By Karen Robes Meeks
Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia recently honored Carmen Perez, the first Latino woman to be part of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, by presenting her with a key to the city.
Perez is known for her advocacy and deep community and political ties. She had a 12-year tenure on the commission, serving from 1991 to 2003. During that period, Gov. Gray Davis appointed her to the California World Trade Commission and she was also on the Board of Directors of the Pacific Coast Association of Port Authorities.
She was Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn’s Assistant Chief Deputy and vice chair for the Democratic National Party.
Perez is a founding member of the American Diabetes Association’s Long Beach Chapter, the Long Beach Mujeres Coalition and the founder and first president of the Long Beach Chicano Political Caucus, according to her Port of Long Beach bio.
Showing posts with label Long Beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Long Beach. Show all posts
Friday, May 4, 2018
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
The Center for International Trade and Transportation Town Hall Meeting 2014
Bigger ships.
E-commerce. 3-D Manufacturing. Rising energy costs. Emerging markets. The way
the world trade is changing. And changes halfway around the world have impacts
on the ground here in Southern California. Are we prepared?
Join the Center for
International Trade and Transportation for the 2014 CITT State of the Trade and Transportation Town Hall meeting
to discuss what changing trends mean for the economy, the environment and the
future of our region as a trade gateway.
The 2014 Town Hall
features new Port of Long Beach Chief Executive Jon Slangerup and Peter
Friedmann of the Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers and Freight
Forwarders Associations. And the evening will begin with a new video from the
award-winning CSULB media team that sets the stage for the evening’s
discussion.
For more information,
contact Alix Traver at Alix.Traver@csulb.edu
or (562) 985-2876.
Wednesday, October 15,
2014
6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Carpenter Performing
Arts Center, CSULB
6200 Atherton Street,
Long Beach, CA
Admission is free.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Port of Long Beach Picks New Executive Director
The Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners has chosen Chris Lytle to succeed Dick Steinke as the port’s executive director. The board confirmed Nov. 7 that it would vote to approve Lytle during its next business meeting, currently scheduled for Nov. 14.
Lytle, who’s held the position of deputy executive director since 2008, joined the port as a managing director in 2006. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Puget Sound and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Central Washington University.
He’s a former vice president with the French shipping line CMA CGM and also previously held executive-level positions with P&O Ports North America, Sea-Land Service Inc. and APM Terminals.
Harbor Commission President Susan E. Anderson Wise said that Lytle was chosen after an extensive, nationwide search and that his extensive public and private experience make him the ideal choice.
“On the private side, he’s operated shipping terminals around the world and fully understands the unique issues facing public ports in California,” she said. “And while he understands the industry, he’s also very open to new ideas and innovations.”
Steinke, who announced his retirement in April, joined the port in 1990 and had been executive director since 1997.
Lytle, who’s held the position of deputy executive director since 2008, joined the port as a managing director in 2006. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Puget Sound and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Central Washington University.
He’s a former vice president with the French shipping line CMA CGM and also previously held executive-level positions with P&O Ports North America, Sea-Land Service Inc. and APM Terminals.
Harbor Commission President Susan E. Anderson Wise said that Lytle was chosen after an extensive, nationwide search and that his extensive public and private experience make him the ideal choice.
“On the private side, he’s operated shipping terminals around the world and fully understands the unique issues facing public ports in California,” she said. “And while he understands the industry, he’s also very open to new ideas and innovations.”
Steinke, who announced his retirement in April, joined the port in 1990 and had been executive director since 1997.
New HQ for Long Beach Port Still Uncertain After Vote
For the second time in as many votes, the Long Beach harbor board has reached a stalemate on the issue of buying the Long Beach World Trade Center to use as the new headquarters for the Port of Long Beach.
During the board’s Nov. 7 business meeting, the board considered whether to extend the purchase contract period for the WTC beyond the Nov. 14 deadline, but the outcome was the same as when the board first considered the purchase on Oct. 10: a 2-2 tie.
Vice President Thomas Fields and commissioner Nick Sramek voted for the extension and commissioners Rich Dines and Doug Drummond against. The fifth member, President Susan Wise has recused herself from the issue because she and her husband both have office space in the building.
Fields and Sramek have said that the purchase is needed to expedite the exodus of the port’s 450-person staff from the current building, which was built in the 1950s and has been declared seismically deficient.
But Dines and Drummond have argued that the purchase price – $130 million – is too steep for the 27-story downtown building.
With the stalemate, the possibility of a purchase is essentially dead in the water.
The port had originally planned to internally fund and build a $220 million state-of-the-art headquarters within the harbor; however the idea was eventually shot down by Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster as too expensive. Since then, the port’s been looking to lease or purchase a nearby office building to house port staff.
During the board’s Nov. 7 business meeting, the board considered whether to extend the purchase contract period for the WTC beyond the Nov. 14 deadline, but the outcome was the same as when the board first considered the purchase on Oct. 10: a 2-2 tie.
Vice President Thomas Fields and commissioner Nick Sramek voted for the extension and commissioners Rich Dines and Doug Drummond against. The fifth member, President Susan Wise has recused herself from the issue because she and her husband both have office space in the building.
Fields and Sramek have said that the purchase is needed to expedite the exodus of the port’s 450-person staff from the current building, which was built in the 1950s and has been declared seismically deficient.
But Dines and Drummond have argued that the purchase price – $130 million – is too steep for the 27-story downtown building.
With the stalemate, the possibility of a purchase is essentially dead in the water.
The port had originally planned to internally fund and build a $220 million state-of-the-art headquarters within the harbor; however the idea was eventually shot down by Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster as too expensive. Since then, the port’s been looking to lease or purchase a nearby office building to house port staff.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
West Coast Ports: Too Soon to Know Impacts of Japan Disaster on Trade
Major West Coast ports are reporting that it is too early to determine what impact the massive 9.0 earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated northern Japan on Friday will have on trade with the island nation.
The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles handle more than $44 billion a year with Japan, with the major players being ocean carrier's NYK and K-Line and automakers Nissan and Toyota.
Japanese cargo represents 10 to 15 percent of the Port of Los Angeles' annual cargo volumes, while the neighboring Port of Long Beach reports slightly lower amounts.
The most of the major commercial cargo ports in Japan are located in the central or southern regions of the nation and were spared direct damage from the earthquake or tsunami. However, reports suggest that at least several major manufacturing suppliers are located in the devastated northern regions. Depending on the severity of the direct damage to these facilities – which remains unknown at this point – coupled with the ongoing difficulty of simply moving in an out of the hard hit areas as well as the nation's focus on humanitarian efforts, manufacturers in the central and southern regions could experience disruptions in their supply chains.
"Even though most of the ports are in the central and south, there are suppliers in the north that may have some impact on the supply chain, but it is hard to tell right now," Port of Long Beach spokesperson Art Wong said Monday.
According to the Port of Los Angeles, roughly 83 percent of the port's Japanese commerce is moved through the central and southern Japanese ports. Of the remaining 17 percent, 3 percent was moved through port of Sendai, one of the hardest hit ports by the earthquake and tsunami. The Japanese government estimates Sendai port, and up to five other northern ports, will be closed for "many months."
Staff at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles both report difficulty in communicating with Japanese representatives.
The majority of the bulk grain and lumber exported from the United States to Japan moves through the various Columbia River ports. Damage to the northern Japanese ports "could potentially impact some bulk shipments," Port of Portland spokesman Josh Thomas told the Wall Street Journal.
A Port of Seattle spokesperson also told the Journal that about 15 percent of the port's annual container volume is either heading to or coming from Japan.
Over the weekend, Tokyo-based ocean carrier NYK Group temporarily suspended service on its Japan-China Express shipping service which called at Sendai as one of four stops in Japan and four in China as well as Los Angeles and Oakland.
While NYK reported that the company's offices are open in Japan, "telecommunication to/within Japan especially in the eastern and northern part of Japan is still unstable, and may continue due to planned outage announced by electric power company."
NYK also reported, "Due to the earthquake, operation has suspended at many ports in Japan last weekend and we may face delay due to berth congestion. The current situation may warrant a temporary change of rotation or omission of ports which will be considered on a vessel by vessel basis, to improve the schedule integrity."
Ocean carrier K-Line, which does not operate a regular service at any northern Japanese ports, reported Sunday that all of the central and southern ports it services in Japan were open, including Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Shimizu, and Yokohama.
The ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles handle more than $44 billion a year with Japan, with the major players being ocean carrier's NYK and K-Line and automakers Nissan and Toyota.
Japanese cargo represents 10 to 15 percent of the Port of Los Angeles' annual cargo volumes, while the neighboring Port of Long Beach reports slightly lower amounts.
The most of the major commercial cargo ports in Japan are located in the central or southern regions of the nation and were spared direct damage from the earthquake or tsunami. However, reports suggest that at least several major manufacturing suppliers are located in the devastated northern regions. Depending on the severity of the direct damage to these facilities – which remains unknown at this point – coupled with the ongoing difficulty of simply moving in an out of the hard hit areas as well as the nation's focus on humanitarian efforts, manufacturers in the central and southern regions could experience disruptions in their supply chains.
"Even though most of the ports are in the central and south, there are suppliers in the north that may have some impact on the supply chain, but it is hard to tell right now," Port of Long Beach spokesperson Art Wong said Monday.
According to the Port of Los Angeles, roughly 83 percent of the port's Japanese commerce is moved through the central and southern Japanese ports. Of the remaining 17 percent, 3 percent was moved through port of Sendai, one of the hardest hit ports by the earthquake and tsunami. The Japanese government estimates Sendai port, and up to five other northern ports, will be closed for "many months."
Staff at the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles both report difficulty in communicating with Japanese representatives.
The majority of the bulk grain and lumber exported from the United States to Japan moves through the various Columbia River ports. Damage to the northern Japanese ports "could potentially impact some bulk shipments," Port of Portland spokesman Josh Thomas told the Wall Street Journal.
A Port of Seattle spokesperson also told the Journal that about 15 percent of the port's annual container volume is either heading to or coming from Japan.
Over the weekend, Tokyo-based ocean carrier NYK Group temporarily suspended service on its Japan-China Express shipping service which called at Sendai as one of four stops in Japan and four in China as well as Los Angeles and Oakland.
While NYK reported that the company's offices are open in Japan, "telecommunication to/within Japan especially in the eastern and northern part of Japan is still unstable, and may continue due to planned outage announced by electric power company."
NYK also reported, "Due to the earthquake, operation has suspended at many ports in Japan last weekend and we may face delay due to berth congestion. The current situation may warrant a temporary change of rotation or omission of ports which will be considered on a vessel by vessel basis, to improve the schedule integrity."
Ocean carrier K-Line, which does not operate a regular service at any northern Japanese ports, reported Sunday that all of the central and southern ports it services in Japan were open, including Nagoya, Osaka, Tokyo, Shimizu, and Yokohama.
