Bobby Olvera Jr.
Port of Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners
President
Bobby Olvera Jr., International Vice President (Mainland) of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), is President of the Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners, elected to the post in July 2023 by his colleagues on the five-member Board that is responsible for setting policy for the Port of Long Beach and managing the Harbor Department. This post follows one-year terms serving as Commission Secretary, then Vice President.
Mr. Olvera, a fifth-generation longshoreman with a 30-year history in the ILWU, was first appointed to the Board in May 2020 to complete the term of a retiring commissioner, and appointed to a full six-year term in October 2021 by then-Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia and unanimously confirmed by the City Council.
The Commission provides policy direction and oversight for the Port’s capital improvement program, a plan to invest $2.2 billion over the next 10 years to upgrade Port facilities, protect the environment, increase revenue and enhance competitiveness. Projects include the Pier B On-Dock Rail Support Facility, Terminal Island Wye Rail Project and other roadway, waterway, dock and rail improvements to speed cargo flow and reduce traffic.
Besides serving on various Commission special purpose standing committees, Mr. Olvera also represents the Port on national and international trade missions and serves as the Board representative or alternate to a variety of Port-related leadership organizations.
Registered with the ILWU in 1989, Mr. Olvera advanced through the ranks and was elected to a variety of positions at ILWU Local 13 in Southern California, the largest ILWU local on the West Coast that includes the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, before his election to International Vice President in 2018.
Mr. Olvera took a leave of absence from the industry in 1991 to serve in the United States Marine Corps, ending his military career with an honorable discharge in 1998.
Mr. Olvera is an ongoing advocate for various social, political and union issues including serving as Executive Vice President of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, on working groups with the Federal Maritime Commission and with the City of Long Beach as a member of the Economic Development Commission.
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The Port of Long Beach is a global leader in green port initiatives and top-notch customer service, moving cargo with reliability, speed and efficiency. As the premier U.S. gateway for trans-Pacific trade, the Port handles trade valued at $200 billion annually and supports 2.6 million jobs across the United States, including 575,000 in Southern California. In 2023, industry leaders named it “The Best West Coast Seaport in North America” for the fifth consecutive year. During the next 10 years, the Port is planning $2.2 billion in capital improvements aimed at enhancing capacity, competitiveness and sustainability.
