CAPT. JOHN BETZ
Chief Port Pilot II
Capt. John Betz jointly oversees the Los Angeles Pilot Service, a team of dedicated professionals that diligently strive to ensure the safe and efficient movement of vessels within the Port. The Service maintains an around-the-clock operation that handles roughly 3,600 ships a year and is the only pilot organization in the nation staffed with government employees.
Capt. Betz began his career with the Port of Los Angeles as a pilot in 2002. Appointed to the chief port pilot position in 2023, he previously sailed on tankers for Chevron Shipping Company, serving as master, mooring master and Alaska pilot. Captain Betz holds pilot licenses for Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbors, San Francisco Bay, Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, and various minor Alaska ports.
Capt. Betz earned a bachelor’s degree in nautical science and a master’s degree in transportation management from the California Maritime Academy. He also earned a juris doctor from University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Capt. Betz chairs the Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor Safety Committee and California Maritime Academy Foundation Board and is a member of the Propeller Club of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club and American Legion Post 43. He is a past president of the California State University Maritime Academy Alumni Association and a former commissioner on the State Bar of California, Admiralty and Maritime Law Commission.
Capt. Betz has served in both the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy Reserve.