Port Official Whose Firm Got City Pacts Will Quit

The Los Angeles port commissioner whose firm received $1.5 million from the city to design two multimillion-dollar vessels announced Wednesday that he will not seek reappointment to the panel. Robert Rados Sr. said his departure after five years had nothing to do with recent disclosures about his company’s contracts with the city.

Rados, 68, said he decided months ago to quit when his term expires on Sunday. Last month, The Times reported that Rados International Corp., a San Pedro-based naval architecture firm, won a $600,000 contract to design a fireboat for the city after originally bidding $169,000. The last half of that 1988 contract has since been canceled.