Mayor Ousts Heim From Port Board in Surprise Move

In a move that caught Los Angeles officials by surprise, Mayor Tom Bradley ousted longtime supporter Frederic A. Heim from the city’s Harbor Commission on Friday with a tersely worded statement ending Heim’s controversial 13-year tenure on the board that governs the Port of Los Angeles.

The abrupt move reversed Bradley’s long-stated backing of Heim, a wealthy San Fernando Valley entrepreneur whose association with Bradley dates back to the mayor’s first run against then-Mayor Sam Yorty in 1969.

Council Must Approve

Heim’s departure from the commission will not be final until the City Council concurs. But Councilwoman Joan Milke Flores, who represents the harbor area and has long battled with Heim, said she expects the council to accede to Bradley’s wishes.

City and harbor officials said Heim’s removal from the commission came after increased strife between Heim and Bradley’s hand-picked harbor executive director, Ezunial Burts, a close mayoral assistant before he joined the harbor department in late 1984.

On July 15, Heim triggered a city attorney’s review of Burts’ conduct, city attorney’s spokesman Ted Goldstein confirmed. Heim requested an opinion as to whether Burts violated the state Constitution by accepting a free trip to Mexico last year from a cruise ship company that uses harbor facilities, other city officials said.

The state Constitution prohibits a public official from accepting free trips from public transportation companies, Goldstein said.

Battle for Power

The differences routinely center on which of the two men was to wield the most power over the workings of one of the nation’s richest harbors.

“There were many, many clashes,” said one high-ranking city official who asked not to be identified.

Another city official familiar with port politics explained Heim’s downfall more bluntly:

“He tried to assassinate the emperor’s son,” the official said, referring to Bradley’s extremely close relationship with Burts.

Another city official said Heim’s dismissal was hastened by the refusal of another harbor commissioner, Dominick A. Rubalcava, to stay on the board if Heim remained. Rubalcava, the city official said, charged that Heim was disruptive. Rubalcava refused to comment.

Both Bradley and Heim denied that tensions with Burts or other commissioners had spurred Heim’s removal.

In a written statement to the council, Bradley said he was removing Heim and hoped to replace him with Wilmington labor leader Michael W. Schwab. “It should not be construed as disapproval of his performance as a commissioner,” Bradley wrote.

Continuation of Shuffle

Later, answering a reporter’s questions, Bradley said the removal was a continuation of his 1984 juggling of city commissions and advisory boards. At that time, the mayor asked city commissioners to submit resignation letters and accepted the resignations of 70% of them. Two of the five members of the Harbor Commission left at the time, but Heim was retained.

Asked if his decision had anything to with Heim’s conflict with Burts, Bradley said: “Absolutely not. The decision actually was part of the action I took (in 1984). I indicated to Mr. Heim then because of certain matters coming before the Harbor Commission that I wanted him to stay on . . .

“They were going through a whole series of very complicated issues and I thought it was appropriate to keep a majority of that board on those projects.”

Heim said he and Bradley had “discussions” about a “difference of opinion” before the removal. But Heim denied that the action hinged on disputes between him and Burts.

“Any commissioner who does his job has disagreements with the staff,” Heim said. “If he didn’t do that, he wouldn’t be a commissioner. I’ve had disagreements with Burts and his predecessor. . . . I don’t think that had anything to do with it.”

‘Confidential Matter’

Heim declined to specify why he was removed. “It’s a confidential matter,” he said.

“I’m still a supporter. I think he (Bradley) is a terrific man.”

Burts could not be reached for comment. His staff said Friday that he was on vacation.

Until Friday, Heim was widely seen as the single most influential figure at the Port of Los Angeles, a status his supporters said was reached with a reputation as a no-nonsense, single-minded financial whiz.

But his detractors called Heim arrogant and power-hungry. The two port general managers who preceded Burts complained in a 1985 Times article that Heim had undermined their authority and created counterproductive internal strife.