Oakland port commission nominees withheld from City Council vote

Oakland port commission nominees withheld from City Council vote    Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums withheld the nominations of an environmental activist and a labor union official to the Port of Oakland's governing board Tuesday, fearing the City Council would not approve the appointments.
   Dellums nominated Margaret Gordon, a long-time activist against port pollution, and Victor Uno of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 595, to fill two seats on the seven-member Oakland Port Commission. The city charter requires that the mayor's nominations for the port commission win the approval of the City Council.
   Tuesday was the City Council's last meeting before a summer recess. Dellums will now have to wait until the council reconvenes next month before attempting to submit Gordon and Uno's nominations for a vote.
   Gordon's nomination, and more specifically her activist background, has led some members of the council to say they will not approve her nomination.
   City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente told the Oakland Tribune that he would vote for Uno if submitted to the council in September, but not Gordon.
   “We have to be careful,” he told the Tribune. “We have to make sure we take a balanced approach.”
   Gordon, who denies her alleged anti-business attitude, has been an outspoken critic of port pollution and was a founding member of the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, which tracks the health impacts of port activity.
   Others on the council indicated they would vote for both Gordon and Uno.
   Dellums has said he will send both name to the council for approval in September.