Long Beach Ousts Harbor Commission President

The city council of Long Beach, Calif., has voted to remove from office the president of the Board of Harbor Commissioners, which oversees the city’s port, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reported.

The council voted 6-3 Nov. 19 to remove Thomas Fields from the Port of Long Beach’s board, acting on a recommendation from Mayor Bob Foster. A two-third majority was required.

Fields, who was appointed to lead the board in 2009, has been criticized for his travel expenses, which have exceed those of the other four board members, the Press-Telegram said. Foster also has accused Fields of being unwilling to align the Port of Long Beach with those of the city.

The mayor gained the power to recommend a harbor commission president be ousted in 2007, and the recommendation for Fields was the first such use, the Press-Telegram said.

The president leads the commission, and Al Moro, the executive director of the Port of Long Beach, runs the port’s day-to-day operations.

As of Nov. 20, Foster had not appointed Fields’ replacement.

The Port of Long Beach, together with the adjacent Port of Los Angeles, is the largest port complex in the western hemisphere in terms of container traffic.