Calif. Gov. Makes Maritime and Transportation Appointments

Newly ensconced California Governor Jerry Brown has announced several new appointments related to transportation and maritime shipping.

John Cronin, of Marin, has been appointed to the Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun.

The board licenses and regulates the 60 maritime pilots who guide vessels entering or leaving those bays. The eight members of the Board are appointed by the Governor, and except for the ex-officio member who is the state Secretary of the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, require confirmation by the State Senate.

Cronin, a 27-year maritime veteran, is currently a vessel manager for Matson Navigation Company, where he has worked since 2005. He served as a deck officer from 1979 to 2005, as a licensed officer with the International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots. Cronin is also a member of the San Francisco Harbor Safety Committee and currently sits on the Rules and Regulations Committee of the Board of Pilot Commissioners.

Cronin, a Democrat, still requires State Senate confirmation to serve in the uncompensated position.

Governor Brown also announced the re-appointment of both James Earp and Carl Guardino to the California Transportation Commission.

The CTC, consisting of 11 voting members and two non-voting ex-officio members, is responsible for the programming and allocating of funds for the construction of highway, passenger rail and transit improvements throughout California. The Governor appoints nine members of the CTC, one is appointed by the State Senate Rules Committee, and one is appointed by the Speaker of the California Assembly. The two ex-officio non-voting members are appointed from the State Senate and Assembly, usually by the respective chairs of the transportation policy committee in each house.

Earp, who has served on the CTC since 2007, has been the executive director of the California Alliance for Jobs since 1998. Prior to this he served as public relations director for the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 3, a heavy construction union, from 1976 to 1998.

Carl Guardino, who has served on the CTC since 2007, has been re-appointed to the commission by Governor Brown.

Guardino has served as president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG), a public policy trade association that represents more than 350 Silicon Valley companies, since 1997. He served as government affairs director for Hewlett Packard from 1995 to 1997 and was the vice president of the SVLG from 1991 to 1995.

Both Earp and Guardino are Democrats who were previously appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Each appointment requires confirmation by the State Senate.

Bay Area Bar Pilots Christen New Pilot Boat

The newest addition to the San Francisco bar pilot fleet is the 104-foot-long pilot boat Drake.

The vessel was officially christened Wednesday by San Francisco port Director Monique Moyer during a ceremony at the San Francisco waterfront.

Named for famed English mariner Sir Francis Drake, the new vessel will soon join two other pilot boats shuttling local bar pilots to and from ocean-going vessels as they arrive and depart the harbor. The bar pilots, members of the Bar Pilots Association, climb aboard the ocean-going vessels at sea or ride with the vessels to sea – all the while providing local navigation assistance to the vessels' crews during the transits.

The Drake and her two sister pilot boats will rotate holding station about 11 miles outside of Golden Gate, each spending four days and nights on duty. Up to eight pilots at a time live aboard the vessels while at station, riding in with the ocean-going vessels entering San Francisco Bay and returning to the pilot boat aboard vessels departing. The Drake features accommodations for up to eight pilots and four crew members, is powered by two 1,100-horsepower engines and operates a fully equipped galley to service the crew 24 hours a day.

Last year, the Bay Area pilots made 4,500 pilot-to-vessel transfers, according to the Bar Pilot Association.

The California Legislature established the Bay Area bar pilots in 1850 and they are overseen by the quasi-governmental Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun.

Career Moves at Pacer, Bay Area Pilot Board

Asset-light based transportation and logistics services provider Pacer International Inc. has hired Mark T. Coleman as regional vice president, sales-west, for its Pacer Transportation Solutions Inc. unit.

In the new role, Coleman's responsibilities will include coordinating the marketing efforts and sales in Pacer's western region.

A 25-year veteran of the logistics industry, Coleman most recently served with Schneider National ending his tenure as Vice President - Intermodal Sales West.

The eight-member Board of Pilot Commissioners for the Bays of San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun has named Capt. Allen Garfinkle as the new executive director of the state board.

In his new role, Capt. Garfinkle will oversee all Board personnel and Board administrative functions, including: licensing of San Francisco bar pilots and inland pilots, trainee training and continuing education programs for pilots, and the investigation of maritime incidents involving Board-licensed pilots.

A graduate of the California Maritime Academy who is also a member of the California bar, Capt. Garfinkle most recently completed 21 years of service with Matson Navigation Co.