Sheila Lewis, an executive with the Watts Labor Community Action Committee, has been nominated by Mayor Karen Bass to serve on the Board of Los Angeles Harbor Commission.
The five-member appointed board governs the Port of Los Angeles, managing port policies, budgets and developments.
If approved by the full L.A. City Council, Lewis would fill the seat being vacated by former U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, who submitted her letter of resignation in July.
Lewis’ appointment would put local residents in a majority on the port panel.
Her posted resume lists more than 30 years of experience in municipal government and nonprofit work, directing more than a $12 million dollar portfolio of publicly funded initiatives for WLCAC in family stability, youth development and other areas.
Her background combines direct government service, civic appointment, and large-scale public-sector contract and fiscal oversight responsibilities. She has a master’s degree in business administration and expects to receive her doctorate in organizational change and leadership from USC in 2027.
Lewis, who was not immediately available for comment, is a harbor resident in the 15th City Council District. If her nomination is approved, she would join two other local residents on the panel: Lee Williams of San Pedro and Yolanda De La Torre of Wilmington.
Her nomination will first go before the Trade, Travel and Tourism Committee, and then the full City Council for final approval.
“Ms. Lewis is both a One-Five resident and someone who has dedicated 20 years of her career to being a tireless advocate for neighborhoods across our district, particularly in Watts,” Los Angeles Councilmember Tim McOsker, who represents the Harbor-to-Watts district, said in a written statement, signaling that he was pleased with the mayor’s pick. “I hope she brings that community-first approach to the harbor commission, and continues to make sure the voices of the people who live and work throughout the One-Five are heard.
“I look forward to sharing my vision for the port and our surrounding communities,” he added, “and hearing her responses and priorities at the upcoming Trade, Travel and Tourism Committee meeting.”
Lewis has also worked as a consultant for the Los Angeles Unified School District and was a deputy to Pasadena Councilmember Joyce Streator from 1997 to 2002.
She has been with WLCAD full time since November 2005.
The demand from local residents to have more representation on the harbor commission has been central for years as concerns over port pollution, traffic and other impacts on nearby communities have grown.
Two years ago, McOsker championed Charter Amendment HH, which Los Angeles voters overwhelmingly passed in November 2024, that ensures at least two dedicated seats — one from Wilmington and another from San Pedro — on the commission going forward.
Earlier this year, another vacancy on the board was created when John Pérez resigned.
Bass appointed Pérez, a Boyle Heights resident, in 2024, stirring controversy because he tapped him instead of reappointing San Pedro attorney and activist Diane Middleton. That put the issue of local representation high on the list of considerations for harbor commission board membership.
But in March, Pérez, the harbor commission’s vice president at the time, announced he was stepping down to take a newly appointed seat on the city’s Fire Commission.
Beatrice Hsu, a prominent in Los Angeles real estate and a former three-term member of L.A.’s Board of Airport Commissioners, was appointed to take Pérez’s seat in May. She is a resident of City Council District 4, which includes Hollywood, Hollywood Hills, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Sherman Oaks, Encino and areas of Van Nuys and Reseda.
Roybal-Allard, meanwhile, had served as president of the harbor commission following her appointment by Bass in 2023. She gave no reason in her brief letter to Bass for the decision to step aside but thanked the mayor for the opportunity to serve.