por and has a strong commitment to developing innovative strategic and sustainable operations that benefit the economy as well as the quality of life for the region and the nation it serves. As the leading seaport in North America in terms of shipping container volume and cargo value, the Port generates more than 830,000 regional jobs and $35 billion in annual wages and tax revenues. The Port of Los Angeles – A cleaner port. A brighter future.