Harbor Commission President to focus on environmental, community programs

Sharon L. Weissman ushered in the start of her term as Harbor Commission President on Thursday by accepting the gavel and announcing an agenda of environmental, community, and workforce goals for the year ahead at the Port of Long Beach.

As head of the Board that sets policy for the Port, Weissman said she wants to sharpen the Port’s environmental focus by ensuring it works toward meeting a goal of deploying all zero-emissions cargo-handling equipment by 2030 and zero-emissions drayage trucks by 2035. She succeeds Harbor Commissioner Steven Neal, who served as the Board’s President for the past 12 months.

Sharon L. Weissman

Weissman also said she wants to increase the Board’s support of the Port’s community grants and sponsorship programs, in addition to education outreach programs such as the Academy of Global Logistics at Cabrillo High School in West Long Beach and the ACE Academy at Jordan High School in North Long Beach.

“I know we can make real progress on the goals I have outlined because we have an exceptional staff who have been working on many of these issues and making real progress long before I joined the Commission,” said Weissman, who was appointed to the Board in 2020. “The Harbor Commission is a deliberative body that works together, and I have no doubt we will carry on in building upon the strong foundation we have here.”

“Congratulations to President Weissman for continuing a long legacy of strong leadership on the Harbor Commission,” said Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero. “We look forward to collaborating with her in fulfilling an ambitious agenda that will improve the lives of the people who work at the Port and our surrounding communities.”

In her opening remarks, Weissman said she also planned to focus on:

  • Exploring whether to build an outdoor amphitheater in partnership with the Long Beach Symphony on vacant land adjacent to the Queen Mary and the Carnival Cruise Terminal on Pier H, pending a decision by the Long Beach City Council on whether to seek transfer of oversight of the property to the Port;
  • Improving working conditions for the 20,000 truck drivers who serve the San Pedro Bay ports complex by increasing efficiency and working to secure state and federal financial assistance to purchase zero-emissions trucks;
  • Working with Metro and the Gateway Cities Council of Governments to make the 710 Freeway safer, less congested and cleaner, while also reducing impacts on neighbors and improving cargo flow; and
  • Resuming in-person Board meetings, public events, employee gatherings and other Port programs when safe.

The Port of Long Beach is one of the world’s premier seaports, a gateway for trans-Pacific trade and a trailblazer in goods movement and environmental stewardship. As the second-busiest container seaport in the United States, the Port handles trade valued at more than $200 billion annually and supports 2.6 million trade-related jobs across the nation, including 575,000 in Southern California.