Harbor Commission

The Oxnard Harbor District has announced that Michael A. Plisky has been elected president of the Port of Hueneme harbor commission. The former Oxnard councilman previously served as vice president of the five-member panel. The annual commission reorganization included Commissioner Jess Herrera, who had served as secretary, being appointed vice president, and Commissioner Nao Takasugi, a retired assemblyman, being named secretary. The commission's other members are Raymond E.

Newport Beach is creating a special permitting process to allow sail and crew racers to exceed the harbor's 5-knot speed limit — a move that is likely to please participants in such local races as the Thursday night Beer Cans. After years of discussion, the Harbor Commission, Orange County Sheriff's Department Harbor Patrol, boating groups and city officials are nearing agreement on a plan that would allow yacht clubs and collegiate associations to apply for a permit before a given regatta and legally exceed the speed limit during races and practice sessions.

Long Beach Mayor Ernie Kell has made two new nominations to the city's powerful Harbor Commission, including a woman who would be the commission's first Latino member. One of the nominees would replace Commissioner George Talin Sr., who is under investigation for possible conflicts of interest stemming from his business dealings with the city.

The Los Angeles Harbor Commission on Thursday approved a controversial proposal to increase ship calls by 30% at one of the West Coast's largest shipping terminals and add 1,800 daily truck trips to an area already struggling to cope with some of Southern California's most polluted air. About 200 people attended the commission hearing at Banning's Landing Community Center in Wilmington. The panel voted 4 to 0 to certify the environmental impact report for the $1.

Mayor Tom Bradley on Friday appointed real estate developer and political fund-raiser Ronald S. Lushing to the city's powerful Board of Harbor Commissioners, filling a vacancy created last week by the resignation of Ira Distenfield. Lushing, 57, is currently president of the Board of Library Commissioners. He is also a partner in Parkhill Partners, which is developing a mixed-use project in downtown Los Angeles called Metropolis, and is owner of the real estate investment and consulting firm of Ronald S. Lushing & Associates.

After a two-month study of whether thousands of truck drivers have been exploited by the companies they work for, the Los Angeles Harbor Commission concluded Wednesday that whatever problems exist are beyond its jurisdiction. An eight-page report--produced by the port at the behest of the L.A. City Council--directs truck drivers who believe they are being cheated out of their proper paychecks or insurance coverage to bring their allegations to state law enforcement agencies.

Pressed into action after weeks of labor demonstrations at the Los Angeles Port, the City Council on Friday asked the Harbor Commission to investigate claims by hundreds of truck drivers that steamship lines and other companies involved with the port routinely break federal tax and customs laws. More than 4,000 truckers refused in early May to work for harbor area trucking companies, which haul cargo containers to and from the port for various clients.

Eight of Mayor Richard Riordan's key appointees to citizen commissions received unanimous confirmation Tuesday from the Los Angeles City Council. The eight residents will sit on the Airport and Harbor commissions--key panels in pushing Riordan's plans for increasing the efficiency of city government. Approved for the Airport Commission were downtown lawyer Patricia M. Schnegg, homeless shelter provider Martha Brown Hicks, Warner Bros. executive Dan Garcia and housing developer Warren Valdry.

After a fruitless four-year search for a tenant for the former Todd Pacific Shipyard, the Harbor Commission voted Wednesday to sell the yard's assets for scrap to B & B Contractors Inc. of Seattle. The board unanimously approved the $6-million sale of the shipyard's assets despite last-minute efforts by some city officials and a local shipyard to postpone the decision.

The Board of Harbor Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to pull out of an agreement to purchase property needed for the Alameda Corridor, although officials emphasized that the massive transportation project itself has not been derailed. The Alameda Corridor would expand rail lines from the Port of Los Angeles to the central city, greatly improving the port's ability to distribute goods to markets across the country. The rail construction would employ thousands.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa named two political supporters and an administrative law judge to the Los Angeles Fire Commission on Friday, rounding out his appointments to a panel that has been wrestling with allegations of racial bias in the department.

Harbor Commission President Nicholas G. Tonsich said Saturday that he would resign, the first of several changes expected at the city's port as Antonio Villaraigosa settles in as mayor of Los Angeles. Tonsich, a sometimes controversial appointee of former Mayor James K. Hahn, said he submitted his resignation on Thursday, effective July 12. He said he decided to resign out of respect for Hahn and to give Villaraigosa ample time to name a successor.

The Los Angeles city attorney began an inquiry Friday to determine whether two city commissioners violated ethics laws by hosting political fundraisers for Mayor James K. Hahn that were attended by firms with recent or pending business before them. And two of Hahn's challengers in the mayor's race called on harbor commission President Nick Tonsich to step down because of his involvement with one of the fundraising events.

The Oxnard Harbor District has announced that Michael A. Plisky has been elected president of the Port of Hueneme harbor commission. The former Oxnard councilman previously served as vice president of the five-member panel. The annual commission reorganization included Commissioner Jess Herrera, who had served as secretary, being appointed vice president, and Commissioner Nao Takasugi, a retired assemblyman, being named secretary. The commission's other members are Raymond E.

A yacht cruise Thursday was billed as a chance for Mayor James K. Hahn, Councilwoman Janice Hahn, Harbor Commission appointees and activists to share ideas for making the Port of Los Angeles a better neighbor to surrounding communities. But the chatter on board the sleek, oak-paneled Angelina II as it glided past massive cargo ships and acres of product containers stacked four high was not all that cheery.

After all these years of public life, 78-year-old Nao Takasugi has decided to run one more race. After 16 years on the Oxnard City Council, including 10 as mayor, the retired three-term state assemblyman says he would like a seat on the harbor commission at the Port of Hueneme. And that's not surprising. It pays well and provides lots of free travel. Harbor commissioners usually meet twice a month and receive $600 for it.

Ted Stein, a lawyer and developer who ran for city attorney in 1997 with the enthusiastic support of Mayor Richard Riordan, on Friday was fired from his Harbor Commission post by the same mayor. "The mayor has asked Ted Stein to step down," said Deputy Mayor Manuel Valencia. Riordan, the mayor's deputy said, decided to tap real estate developer Rick J.

In the aftermath of a collision that killed a Long Beach windsurfer four months ago, the Los Angeles Harbor Commission took a crucial step Wednesday to ban all powerboats and personal watercraft from a portion of the harbor and Cabrillo Beach. Citing safety reasons, the board unanimously approved a measure to set speed limits and to create an exclusive zone for nonmotorized vessels for at least 90 days beginning Feb. 15.