Port of Long Beach’s Mario Cordero is retiring

Mario Cordero, Port of Long Beach CEO, is retiring after 8½ years at the helm of the nation’s second busiest port, according to an October 2^nd announcement.

“I could not be more grateful for what has been the opportunity of a lifetime to lead the Port of Long Beach over these past several years. While I’ll miss being in the center of the action for international trade, I know that I’m leaving the Port in the very capable hands of our Board of Harbor Commissioners and the exemplary staff,” said Cordero. “It’s been a very rewarding experience, and I have amassed wonderful memories that I will cherish forever.”

For reporters, Cordero was always accessible and always willing (and patient) in answering questions not just from reporters but from the general public, where he was always the consummate gentleman.

During his tenure, Cordero continued and expanded on the Port’s Green Port initiatives and Cordero supported the Port’s collaboration with the Port of Los Angeles to advance the Clean Air Action Plan to move both ports toward zero emission technologies.

He championed the Port’s Pier B on dock rail initiatives to facilitate better off and on dock traffic flows through rail transportation and reduced truck congestion.

Cordero was a particular supporter of offshore wind energy and spearheaded the ‘Pier Wind ‘proposal for an offshore wind assembly and construction terminal at Long Beach so as to support offshore wind farms proposed for Central and Northern California.

These initiatives have been placed on hold because of opposition from the Trump administration, but may need to be resuscitated as national AI data center demand may be forced to turn to solar and wind energy for increased energy capacity that is currently straining the national grid and driving U.S. electricity prices higher.

Cordero, in May 2017, said he was blessed to have landed a “dream job” when he was selected as the new chief executive of the Port of Long Beach, returning to Long Beach after his stint as an appointee of President Barack Obama to the body that oversees the nation’s maritime policy. His time on the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC), beginning in 2011, included four years as chairman.

He was appointed to the Board of Harbor Commissioners in 2003 by then-Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill and reappointed in 2009 by then-Mayor Bob Foster, serving as both President and Vice President of the Board during his tenure. It was during his time on the Harbor Commission that he proposed the Green Port Policy, a commitment by the Port to environmental sustainability that was ratified in 2005. The action was a turning point for the Port, which committed to considering the environment in all of its decisions going forward – leading to dramatically cleaner air, healthier harbors, and today’s goal of seeking zero-emissions operations.

Cordero, the Los Angeles-born son of Mexican immigrants, was the first in his family to attend college, and his father urged him to pursue engineering as a career. The young Cordero, however, came to the realization that he wanted to become a lawyer to make a difference in society, given the call for activism in the early 1970s. He earned a Bachelor of Science in political science from California State University, Long Beach, before going on to earn a law degree at the University of Santa Clara.

He practiced law for more than 30 years and also taught political science part-time for many years at Long Beach City College.

In addition to his Port responsibilities, Cordero was appointed by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco to serve on the bank’s Los Angeles branch seven-member board of directors effective Jan. 1, 2021.
In 2025, for the seventh consecutive year, he was named to the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “LA500” list of the city’s most influential civic leaders.

The Board of Harbor Commissioners will determine a process for replacing Cordero in the months ahead, according to the Port of Long Beach announcement.

However, a clear frontrunner to replace Cordero will be Noel Hacegaba, Chief Operating Officer, Port of Long Beach, who has worked tirelessly as Cordero’s right hand and as the alternative public face of the Port of Long Beach.