HomeMy WebLinkAbout17 - Harbor Commission 2022 Objectives - CorrespondenceReceived After Agenda Printed
January 11, 2022
Item No. 17
Mulvey, Jennifer
From: Rieff, Kim
Sent: January 11, 2022 12:16 PM
To: Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: Shore Mooring Rental Increase
From: Sally Peterson <spete@att.net>
Sent: January 11, 2022 12:14 PM
To: Dept - City Council <CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Fwd: Shore Mooring Rental Increase
[EXTERNAL EMAIL] DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Date: January 11, 2022 at 11:02:07 AM PST
To: Har�orComm ,s �ne�v�crnechca.�a•
Dear Commissioners,
I have been informed that a shore mooring rental increase is on tonight's addenda. This increase from
+/- $30/Mo. to $360/Mo. is so significant that time should be allowed for all parties to have reasonable
time to address this issue.
Additionally, to make such a decision during the pandemic would not be responsible. First, the increase
in cases has resulted in the City closing its offices, and will result in fewer concerned mooring holders at
your meeting. More importantly, in his Cover Letter, the appraiser notes that the pandemic has had an
unexpected increase in demand and values, that may not be sustainable.
Thank you for delaying any decision on this issue indefinitely.
Sally Peterson
Received After Agenda Printed
January 11, 2022
Item No. 17
Mulvey, Jennifer
From: Rieff, Kim
Sent: January 11, 2022 12:10 PM
To: Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: Proposed increase in Mooring Rates
From: Jamshed Dastur <jhdastur@aol.com>
Sent: January 11, 2022 12:09 PM
To: Dept - City Council <CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Proposed increase in Mooring Rates
[EXTERNAL EMAIL] DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
I purchased the rights to a shore mooring on Balboa Island in 2019 at a cost of $25,000 with the
understanding that I would be paying a rental fee of about $340 a year to the City of Newport Beach.
It is unconscionable for the Harbor Commission to be considering a 10 to 15 fold increase in rental
fee over a period of less than a year.
The recommended increase in rental fee totally ignores the acquisition cost paid at the time of
acquiring a right to rent the mooring. The premise of the suggested increase would be justifiable if the
practice of "selling" the rights to a rental had not been an accepted practice by the Harbor
Commission over the past several decades.
What is being proposed is a non-starter.
Jamshed Dastur
On shore mooring owner
949-887-1938
Received After Agenda Printed
January 11, 2022
Item No. 17
Mulvey, Jennifer
From: Rieff, Kim
Sent: January 11, 2022 10:00 AM
To: Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: Regarding possible increase of mooring rates
From: Anne Lynaugh <annelynaugh@yahoo.com>
Sent: January 11, 2022 9:44 AM
To: Harbor Commission <HarborCommission@newportbeachca.gov>; Dept - City Council
<CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Regarding possible increase of mooring rates
[EXTERNAL EMAIL] DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Good morning,
I was alerted by the mooring association that the council was considering a significant increase in mooring rates. Please
don't do this! The current mooring cost allows us to be boaters and an increase would lock us out of Newport Beach
completely. Moorings allow the middle class to participate in boating and raising those rates would be cutting off access to
the harbor to the less wealthy folks. We've had our boat and mooring for decades and it was has allowed us to enjoy
boating. An increase of 10 times my current rate would take my rate from $120/month to $1200/month which is more than
a slip in Long Beach by far but without the amenities a slip in a marina provide like electricity, water and storage. Boats on
moorings have none of those amenities and we must dinghy out to them and find ways to park our dinghy. We would very
much like to stay in Newport Beach as we live in Costa Mesa and can ride our bikes to the bay. What is the reason for this
rate hike? Does the city need more income? This feels like instead of taxing the rich property owners of Newport Beach
(who have all the power because they are rich) it's easier to raise rates of folks like us who do not have money and power.
If you care to include everyone to enjoy Newport Harbor, do not raise rates on the moorings. That will only cement that
only the rich can have boats in Newport Beach and guarantee a snooty better -than -you attitude that many feel already
exists. What benefits would increase with this 10x increase of rates? Would I be provided with free dinghy parking at a
private dinghy dock only for moorings? Would I be shuttled to and from my mooring by city provided water taxis? Is the
point to price everyone out of the market and get rid of the moorings? Please consider that your actions affect real
working people. Also raising the rates would send the value of my mooring to zero, who would want to pay $1200/month
for a mooring when you can get a slip for less? We will be unable to transfer these for anywhere near what we paid.
Another slap in the face to the less affluent in your community. Thanks for listening.
Anne Lynaugh, mooring J0076.
Received After Agenda Printed
January 11, 2022
Item No. 17
Mulvey, Jennifer
From: Rieff, Kim
Sent: January 11, 2022 10:00 AM
To: Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: Proposed mooring rate increase
From: Kris Wilson <lidowilson@gmail.com>
Sent: January 11, 2022 9:39 AM
To: Dept - City Council <CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Proposed mooring rate increase
[EXTERNAL EMAIL] DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
City Council Members,
I have recently been made aware that the City plans to increase mooring rates by 10 times. We want to voice our strong
objection to this as voters of Newport Beach. For many people like us a mooring is the only way to afford boating in
Newport. The moorings should not be looked at as a revenue source for the City, but as a service for the public.
Ever since the City took over the management of the moorings it seems their only objective is to build up another City
bureaucracy to justify cost increases to the citizens. Perhaps the City should return the control back to the Sheriff
Department who was able to manage the moorings efficiently without ridiculous rate increases for decades.
The City Council should be working to run our city efficiently and NOT let the city bureaucrats build their empires on the
backs of taxpayers.
We strongly urge you NOT to support any increase in the mooring rates.
Marcus & Kristin Wilson
Received After Agenda Printed
January 11, 2022
Item No. 17
Mulvey, Jennifer
From: Rieff, Kim
Sent: January 11, 2022 1:01 PM
To: Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: Mooring Fees
From: Thomas VonDer Ahe Jr <t.vonderahe@vdaproperty.com>
Sent: January 11, 2022 1:00 PM
To: Dept - City Council <CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Mooring Fees
[EXTERNAL EMAIL] DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
To whom it may concern;
I'm trying to grasp my head around how you think it's plausible to raise the mooring rental rates by over 1100%? Is this
even really on the table? I sure hope this get defeated!
Tom
Thomas Von Der Ahe
Vice President
VDA Property Company, Inc.
4605 Lankershim Blvd., Ste. 707
North Hollywood, California 91602
0:818-980-9191
C: 818-749-1582
"I would not change you for the world, but I will change the world for you!"
Amy Wright
CNN Hero of the year 2017
Received After Agenda Printed
January 11, 2022
Item No. 17
Mulvey, Jennifer
From: Rieff, Kim
Sent: January 11, 2022 1:00 PM
To: Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: On shore mooring fees
From: toknkok@aol.com <toknkok@aol.com>
Sent: January 11, 2022 12:56 PM
To: Dept - City Council <CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>; Harbor Commission
<HarborCommission@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: On shore mooring fees
[EXTERNAL EMAIL] DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
To the Honorable Mayor, Councilmembers, Harbor commissioners and City Manager,
As a resident of Balboa Island, starting with my parents purchase of a cottage on Ruby Ave. in 1942 with an on -shore
mooring and continuing until now, a span of 80 years, I urge you to defer taking any action on the proposed permit fee
increase until there has been ample time for public study and input from the public and the Newport Mooring Association.
At the outset, after a brief review of the published documents provided in support of the proposal, I have the following
observations:
1. The appraisers attempt to use the sale and rental values of fee properties in and around the Harbor as "comparables"
in any way to the on -shore moorings permits is unfounded and useless.
2. Comparisons to commercial dry and wet storage and dock mooring is also ill-advised and useless. Those facilities,
created to earn a profit, all provide services, improvements, parking, fresh water, power, supervision and protection, along
with dry walk -aboard access that the city does not and cannot provide to the shore moorings. In addition, the shore
mooring permittees are required to provide and pay for their moorings, ground tackle, lines which become slimed with
marine growth and regularly pay for the professional lifting, inspection, painting, cleaning and rehabilitation of the entire
installations.
3. The shore moorings of Newport Harbor are unique as mentioned by the appraiser and they add to the charm and
uniqueness of the Harbor we all love and enjoy. However, there is a downside of inconvenience to the use of them by the
permittees. In order to access a boat on a shore mooring in the best of conditions, It is necessary to walk across a sandy
beach, carrying anything that may be needed such a coolers, oars, sails, rudders, centerboards, ect., then wade through
the shallow water to reach the bow or stern of the moored boat and then climb up over the boat rail or transom and then
often have to bail out the water and sand that has come aboard with no fresh water to clean it with. At low tide however,
in order to use a moored boat it is usually necessary to wade through thick, sticky mud often up to your ankles in order to
climb aboard or go ashore. It is very slippery and difficult for elders such as myself and my wife to do that without falling
into the muck and again there is no fresh wash down water.
4. The one point made by the appraiser that does have substantial merit is the analysis off the cost of living escalation
which impacts the current value of the fees the Council has previously determined to be fair and justified.
5. No analysis has been presented as to why the City of Newport Beach has any need for the proposed astronomical
increase in mooring fees. Have the costs of providing the minimal services required by these mooring permits? Or is this
just an opportunistic exercise to see what the market will bear?
Thank you for considering my thoughts on this subject. Please continue to support this unique city service which adds
to the character of Newport Beach and its harbor.
Thomas J. O'Keefe
Received After Agenda Printed
January 11, 2022
Item No. 17
Mulvey, Jennifer
From: Rieff, Kim
Sent: January 11, 2022 12:46 PM
To: Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: Concerned citizen against the increase in mooring rates
From: Sawyer Jones <sawyerjones@gmail.com>
Sent: January 11, 2022 12:45 PM
To: Dept - City Council <CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Concerned citizen against the increase in mooring rates
[EXTERNAL EMAIL] DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Good Afternoon City Council.
I am a concerned Newport Beach mooring owner/permit holder (mooring H49) and I am contacting you to
express my concern that the City of Newport Beach is attempting to increase mooring rates to 10 times the
current rate and not allowing mooring permittees any input on this decision.
Mooring OWNERS have purchased their moorings at fair market prices, through your program. The fees
collected by the City have a direct effect on the cost and value of the moorings.
We pay monthly fees for no reason other than a tax collected by the City, and the City provides seemingly zero
usable amenities for the mooring owners/permittees. Please let us know where this money goes and how it
helps the people paying the fees, the mooring users?
We pay ALL maintenance and refitting and upgrading costs to maintain the mooring systems. All of these costs
go to one single private company who is contracted through the City to do all Mooring maintenance work in the
harbor.
We have to find our own access to our moorings because the City does not provide adequate access for
dinghy storage, or shore boat services. Most end up paying additional monthly storage fees to private dock
owners just to be able to access their boat on the mooring.
We deal with the extreme difficulties of keeping a boat on a mooring including the access to our moorings,
cleaning our boats, maintaining, keeping them energized/charged and upkeep all with no water or power
provided by the City to the moorings themselves.
It takes a very dedicated boater to own, operate, maintain and utilize a boat on the moorings and without the
affordability of the moorings, it would not make any sense to any boater to do it.
The mooring program is the ONLY affordable means of being able to own and operate and participate in
boating in Newport Harbor. If you raise rates to the cost of essentially utilizing a dock then that makes zero
sense to anyone that has a mooring. We do all of the work, pay all the fees and do all the maintenance while
the City sits back and collects the check.
Please consider the hundreds of boaters who utilize the mooring program as the only means of
affordable boating in Newport Harbor. To increase our rates without our input is not right.
Thank you for your consideration.
Received After Agenda Printed
January 11, 2022
Item No. 17
Mulvey, Jennifer
From: Rieff, Kim
Sent: January 11, 2022 12:33 PM
To: Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: Please stop increasing our mooring rates
From: dana <coelho1970@aol.com>
Sent: January 11, 2022 12:32 PM
To: Harbor Commission <HarborCommission@newportbeachca.gov>; Dept - City Council
<CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Please stop increasing our mooring rates
[EXTERNAL EMAIL] DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Please stop increasing our mooring rates. Especially in the increments you are proposing as cost of living is already
getting too high and we don't want everybody to flee to Texas and Florida =(
Dan Coelho
Concerned Boater
Mulvey, Jennifer
From: Rieff, Kim
Sent: January 11, 2022 3:54 PM
To: Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: Proposed Mooring FeesIncrease
-----Original Message -----
From: Michael Fowlkes <insidesportfishing@mac.com>
Sent: January 11, 2022 3:51 PM
To: Dept - City Council <CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Proposed Mooring FeesIncrease
[EXTERNAL EMAIL] DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dear Mayor Brad Avery, City Manager Grace Leung and Newport Beach City Council Members Diane Dixon, Brad Avery,
Duffy Duffield, Kevin Muldoon, Noah Blom, Joy Brenner and Will O'Niell,
I am writing to ask that you please allow this letter to serve as my family's plead to you to not raise the mooring rates in
Newport Harbor based on the proposal being presented for your considerations on the upcoming January 12th Harbor
Commission Meeting Agenda Item No. 7.2.
The proposal rate increase of 10 times more than existing rates will simply make it impossible for us, and many other
families, to continue to keep our boats in Newport Beach. I grew up in Bayshores, graduated Newport Harbor High in
1969, went on to Orange Coast College, eventually teaching there. I have loved Newport Beach since I can remember.
It's the finest yacht harbor in the world and to price families out of the harbor with this rate increase will simply be
heartbreaking and destroy affordable boating in Newport.
The Staff Report states that, "...this action will not result in a physical change in the environment, directly or indirectly;
and..."
The physical impact this will have on human beings, just like myself, that grew up loving Newport and continue to do so
through affordable mooring fees will be physically life altering in a horrible way.
Please, please do not increase these fees.
Thank you for your time and considerations,
Michael Fowlkes
Mulvey, Jennifer
From: Rieff, Kim
Sent: January 11, 2022 3:15 PM
To: Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: Opposition to increase of onshore mooring cost
-----Original Message -----
From: Jim Madison <jmad1440@gmail.com>
Sent: January 11, 2022 3:02 PM
To: Dept - City Council <CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Opposition to increase of onshore mooring cost
[EXTERNAL EMAIL] DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
I am opposed to the any increase of the onshore mooring charges, I was forced to retired 24 years ago, I am having a
hard time with all the increases in living cost.
James Madison 222 Abalone Ave Balboa Island
Mulvey, Jennifer
From: Rieff, Kim
Sent: January 11, 2022 3:15 PM
To: Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: Onshore Mooring Fees
From: andy torres <ajt92663@gmail.com>
Sent: January 11, 2022 2:34 PM
To: Dept - City Council <CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Onshore Mooring Fees
[EXTERNAL EMAIL] DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
Dear Council Members and City Manager,
I respectfully urge you to reconsider the proposal to increase the onshore mooring fees. It is deeply troubling that you
are attempting to do so without allowing any meaningful input from the NMA, mooring permittees, and those who have
interest in obtaining a permit in the future.
Please take a step back and take into consideration that this is one of the few means for affordable boating in Newport
Harbor, and one of the very few affordable things left in the city of Newport Beach. I have already taken on a significant
financial burden by incurring the costs of undergrounding of utilities in west Newport, which I voted for in order to do
my part to upgrade the city's infrastructure and increase the beauty of our city for all to enjoy. This is to say nothing of
the increases in property taxes, city refuse fees, and inflation as a result of the covid crisis.
When other government agencies, both federal and local, are doing their best to help the public through these trying
times, you are attempting to do the opposite; your timing couldn't be worse and is quite frankly reprehensible.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Andy Torres
Permittee W-042
Sent from Mail for Windows
Mulvey, Jennifer
From: Rieff, Kim
Sent: January 11, 2022 4:29 PM
To: Mulvey, Jennifer
Subject: FW: Shore Mooring
From: dmcdds (null) <dmcdds@aol.com>
Sent: January 11, 2022 4:28 PM
To: Dept - City Council <CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov>
Subject: Shore Mooring
[EXTERNAL EMAIL] DO NOT CLICK links or attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
The proposed rate increase for the 18 foot shore mooring to $20 per linear foot per month is not
reasonable.
The shore mooring is in shallow water at the end of a street. The maximum boat length of 18 feet is
tethered to a mooring line. Think of how many passengers fit in an 18 ft. boat and how do they enter the
boat?
There is no water or accessible bathroom available. One must find somewhere to clean the boat, etc..
There is no power for a boat. So an electric type boat is not possible.
There is no street parking available. Think of a Saturday or Sunday in Newport Beach.
There is no security for the boat.
The permit holder pays for the buoy, anchor, lines and inspection fees for the shore mooring. These
moorings are difficult to access and only useful for small boats.
Those at a marina pay the higher fee but have none of these challenges.
Please allow testimony from permit holders and a proper amount of discussion so a fair resolution may be
reached.
Thank you.
David Campbell
Shore Mooring Permit Holder