By Karen Robes Meeks
On Saturday morning, Feb. 8, Los Angeles port, union and community representatives will unveil a new street name honoring the former Los Angeles Harbor Commission Vice President and International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) leader Dave Arian. Arian died in January 2019 after battling thyroid cancer.
A part of Miner Street south of 22nd Street in San Pedro, Calif., will be renamed “Dave Arian Way,” after the lifelong San Pedro resident who began working on the Wilmington waterfront when he was 18. He served three terms as president of ILWU Local 13 before becoming, in 1991, international president of the ILWU at age 44. Following his retirement in 2009, he was appointed to the harbor commission in 2010.
Several people are expected to speak at the event, including Port Executive Director Gene Seroka, Los Angeles Harbor Commissioner Diane Middleton, ILWU International President William Adams, ILWU Local 13 President Ray Familathe and Dave Arian’s daughter Justine Arian-Edwards.