Environmental Attorney Joins Long Beach Harbor Commission
Environmental attorney and Long Beach resident Tracy Egoscue joined the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners on Tuesday as the first Commissioner appointed by newly elected Mayor Robert Garcia. She was approved by the City Council last week for a six-year term. Egoscue heads a Long Beach-based private law practice, and in the past was Executive Officer of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board – Los Angeles Region, and prior to that served as Executive Director of Santa Monica Baykeeper, an environmental advocacy group. She has also practiced environmental litigation as a Deputy Attorney General for the California Department of Justice, and worked on issues encompassing the Air Resources Board, the California Environmental Quality Act and the Federal Clean Water Act.
POLB’s First Woman Commissioner Dies at 93
Louise M. DuVall, the first woman to serve on the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, died Saturday, April 19. She was 93. She was appointed to two terms on the Harbor Commission, serving from Feb. 6, 1979, to July 18, 1990. She advocated for women to rise in the legal profession and the maritime industry. “Louise led the way and broke through barriers for other women who would follow,” said current Harbor Commissioner Susan E. Anderson Wise, also an attorney, who speaks regularly to young career women about how DuVall inspired her.
California Leaders to Convene for Maritime Conference
The 14th Annual California Maritime Leadership Symposium, slated to take place February 19-20 at the Sacramento Convention Center, attracts key members from California’s State Legislature and representatives from California’s ports and the maritime industry. The symposium aims to encourage productive dialogue among maritime industry leaders and communicate port needs to California decision makers. The symposium is hosted by a broad-based coalition of the maritime industry, headed up by the California Association of Port Authorities…
POLB Commissioners Elect Thomas Fields President
The Long Beach advertising executive & former city planning commissioner, will lead the commission for a 1-year term from 1, July 2013. Thomas Fields will succeed Commissioner Susan E. Anderson Wise, who has served two years as President. The Board President serves as chair of the commission, running board meetings and often representing the Port to the public and shipping industry. “I look forward to serving as Board President; this is an exciting time for the Port as we look…
POLB Chief to Leave for Oakland
Christopher Lytle, Port of Long Beach Executive Director since November 2011, will resign to take the top post at the Port of Oakland. Lytle will remain at Long Beach until mid-July, and is expected to begin his new job in Oakland shortly thereafter. He joined the Port of Long Beach in 2006 as a managing director, was promoted to Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer in 2008 and became the Port’s top executive after the retirement of longtime executive director Richard D. Steinke.
POLB Construction Projects Give Work to 5,000
Port of Long Beach (POLB) modernization projects created 5,166 new construction-related jobs in the region in 2012. The number of new jobs is mainly linked to the award of contracts for the design and building of the Gerald Desmond Bridge replacement and an ongoing terminal makeover. In 2012, the Port awarded a $650 million design-build contract for the bridge project and major contracts for the Middle Harbor Redevelopment Program. Other contracts awarded in 2012 included environmental work, security upgrades, shore power installations for terminals and other infrastructure.
Neighboring California Ports at Loggerheads
The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners to support the city’s appeal against a proposed Port of Los Angeles rail yard project. The city’s appeal is of the Southern California International Gateway rail yard project approved recently by the Port of Los Angeles. The 153-acre facility proposed by BNSF Railway Co. sits just outside West Long Beach, alongside the Terminal Island Freeway on land owned by the Port of Los Angeles. Much of its impact would be felt by nearby Long Beach residents, businesses and schools.
Port of Long Beach Buys New Temporary HQ
Board approves move to temporary headquarters at 4801 Airport Plaza Drive. The Port's administrative staff of about 350 people is expected to move to Airport Plaza in 2013. The Board stressed that the move is temporary, and that discussions will begin soon on building a permanent headquarters in or near downtown Long Beach. "I am relieved that we have identified a secure, temporary home," said Board President Susan E. Anderson Wise. Wise, and commissioners Rich Dines, Doug Drummond and Nick Sramek voted in favor of purchasing the Airport Plaza building.
