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PORT COMMISSION
The Board of Port Commissioners consists of five members, appointed by the City Council for terms of four years each. Members must be residents of Redwood City at the time of their appointments and continuously during their incumbencies. Additionally, members must have been a resident of the City for at least 3 years prior to their appointment. Members serve without compensation and cannot hold any other public office or position in the City while serving as members of the Commission.
The duties and responsibilities of the Board of Port Commissioners are prescribed in Section 47 through 50a of the City Charter. Port Commissioners are assigned exclusive control and management of the Port, including the right to adopt and enforce ordinances, orders, regulations and practices for proper administration as necessary for the management and government of the Port and its facilities.
The Port Commissioners are responsible for:
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Supervision and control of the Port area, waterfront properties and adjacent lands and Redwood City Marina
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Provision for the needs of commerce, shipping and navigation at the Port
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Development, construction, re-construction, alteration, repairs, maintenance, equipping and operating all waterfront properties
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Regulation and control of all public service and public utilities operated in connection with the Port
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Fixing of all rates, dockage, rental, tolls, wharfage and related charges for the use and occupation of the public facilities and services of the Port, and providing for collection thereof
Pursuant to the Charter, the Port Commission prepares an annual budget.
The Board of Port Commissioners meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month and may meet in additional special sessions. Visit the Port Commission meeting schedule to view all meetings. Meetings are subject to change. View our Agendas and Minutes page to review meeting agendas, minutes and meeting cancellations. To sign up to receive meetings agendas and other Port announcements, use our Sign-Up form.
Richard Claire | Chairperson
Term Expires: 7/31/2024; Appointed: 05/07, 6/12, 6/16, 9/20
Claire was first appointed to the Commission in 2007. Previous to serving on the Port Commission, Claire served 21 years on the Redwood City Council, including four years as mayor, and seven years on the Redwood City Planning Commission.
Claire’s other community activities include former board member of the local Little League, Redwood City Library Board, Sequoia YMCA Board, and Big Sisters. Other leadership roles include former chair of the Housing and Human Concerns Committee and chair of the San Mateo Council of Mayors.
Claire is a financial and accounting professor emeritus at Canada College in Redwood City, where he taught for 35 years. Claire is currently an adjunct professor at both Canada College and Skyline College in San Bruno.
Claire holds a Master of Business Administration in finance from University of Santa Clara and a Bachelor of Arts in accounting from San Francisco State. He served as a corporate controller and other financial management positions for several companies, including Raychem, Marcona, and National Semiconductor. He and his wife Patricia have been married 58 years.
Richard Dodge | Secretary
Term Expires: 7/31/2022; Appointed: 8/80, 8/85, 8/90, 8/95, 8/00, 4/05, 07/10, 06/14, 6/18
Dodge was originally was appointed in 1980 and is one of the longest current consecutive serving port commissioners in the United States. Dodge's current term expires July 2022.
Dodge has owned and operated The Office City since 1976, turning it into one of the largest independent office products dealers in Northern California. Prior to that, he was in a management position with Airborne Express for 12 years.
Dodge has a B.S. in business administration from USC. Dodge has been involved in numerous maritime organizations, including past president and current Regional Coordinator of the Association of Pacific Ports. He has been called upon to make numerous presentations before the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA). He and his wife Ginny have three adult daughters and have seven grandchildren.
R. Simms Duncan | Vice Chairperson
Term Expires: 7/31/2022; Appointed: 6/14, 6/18
Duncan has 19 years of post-MBA business experience. He was appointed to his first term with the Port Commission in 2014 and re-appointed in 2018.
Duncan has worked in the solar energy industry for the past 11 years developing and financing solar energy projects for commercial, industrial, and utility customers. He currently serves as Vice President of Structured Finance for EnSync, Inc., which is pioneering integrated solar and battery projects. Before entering the renewable energy industry, Duncan was a technology investment banker with Jefferies for 8 years where he rose to the level of Senior Vice President. Simms began his career flying carrier-based jets for the U.S. Navy. Duncan has an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the US Naval Academy.
Duncan is the President of the Board of CityTrees – a Redwood City-based non-profit – where he has been an active volunteer for over 10 years. He is also a graduate of the Redwood City PACT program, the Redwood City Citizen’s Police Academy, and the San Mateo County Civics 101 Academy. He and his wife Lisa have two sons.
Ralph Garcia | Commissioner
Term Expires: 7/31/2024; Appointed: 9/05, 05/07, 6/12, 6/16, 9/20
Garcia was first appointed to the Port Commission in 2005 and reappointed in 2007 and 2012. He previously served over 10 years on the Redwood City Planning Commission, including a two-year term as commission chairman.
He has owned Ralph’s Vacuum and Sewing Center in Redwood City for more than 40 years, a business he describes as one of the few remaining family businesses in that industry. He has been a member of the Redwood City Optimist Club for 40 years, including two terms as president and a long-time sergeant-at-arms. The club supported $50,000 in music instruments and equipment to sustain music programs in the Redwood City Elementary School District.
Garcia also served on the Board of Directors of El Centro de Libertad (the Freedom Center), a program in Redwood City that offers outpatient alcohol and drug treatment and related services. Away from his business, he enjoys restoring cars and entering them into car shows. He has lived in Redwood City since he was 12, attending local schools as well as Menlo-Atherton High School. He and his wife, Teresa, have four adult children.
Lorianna Kastrop | Commissioner
Term Expires: 7/31/2024; Appointed: 6/08, 6/12, 6/16, 9/20
Kastrop was first appointed to the Port Commission in June of 2008 and reappointed in 2012 and 2016. She is the second woman ever to be appointed to the commission and the first woman to serve as Chair. She is Vice President of The Kastrop Group, Inc. architectural firm, and has a background in financial analysis. Her husband Michael is President and Principal Architect of the business. They have two adult sons.
Kastrop was named Businesswoman of the Year in 2001 by the Redwood City-San Mateo County Chamber of Commerce. She graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. in International Relations. She has served on numerous local non-profit boards, including the YMCA, Rotary, PTA, and Stanford Professional Women of the Bay Area. She co-founded the Redwood City Mothers Club and was president of the California Council of Parent Participation Nursery Schools. She was elected to the Redwood City Elementary School District Board of Trustees and served from 1997 to 2001.
Kastrop has a strong connection to San Francisco Bay. She learned to sail at the Port of Redwood City, has crewed in hundreds of races on the Bay and is a past Commodore of the South Beach Yacht Club in San Francisco. She and her husband race their Catalina 30 sailboat named “Goose,” berthed in San Francisco.
She is the founder of the award-winning Port Fest, an annual community event the first Saturday of October at the Port.