Frustration builds as Mayor Bass cuts local voices on L.A.’s harbor commission

Good morning, and welcome to L.A. on the Record — our City Hall newsletter. It’s David Zahniser, catching you up on the goings-on in local government from the last week.

San Pedro resident Diane Middleton will be the first to tell you that, when it comes to the Port of Los Angeles, she can be a royal pain.

As a member of the Los Angeles Harbor Commission, she opposed a push toward automation at the port, saying it would lead to the elimination of well-paying union jobs. She also scrutinized the port’s promises to invest in community initiatives, poring through the proposals in detail.

Middleton, a retired lawyer, said her mission was to represent both the community and port’s workforce — which meant posing difficult questions to harbor department staffers.

“I was not going to be a quiet little commissioner that said yes to everything put in front of me,” said Middleton, who had a long legal career representing longshore and shipyard workers, many of whom were exposed to absestos.

Earlier this month, Middleton’s tenure was brought to an end by Mayor Karen Bass, who appointed a colleague from her days in Sacramento — former Assembly Speaker John Pérez, now a principal with the firm Double Nickel Advisors.

Technically, the move wasn’t a firing. Bass acted as Middleton’s term was expiring, opting not to re-up her for another five years. Regardless, the change has sparked criticism from some harbor leaders, who said they had come to rely on Middleton to advocate on their behalf and ask the tough questions.

“She protected our communities,” said Gary Herrera, president of International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 13, which represents more than 10,000 workers, many of whom live near the port, the nation’s busiest.

In Los Angeles, the vast majority of city commissioners are volunteers who serve at the pleasure of the mayor. They provide citizen oversight at an array of agencies, including the LAPD, the Department of Recreation and Parks, the Department of Water and Power and L.A.’s port, the busiest in the nation.

The harbor commission — and the question of who serves on it — has been a source of tension with City Hall for decades. Residents of San Pedro and Wilmington, which abut the port, have long demanded multiple commission seats, saying their neighborhoods most directly experience the truck traffic and diesel emissions produced by harbor operations.

The mayor’s decision to replace Middleton has the potential to reopen some of those old wounds, while also complicating other political relationships.

When Bass took office in 2022, three of the five harbor commissioners lived in either San Pedro or Wilmington. Bass’ changes, including Middleton’s departure, leave the panel with just one local voice.

Middleton’s supporters have been speaking out about that, both at the harbor commission’s most recent meeting and in the Daily Breeze.

Elise Swanson, president and chief executive of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, said her organization was “deeply saddened” by Middleton’s departure. U.S. Rep. Nanette Barragán, whose congressional district includes the port, also weighed in, issuing a statement Friday expressing her concern about the decrease in local commissioners.

“Because the communities of the Los Angeles Harbor are disproportionately impacted by [port] decisions ... they deserve and should have a greater voice at the table with more than one seat on the board,” Barragán said.

The Times asked Bass’ press team why she replaced Middleton and why she picked a replacement from outside the harbor area. An aide to Bass did not answer either question. Instead, he issued a statement thanking Middleton for her five-and-a-half years of service.

“Nearly 40% of all imports into the country come through the Port complex. It is a vital economic engine for the entire country,” said Bass spokesperson Zach Seidl. “The Mayor is committed to representation from the local community and a commission that will continue to work to support the Port’s service to the entire region, state and country.”

If the City Council confirms Pérez’s nomination, three of the harbor commission’s five members will reside in Councilmember Kevin de León’s downtown/Eastside district, which is about 25 miles north of L.A.’s harbor. Pérez will join former U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, who served with Bass in Congress, and Michael Muñoz, a researcher for the nonprofit Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy — both residents of De León’s district.

Roybal-Allard and Pérez live in the same building in downtown L.A., according to voter registration records, giving them the opportunity to carpool to commission meetings.

Pérez, in an interview, said he did not want to discuss the mayor’s thinking about commission appointments. But he promised to be a voice for the community if his nomination is approved.

“Anybody who knows my history in labor, in the community, on boards and commissions, knows that I have always been an advocate for voices that are underrepresented, and that environmental impacts and health impacts are squarely centered in all my thinking,” he said.

Middleton’s removal also raises questions about how wide — or narrow — a berth Bass and her team are giving her political appointees. Middleton is not the only independent-minded city commissioner to abruptly leave in recent years.

In October, Bass removed Eric Eisenberg from the transportation commission after he led his colleagues in delaying a vote on a new homeless facility on the Westside backed by the mayor. At the time, Eisenberg said he believed that Bass removed him because of his role in postponing the vote.

“It’s sending a message of ‘You do what we tell you or we’re going to cut you,’” he told The Times.

Then there’s Helen Leung, who stepped down from the planning commission earlier this year. Like Eisenberg, Leung was reappointed by Bass. But then, Leung voted against one of the mayor’s signature initiatives: converting Executive Directive 1, an emergency affordable housing measure, into a permanent city ordinance.

Leung had voiced fears that the ordinance, as written, would not provide enough protections for families in rent-controlled apartments. Those concerns have been shared by tenant rights groups in Eagle Rock, South L.A. and elsewhere.

Three months later after voting no, Leung quietly left the commission. Leung did not respond to an inquiry from The Times.

Seidl, asked about commissioners who express dissenting views, including Leung and Eisenberg, said: “The Mayor expects all commissions and commissioners to help move LA forward.”

The remaking of the harbor commission could have other political reverberations. Middleton was a supporter of Bass during the 2022 mayoral campaign, hosting a meet-and-greet at her San Pedro home. She is also an ally of Councilmember Tim McOsker, who represents the harbor area and has been at odds with Bass on more than one occasion.

McOsker voted last year against the mayor’s proposal to acquire the 15-story Mayfair Hotel west of downtown and convert it into homeless housing. Last month, Bass vetoed a planned Nov. 5 ballot measure to rework the disciplinary process at the LAPD, which was spearheaded by McOsker.

In an interview, McOsker said he made his disappointment with Middleton’s removal known to Bass.

“I told the mayor that I thought this was a mistake, that there are very few individuals that could fill the [harbor commission] role like Diane has,” he said.

McOsker said he has a remedy to help address the concerns of his constituents near the harbor: Charter Amendment HH, which is slated for the Nov. 5 ballot. That measure would, among other things, require that the harbor commission have one member from San Pedro and one from Wilmington.

For some L.A. voters, that could be a microscopic detail in the context of this year’s election. But around the harbor, it just might generate serious interest.

State of play

— POLITICS & PASTRAMI: Bass went to MacArthur Park to have lunch with Norm Langer, the owner of Langer’s Delicatessen, not long after he told the LAT’s Steve Lopez that he’s been thinking of shutting his legendary restaurant down. Langer said he’s been frustrated with neighborhood crime, drug use and the sorry state of the nearby park. Bass said she’d work on it.

— POSTPONING PRISON: A federal judge agreed to a five-week delay for former City Councilmember Jose Huizar to surrender to federal authorities in his corruption case. Huizar, sentenced to 13 years in prison, was scheduled to surrender by Friday. But the date was pushed back to Oct. 7 after Huizar requested a postponement. The reason remains a secret — the judge placed the reason for Huizar’s request under seal.

— FINDING A CHIEF: The Board of Police Commissioners, a five-member panel made up of mayoral appointees, sent Bass the names of three finalists for LAPD chief. Like much else about the search, the identities of the remaining candidates have been kept a secret.

— BURBANK BITES BACK: Remember that press conference where Council President Paul Krekorian accused Burbank police of dumping a homeless person in front of his North Hollywood office? Burbank’s police chief came out with his own assessment of the incident, saying none of that is true. Chief Michael Albanese said the man in question was not homeless and praised his officers for treating the man with dignity. Krekorian, in turn, said there were “unanswered questions” and “obvious inconsistencies” surrounding the incident.

— TOXINS & TAP WATER: Bass and Councilmember Tim McOsker called for more testing of the water coming out of the tap in Watts. Their calls followed the release of an study that found lead-tainted water in the neighborhood’s public housing developments.

— TOWING TIME: The City Council has given the go-ahead to tow illegally parked vehicles in large swaths of the city, granting workers more latitude to immediately remove RVs and other vehicles that homeless people sleep in.

— QUAKE FEARS: L.A. County’s aging Men’s Central Jail could turn into a deathtrap in a serious earthquake, according to a newly resurfaced engineering study on the building’s structural weaknesses.

(NOT SO) QUICK HITS

• Where is Inside Safe? The mayor’s program to combat homelessness went to 18th and Hope streets in downtown Los Angeles, an area represented by Councilmember Kevin de León. Bass’ team said they worked with De León on the operation, which they have not always done in the past. More than 20 Angelenos, including three children under the age of 8, were brought off the street, according to the mayor’s office.

• On the docket for next week: Bass and some on the City Council — including Katy Yaroslavsky and Imelda Padilla — head to Paris for the closing ceremony of Paralympic Games. For Bass, it will be her fourth trip to Paris this year.