Long Beach : Council Rejects Proposal to Expand Port Commission

City council members do not want to take control of the Long Beach Harbor Commission.

The council on Tuesday rejected a proposal by Councilman Warren Harwood to expand the commission and have council members hold a majority of the commission seats. The mayor currently appoints the commission members, subject to council approval.

The council called the proposal inappropriate. “Even if the council had the expertise we do not have the time,” Councilman Wallace Edgerton said.

Harwood had suggested the commission be expanded to seven members, four of whom would be City Council members and three of whom would be appointed by the mayor. Harwood has been a strong critic the commission’s recent dealings with Walt Disney Co., which has decided not to renew its contract to manage the Queen Mary attraction.