Riordan Ally Stein Elected Harbor Commission Chief

At his first board meeting as a Los Angeles Harbor commissioner, Theodore Stein Jr., a controversial ally of Mayor Richard Riordan, was unanimously elected president of the commission Tuesday.

The board also picked Stein as an alternate member of the Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority, which oversees construction of a $2-billion project to speed the movement of cargo from the county’s ports to rail yards in downtown Los Angeles.

As commission president, Stein, who has little experience in port-related matters, will preside over board meetings and make committee appointments. He replaces Leland Wong, who last month left the Port of Los Angeles to join the city’s Airport Commission.

After serving as president of the Airport Commission, Stein drew criticism for hiring controversial Whitewater figure Webster Hubbell in 1994 as a lobbyist. City Controller Rick Tuttle issued a report last year accusing Stein of acting without authority when he awarded the former Justice Department official a $49,000 contract.

Stein, an attorney and former Riordan advisor, ran unsuccessfully against James Hahn for city attorney last year.