New Long Beach port president makes first speech

New Long Beach port president makes first speech Newly elected Long Beach Harbor Commission President Mario Cordero is signaling a new direction for the Western Hemisphere's second-busiest port, and it just might be based on the philosophy of Spiderman co-creator Stan Lee.
   Cordero, a local attorney who recently took the helm of the rotational top slot at the port, said in his first official speech that 'with investment comes responsibility,' paraphrasing Lee's famous guiding mantra of the web slinger, 'with great power comes great responsibility.'
   Moreover, Cordero has his Green Goblin of sorts.
   'All of us in the trade and maritime industry must get on board with aggressive implementation of environmental measures. We must stop viewing these measures as anti-cost-saving job killers,' Cordero said, referring to recent port and government clean air plans and legislation. 'Rather, these CAAP (Clean Air Action Plan) initiatives are job producers and will be saving lives.'
   He also warned port stakeholders not to expect the ports to bear the full financial burden of the environmental initiatives they have created.
   'We must call on the retailers and shippers, the ultimate beneficiaries, to step up to the plate to address the issues of both infrastructure and environmental improvements,' he told the audience of his first Harbor Commission meeting as president. 'We only ask that they pay their fair share.'