Hueneme’s Herrera Sees Seventh Stint

By Karen Robes Meeks

Jess Herrera will, in 2019, serve his seventh term as president of the Port of Hueneme Board of Harbor Commissioners. First elected to the Board in 1994, Herrera is the port’s longest consecutively serving commissioner. He served 10 terms as Executive Officer of the Internal Longshore and Warehouse Union and eight terms as Chairman of the ILWU’s Southern California Regional Jurisdiction Committee.

Herrera, currently a marine clerk, has worked on the waterfront at the Port of Hueneme for 53 years.

“In a time with unprecedented political strife in our nation, we have the opportunity to lead locally by prioritizing goals that are both socially responsible and in the best interests of all our stakeholders,” Herrera said when asked about his goals for the port this year. “Our shared future prosperity is dependent on our ability to expand port facilities and infrastructure. I look forward to working closely with my fellow elected officials and community stakeholders to create greater access to economic opportunity, a district free from the woes of crime and poverty, and a sustainable environment where all can succeed.”

Oxnard Harbor District President Announces Congressional Run

Jess Herrera, a five-term member of the Oxnard Harbor District, the entity that runs the Port of Hueneme, has announced that he’s running for a newly created Congressional District seat in Ventura County.

Herrera, 63, is a longshoreman by trade and works as a marine clerk at the Port of Hueneme, where he helps coordinate the flow of ships and cargo. He says he’s running for the newly drawn 26th District seat in the California House of Representatives because he wants to bring jobs to the area. The new seat includes most of Ventura County, with the exception of Simi Valley.

Herrera says he has no plans to step down from the five-member commission, to which he was first elected in 1994, where he currently serves as president.

He’s the fifth person so far to enter the race. Under new California election primary rules, the top two vote getters in a June ballot go on to face off on a November ballot, regardless of party affiliation. Herrera and the other announced candidates are all Democrats.