Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia will appoint 13 new commissioners to five commissions this month, including the Planning Commission, the Long Beach Transportation Company Board of Directors, the Airport Advisory Commission, the Marine Advisory Commission and the Long Beach Community Investment Company. The commissioners represent the diversity of Long Beach and come from all areas of the city, according to Garcia’s office.
“I’m proud to appoint a slate of exceptional community leaders who love Long Beach and have the experience to move our City and our commissions forward,” Garcia said. “Commissions are an important part of our democracy, and I’m thankful to these citizens for their willingness to serve.”
The non-charter appointments will come before the City Council on Oct. 21 for approval, while the four appointments to the Planning Commission will first come before the Civil Service Committee.
The individuals Garcia has selected are:
Planning Commission
• Mike Logrande is the current director of Planning for the City of Los Angeles Planning Department, where he has worked for 15 years. He was a member of the steering committees for the Long Beach General Plan in 2006 and for the Central Redevelopment Project Area. Logrande holds political science and public administration degrees from Cal State Long Beach, and he was previously chairman of the Board of Directors of the Long Beach Housing Development Company. He is an American Planning Association member.
• Andy Perez is currently employed in the public affairs bureau of Union Pacific Railroad, as director of Port Affairs for Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco. A graduate of Cal State Dominguez Hills, Perez has long served on the boards of directors for Long Beach Boys and Girls Clubs and the Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and he was a member of the mayor’s transition team.
• Jane Templin is vice president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 11 and the outreach director at the Electrical Training Institute. A certified general electrician, Templin has served on the executive board of the Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network, on the advisory committee of the Long Beach Job Corps, and as a mentor at the ACE Academy of Long Beach.
• Erick Verduzco-Vega is president and CEO of the South Bay Latino Chamber of Commerce and the South Bay Latino Community Development Corporation. He also manages real-estate and restaurant investments, and he has served on the Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board as its vice chair.
Long Beach Transportation Company Board
• April Economides is the founder and president of Green Octopus Consulting, which promotes complete streets and green business. She holds an MBA from Presidio Graduate School and is a board member of the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition. Economides was a member of the task force that created the City of Claremont’s Sustainable City Plan. She was also a member of the mayor’s transition team
• Sumire Gant, a former transportation planner for both the City of Long Beach and Los Angeles County, holds an MBA from UCLA. She secured millions of dollars of transportation and planning grants for Long Beach over a 10-year period and was instrumental in planning and funding many portions of the City’s bicycle infrastructure, according to Garcia’s office.
• Nancy Pfeffer is founder and president of Network Public Affairs, an environmental and transportation consulting firm. She has served for 7 years as director of Regional Planning for the Gateway Cities Council of Governments and is a board member of Pacific Gateway Workforce Investment Network and City Fabrick. Pfeffer holds a master’s in Public Policy from USC. Her appointment would begin Jan. 1, 2015.
• Mary Zendejas is the director and founder of the DisABLED Professionals Association and is currently chair of the Citizens Advisory Commission on Disabled, a position she will abdicate, and director of Community Relations for Accessible Connections Exchange. A former Ms. Wheelchair California and long-time outspoken advocate for disability rights, she also served on the mayor’s transition team. She holds a communications degree from Cal State Long Beach. Her appointment would begin Jan. 1, 2015.
Airport Advisory Commission
• Jeff Anderson is CEO of the Anderson Real Estate Group and a former employee of the Long Beach Fire Department. He has served as the Rose Park Neighborhood Association president and on the board of Pride Real Estate Association of America, Long Beach. Anderson is a graduate of Real Estate Institute and is a certified distressed property expert. He is deeply involved in national and local LGBT issue advocacy, including work with the Human Rights Campaign and is a Distinguished Rose Award winner and a recipient of the Steward of 7th Street Award.
Marine Advisory Commission
• Gerald Avila is the elected health benefits officer for the International Longshore Workers’ Union Local 13. A lifetime Long Beach resident with a history of community involvement, Avila is an avid boater and moors his vessel at Shoreline Marina. A longshore worker since 1997, he previously worked as joint chief dispatcher for ILWU 13.
• Peter Schnack is the director of IT at Molina Healthcare and has previously worked the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. He holds a BA from Cal Tech Pomona and is an avid boater. Schnack is a volunteer coach and youth leader with the YMCA and AYSO soccer league and has been actively involved in the Naples Improvement Association.
Long Beach Community Investment Company
• Russ Doyle is an associate vice president and investment officer at Wells Fargo Advisers and Morgan Stanley. He previously served as the director of Strategic Sourcing for Universal Studios and a procurement manager for the Vons corporation. Doyle is also the chairman of fundraising for Stillpoint Family Resources, a nonprofit that serves children with special needs.
• Dr. Sabrina Sanders currently works at California State University Office of the Chancellor supporting student academic programs at 23 campuses. She was selected as a National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Fellow, has served as the president of the African-American Faculty & Staff Association at California State University and is an alumnus of Leadership Long Beach. Sanders earned her master’s in business administration at California State University, San Marcos and her doctorate in Education Leadership & Management from Alliant International University. Sanders was also a member of Garcia’s transition team.
Source: Garcia’s office
