San Diego City Wire

As the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners looks forward under new leadership, COVID-19 is still taking a front seat in its priorities.

Randa Coniglio, the board's president and CEO, recently retired and is to be replaced by Joe Stuyvesant in both of those roles, a press release from the Port of San Diego said last month.

Coniglio's 2021 appointment is in addition to recent selections to the board: Sandy Naranjo, representing National City, and Jennifer LeSar, representing San Diego.

Michael Zucchet is the new Port of San Diego Board of Commissioners chairman. | Photo Courtesy of Port of San Diego

At the first virtual meeting of the board for 2021, Michael Zucchet, who represented San Diego and replaced Ann Moore as board chair, outlined the vision for the coming year, the release said.

Zucchet wants to work with his fellow commissioners to continue efforts related to navigating the pandemic and striving toward a smooth leadership transition.

"I also look forward to elevating the Port's role as an environmental champion — particularly on environmental justice and air quality, and to keeping our major planning and redevelopment projects moving forward," Zucchet said in the release.

Some of the port's efforts to address environmental impacts that he highlighted included the Climate Action Plan, developing Maritime Clean Air Strategy and vehicle and equipment electrification at cargo and cruise terminals, the release said.

Moore also discussed progress made in 2020 to achieve goals set out in the previous year, according to the release. On the environmental front, that included the added electric vehicle charging stations around the bayfront and new progress in responding to border sewage coming from the Tijuana River.

She also pointed to successes that the port managed despite the COVID-19 economic crisis in last year, including the recruitment of new tenants to the revitalized Seaport Village, according to the release.