RL NEWS Update: Oct. 8, 2014

POLB Team to Facilitate Congestion Relief
LONG BEACH — On Oct. 8, the Port of Long Beach convened a congestion relief team to meet daily and seek solutions.
In conjunction with the Congestion Relief Team, port field staff is meeting regularly with customers and stakeholders to listen to their concerns, collaborate on solutions and monitor performance. A surge of larger ships has taxed terminals at ports around the world to move cargo faster. Locally, POLB staff has already identified one of the challenges.
The port team also is seeking a discussion agreement with the Federal Maritime Commission to have substantive discussions with the Port of Los Angeles on common issues of concern – namely congestion.
The Board of Harbor Commissioners, the governing body of the port, has also established a subcommittee chaired by Commission Vice President Rich Dines, working with Commissioner Lori Ann Farrell, to focus on port efficiency.

Garcia Selects 13 New Commissioners for Five Commissions
LONG BEACH — On Oct. 8, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia announced the appointment of 13 new commissioners to five commissions this month.
The non-charter appointments will come before the City Council on October 21 for approval, while the 4 appointments to the Planning Commissions will first come before the Civil Service Committee.
The persons Garcia selected are:
PLANNING COMMISSION
Mike Logrande is the director of planning for the Los Angeles Planning Department. He has worked in the department for 15 years. He was a member of the steering committees for the Long Beach General Plan in 2006 and for the Central Redevelopment Project Area. Logrande earned political science and public administration degrees from Cal State Long Beach. He was chairman of the board of directors of the Long Beach Housing Development Co. He is an American Planning Association member.
Andy Perez is employed in the public affairs bureau of Union Pacific Railroad, as Director of Port Affairs for Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco. A graduate of Cal State Dominguez Hills, Perez has long served on the Boards of Directors for Long Beach Boys and Girls Clubs and the Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and was a member of the mayor’s transition team.
Jane Templin is vice president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 11 and the outreach director at the Electrical Training Institute. A certified general electrician, Templin has served on the executive board of the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network, on the advisory committee of the Long Beach Job Corps, and as a mentor at the ACE Academy of Long Beach.
Erick Verduzco-Vega is the president and CEO of the South Bay Latino Chamber of Commerce, and the South Bay Latino Community Development Corp. He also manages real estate and restaurant investments, and has served on the Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board as its vice chairman.
LONG BEACH TRANSPORTATION COMPANY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
April Economides is the founder and president of Green Octopus Consulting, which promotes complete streets and green business. She earned a master’s in business administration from Presidio Graduate School and is a board member of the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition. Economides was a member of the task force that created Claremont’s Sustainable City Plan. She also was a member of the Mayor’s Transition Team
Sumire Gant is a former transportation planner for both Long Beach and Los Angeles County. She earned a master’s in business administration from UCLA. She secured millions of dollars of transportation and planning grants for Long Beach within a 10-year period. She was instrumental in planning and funding many portions of the city’s bicycle infrastructure.
Nancy Pfeffer is the founder and president of Network Public Affairs, an environmental and transportation consulting firm. She has served for 7 years as director of regional planning for the Gateway Cities Council of Governments. She is a board member of Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network and City Fabrick. Pfeffer earned a master’s in public policy from USC. Her appointment would begin Jan. 1, 2015.
Mary Zendejas is the director and founder of the DisABLED Professionals Association, and is chairwoman of the Citizens Advisory Commission on Disabled, a position she will abdicate. She is the director of community relations for Accessible Connections Exchange. A former Ms. Wheelchair California and long-time outspoken advocate for disability rights, she also served on the mayor’s transition team. She earned a communications degree from Cal State Long Beach. Her appointment would begin Jan. 1, 2015.
AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMISSION
Jeff Anderson is CEO of the Anderson Real Estate Group and a former employee of the Long Beach Fire Department. He has served as the Rose Park Neighborhood Association president, and on the board of Pride Real Estate Association of America, Long Beach. Anderson is a graduate of Real Estate Institute and is a Certified Distressed Property Expert. He is deeply involved in national and local LGBT issue advocacy, including work with the Human Rights Campaign, and is a Distinguished Rose Award winner and a recipient of the Steward of 7th Street award.
MARINE ADVISORY COMMISSION
Gerald Avila is the elected health benefits officer for the International Longshore Workers’ Union Local 13. A lifetime Long Beach resident with an extensive history of community involvement, Avila is an avid boater and moors his vessel at Shoreline Marina. A Longshore worker since 1997, he previously worked as joint chief dispatcher for ILWU 13.
Peter Schnack is the director of information technology at Molina Healthcare. He has previously worked for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Cal Tech Pomona. He is an avid boater. Schnack is a volunteer coach and youth leader with the YMCA and AYSO soccer league and has been actively involved in the Naples Improvement Association.
LONG BEACH COMMUNITY INVESTMENT COMPANY
Russ Doyle is an associate vice president and investment officer at Wells Fargo Advisers and Morgan Stanley. He previously served as the director of strategic sourcing for Universal Studios and a procurement manager for the Vons Corp. Doyle also is the chairman of fundraising for Stillpoint Family Resources, a nonprofit that serves children with special needs.
Sabrina Sanders works at California State University Office of the Chancellor supporting student academic programs at 23 campuses. She was selected as a National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Fellow and has served as the president of the African American Faculty & Staff Association at California State University and is an alumnus of Leadership Long Beach. Sanders earned her master’s in business administration at California State University San Marcos and her doctorate in education leadership and management from Alliant International University. Sanders was a member of the mayor’s transition team.

Council Moves Forward to Name Park in Honor of the NAACP
LONG BEACH — On Oct. 7, the Long Beach City Council approved Councilman Dee Andrews’s agenda item requesting naming a park in the 6th District the NAACP Freedom Park.
The item will now move forward to the Housing and Neighbors Committee, as well as, the Parks and Recreation Commission before reporting back to City Council with recommendation.
Founded in 1909, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. For more than 100 years, the organization has fought to bring civil rights and justice to a new level of acceptance for all of our nation’s people. According to the National Office of the NAACP, this is the first park in the country to be named in honor of the organization.
The park, at 2300 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., was acquired by Long Beach in 2007. The 6.05 acres park renovations were completed in February 2012.  The renovations include a bike path, a mini-park and parking lot. The funding to purchase and renovate the park came from 2005 RDA bonds, as well as, other state and federal bonds.