Mayor Villaraigosa has appointed local union activist and longtime docker David Arian to the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners.
Arian, a native of San Pedro, began his career as a longshoreman in 1965 and remained an active member of the International Longshore & Warehouse Union for 44 years until his retirement in 2009. In 1991, he was elected to a term as International President of the ILWU.
In 2006, Mayor Villaraigosa asked him to sit on the joint port advisory for the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach’s Clean Air Action Plan.
Describing himself in the past as a "militant union advocate," Arian has been an active member of the San Pedro community for decades working with organizations like the Toberman Settlement House, the Harbor Interfaith Shelter, and the San Pedro Boys & Girls Club.
He has also served for nearly a decade as president of the Harry Bridges Institute, a San Pedro-based non-profit dedicated to the memory and legacy of ILWU founder Harry Bridges.
Arian still faces a confirmation vote by the Los Angeles City Council. If confirmed, Arian will fill a seat vacated suddenly by Commissioner Joseph Radisich in mid-September. Radisich, also a long-time ILWU member, was the second departure from the port board in a roughly two-month period. Harbor Commission Vice President Jerilyn Lopez-Mendoza left the port board in July to pursue a new private sector job and in early September, Villaraigosa appointed his former chief of staff Robin Kramer to fill Lopez-Mendoza's vacant seat.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
