L.A. Harbor Controversies

Your April 13 story on retiring Harbor Commissioner Jun Mori implies unspecified wrongdoing by him in acquiring Kaiser as a tenant for the bulk loader.

In the late 1970s, when the lease for that facility came up for renewal, I decided, in conjunction with the general manager, to put it up for public bid, because I thought we would get a far better price than by renegotiating the lease. (See the current stories about the below-market rents being paid to the county at Marina del Rey). The existing lessees fought me tooth and nail, including a lawsuit which they lost, but we went ahead and held the auction, which Kaiser won fair and square. Jun Mori had nothing to do with it.

These days with all the sleazy stories emanating out of Washington, it is easy to assume that all officials are dishonest. Therefore, when someone is as committed to good deeds, as Jun has been, you should be more willing to give credit. I worked with Jun a dozen years and knew him as well as anyone in the Harbor Department. And yet, instead of quoting me, your reporter chose to give much space to the usual unnamed sources that seem to crawl out of their holes whenever the opportunity to knock someone presents itself.

FRED HEIM

Encino