Port People: Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey

Los Angeles: Lucia Moreno-Linares Confirmed as Harbor Commissioner

The Los Angeles City Council on September 20 confirmed the appointment of Lucia Moreno-Linares to a five-year term on the Los Angeles Board of Harbor Commissioners. Nominated by Mayor Eric Garcetti, she replaces Patricia Castellanos on the five-member board.

Ms. Moreno-Linares has represented the Wilmington community and its concerns to the Port of Los Angeles and its board many times over the years.  

"The interests of surrounding neighborhoods should be at the center of every discussion about the operations and future of our port — that’s why we need people like Lucia Moreno-Linares at the decision-making table," said Mayor Eric Garcetti. "Lucia has spent her life fighting for the residents and businesses of Wilmington, and she will be an excellent addition to the Harbor Commission."

Commissioner Moreno-Linares went to work for the Family Federal Credit Union in Wilmington in1983. The institution focused on serving the community, particularly individuals and small businesses. She became operations manager in 1987 and worked her way up to CEO in 1992. In September 2016, Family FCU merged with Self-Help Federal Credit Union, where she is now branch manager. She is also a member of the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the YMCA Board of Directors.

Previously, she served on the Harbor Watts Economic Development Corporation, the Wilmington Senior Citizen Center Task Force, the L.A. County Small Business Commission and the L.A. Harbor Area Planning Commission. She also founded Wilmington Business Watch and Vecinos Unidos Neighborhood Watch.  
Her first harbor commission meeting will be Friday, October 6.

New York/New Jersey: Port Authority Names Bilich Chief Security Officer

John Bilich is the new chief security officer at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey. He had been acting chief security officer since December 2016.

Mr. Bilich joined the port authority in March 2015 as first deputy chief security officer after serving as the chief investigator at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office. Earlier, he served 24 years with the New York City Police Department (NYPD), rising to the rank of deputy commissioner of operations, where he functioned as the agency’s primary crime strategist and headed its COMPSTAT program.

He subsequently joined the New York State Division of Criminal Justice as Deputy Commissioner for Public Safety. He managed Operation IMPACT program designed to reduce crime in the 17 counties that account for 80 percent of the state’s crime outside New York City.

The port authority’s chief security officer position was created in 2012 to centralize safety and security operations at the agency’s bistate transportation facilities. It is tasked with overseeing the 1,800-member Port Authority Police Department and providing the highest quality in public safety, facility security operations, security program management, emergency management and airport rescue and firefighting training.

"John is a world-class law enforcement professional whose dedication and leadership will help us to better protect the public and the critical transportation assets that we operate and maintain," said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. "John’s efforts in the time he’s been with us have already strengthened and unified our security operations, and we are confident he will continue to fulfill this critical role."