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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E33]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO DAVID ARIAN
______
HON. ALAN S. LOWENTHAL
of california
in the house of representatives
Thursday, January 10, 2019
Mr. LOWENTHAL. Madam Speaker, on January 2, 2019, David Arian, a
widely-respected community, labor, and city government leader, passed
away at the age of 72.
I'm proud and honored to join so many others in celebrating his life.
We all know about Dave the union leader--a man carrying on in the
footsteps of Harry Bridges. We also know Dave the port commissioner--a
man who fought for workers as he was laying out a vision for the future
of our ports.
I would like to add Dave the thinker and mentor--who challenged not
only me, but many of us, to rethink our positions, learn to defend
them, and never give in when we know we are right.
Dave's life, like the man himself, was built on determination and
conviction.
Born December 4, 1946, Dave was 18 years old when he took a job at
the Wilmington waterfront in 1965. He often joked that at just 130
pounds, union supervisors weren't sure he'd be able to do the
physically demanding work of a longshoreman. But like many aspects of
his life, Dave proved his skeptics wrong. That first day unloading
bananas into boxcars was just the first of many that he would spend
working, organizing and leading union workers and causes important to
the workers and the San Pedro Bay community.
A proud and fiercely loyal member of the International Longshoreman
and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 13, Dave would eventually hold many
leadership positions over the years, including three terms as local
president. In 1991, at the age of 44, he was elected international
president of the ILWU. After his service at the top of the union, Dave
returned to the docks at the Port of Los Angeles, eventually retiring
in 2009. Within a year, he was appointed to the Los Angeles Harbor
Commission by then-Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa and reappointed by
Mayor Garcetti in 2013.
During his tenure on the Board, the Port of Los Angeles broke all-
time cargo volume records while reducing air emissions, two goals on
which Dave was particularly focused.
Concern and support for the community, local workers, and residents
were woven into everything Dave did. A tireless community activist from
the start, Dave and his family helped found the San Pedro Community
Action Center in 1966. Over the years, he was also an active supporter
of many local service organizations, including the Toberman
Neighborhood Center, Harbor Interfaith Services and the San Pedro Boys
& Girls Club, the latter where he played as a youth.
Dave founded the Harry Bridges Institute, an organization dedicated
to educating younger workers about the labor movement's rich history
and community organizing. He had served as the organization's president
since its founding in 1993. Dave also captured the spirit of the
Institute in his book ``The Right to Get in the Fight,'' which focused
on the ILWU and its philosophies and culture that have kept it alive
and relevant over the decades.
His involvement in non-labor-related port policy issues began even
before his appointment to the Harbor Commission. In 2006, Dave was
named to the joint Port of Los Angeles-Port of Long Beach advisory
board for the San Pedro Bay Ports Clean Air Action Plan, which set the
stage for the ports to make unprecedented strides in improving air
quality in the San Pedro Bay. Dave also served on the governing board
of the Intermodal Container Transfer Facility (ICTF) Joint Power
Authority.
A long-time resident of the Harbor area, Dave grew up on 8th Street
in San Pedro, and attended Cabrillo Elementary, Dana Junior High
School, and San Pedro High School. He is survived by his two children
and five grandchildren: son Sean and son-in-law Council member Mike
Bonin; daughter Justine and son-in-law Ethan Edwards; and grandchildren
Jadyn Rose, Destan, Jacob, Aneka and Keira.
I, like so many others whose lives he touched throughout his amazing
life, will miss Dave dearly.
____________________