After almost a decade, Los Angeles harbor Commissioner Anthony Pirozzi was hailed by his fellow commissioners and others at what would be his final commission meeting on Thursday, April 13.
Pirozzi is one of two commissioners — the other is Lucia Moreno-Linares — who are being replaced by recently elected Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. More replacements could be forthcoming for the five-member panel.
Both Pirozzi and Moreno-Linares, who was on vacation and missed the meeting, have been heralded as key hometown representatives speaking for San Pedro and Wilmington, the areas most often directly affected by port activity and where both were well known and respected.
“I view you as kind of the conscience of the board,” said fellow panelist Ed Renwick during a round-robin public tribute to Pirozzi at the beginning of the meeting. “You’ve been a voice for the community.”
But Pirozzi brought more to the post than just a lifetime of Harbor Area connections.
An engineer who retired just recently from Boeing, Pirozzi frequently offered deep-dive questions and consideration of the many technical items coming before the Port of Los Angeles for approvals.
In June 2019, he called in from Italy, where he and his wife, Carolyn, were vacationing, to cast a minority vote along with Commissioner Diane Middleton in support of an appeal by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union over a terminal automation issue. The vote was 3-2 to deny the appeal.
Colleagues called him a steady hand, always concerned about doing “the right thing,” and an “incredible public servant.”
“This is bitter sweet for us here in San Pedro and in the Harbor Area,” said former L.A. City Councilman Joe Buscaino who was among many who turned out to speak. “We’re going to miss you, my brother, you’ve spent most of your life advocating for our beloved San Pedro.”
Pirozzi, a native son of the port community, has been active in supervising youth sports, including the…
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