David Arian
Retired longshoreman and San Pedro native David Arian was appointed today to the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners, filling the spot vacated earlier this month by Joseph Radisich.
If confirmed by the full City Council, the former international president of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union during the early 1990s would fill a commission seat that was specifically reserved for a Harbor Area resident.
It was widely expected that Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa would appoint a union activist to the position after longtime ILWU leader Radisich stepped down Sept. 13 from the five-member civilian panel that oversees the Port of Los Angeles.
“Having proudly served as a longshoreman in San Pedro, like his father before him, David Arian brings an inherent understanding of how the port can function more efficiently as well as the needs of the surrounding community,” Villaraigosa said.