Excerpts from the Daily Breeze:
Some renewed fissures surfaced Thursday during the discussion of Ports O’ Call and waterfront development, pitting advocates for building a large-scale tourist destination against those who argue the port instead needs to remain more focused on growing its container shipping business in what has become a fast-changing and competitive industry.
“We don’t want it to be Newport Beach,” said Greg Mitre of the International Longshore and Warehouse Pensioners Association. “This is a diverse town built with hard-working labor. It had to evolve and be competitive. … For the people who wish to call our town a slum (without an ambitious waterfront development), I offer this advice: If you don’t like it, you can leave.”
The pointed remark was aimed at members of the Los Angeles Waterfront Access and Redevelopment Coalition (LAWARC), a group formed late last year to put pressure on the mayor and others to step up their commitment to building a tourist-worthy destination on San Pedro’s waterfront.