Posted on May 8, 2023
Three new members have been confirmed to the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, the five-member oversight board for the Port of Los Angeles. Nominated to the posts by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and approved today by the Los Angeles City Council are former U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, Michael Muñoz and Lee Williams.
All three will participate in their first commission meeting on May 11. The new appointees replace outgoing Harbor Commission President Jaime Lee, and Commissioners Lucia Moreno-Linares and Anthony Pirozzi, Jr.
“I am excited to welcome these incredibly talented professionals to the Los Angeles Harbor Commission,” said Mayor Bass. “Their deep expertise and longstanding commitment to the City of Los Angeles will be a great asset in helping manage and overseeing the nation’s busiest port. Thank you to the City Council for approving these nominees and I also want to thank outgoing President Lee and Commissioners Moreno-Linares and Pirozzi for all that they have done for the Port, and for their many years of service and dedication to its success.“
“I am looking forward to working with these three new, talented individuals on our Los Angeles Harbor Commission: a local community advocate, a veteran policy maker in Congress, and a leader in labor,” said Los Angeles Councilmember Tim McOsker who represents the Port complex. “Together, we will work to ensure that the Port continues to be an economic engine with good jobs, while at the same time ensuring that surrounding communities aren’t paying the price environmentally for Port operations. I want to thank Commissioners Pirozzi, Moreno-Linares, and Lee for their service and dedication to uplifting our Harbor Area, and in doing so, the entire One-Five.”
Roybal-Allard served in the U.S. House of Representatives for three decades and was the first Mexican-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee and Chairwoman of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, Roybal-Allard led the effort to secure $57 million to dredge the Port of Los Angeles Main Channel and advocated for numerous Port-related security grants. She coordinated with Port stakeholders after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to form the Area Maritime Security Committee Central California, bolstering the line of defense for the San Pedro Bay port complex.
Roybal-Allard served in the California State Assembly from 1987 to 1992, where she was a strong advocate for women’s rights and environmental equity. She holds a bachelor’s degree from California State University, Los Angeles.
Michael Muñoz is a dedicated community and labor advocate whose career reflects a strong commitment to issues of social and economic justice. Muñoz currently serves as research director for the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE), a nonprofit focused on grassroots organizing and community-oriented policy. His responsibilities there have included work related to implementation of the Port’s Clean Truck Program.
Prior to LAANE, Muñoz worked as an organizer for the Teamsters/Warehouse Worker Resource Center at the Port of Los Angeles, and as a coordinator of the National Staffing Workers Alliance, a coalition of worker centers dedicated to organizing temporary staffing. He also previously served as a field coordinator for the National Immigration Law Center. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Lee Williams has been in real estate, investments and banking since 1988 and owns and operates The Lee Williams Real Estate Group serving primarily the Los Angeles South Bay. Prior to establishing his own real estate company, he has worked as a senior lender for commercial and resort financing as well as a mortgage broker in several states. He also has a technology sales background working with large financial services companies throughout North America including his time at IBM.
Williams has long been active in the Harbor Area community, including serving on the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles Harbor, past board chair of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, and vice president of the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council. He has worked to fight poverty and homelessness with the Harbor Area Neighborhood Relief Fund, Harbor Connects and the San Pedro Education Foundation. Williams studied international business at the University of Washington.
The Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners oversees the management and operation of the Port of Los Angeles. Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor of Los Angeles and confirmed by the Los Angeles City Council. They serve five-year terms and elections are typically held every July for the offices of president and vice president. All five members of the Harbor Commission are volunteers.
