| Dana Point Boaters Association eNews |
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Dear ,
In the update starting immediately below we'll share the latest on the Harbor Patrol audit. There's an announcement of interest on a great paddle boarding and kayaking "learn-and-do" opportunity this Saturday which will raise funds here in the Harbor for the Haiti Earthquake Relief efforts. There's also a list of the meetings attended recently by your directors. Please contact us to learn more. Regarding the info on the number live aboards discussed last, we have bee meeting with OC DPH isssue. We will have a progress update and what we hope will be good news in the next 30 days.
Last Saturday a group of fifteen boaters and other harbor stakeholders invested all day in a strategy session, facilitated by a process called VVMOST. Monday night we will be spending another four hours to wrap up. In our next email we'll share the results. If you know any of the dedicated folks please thank them again for us and give them a big "ahoy mate!". They deserve it! Our next update we let you know how our efforts turned out.
The weather is supposed to be great this weekend. (finally!) We hope you have the opportunity to spend at least some of it on the water! Some of us will be racing to San Mateo Point and back on Saturday, winds permitting. Or maybe just floating, whatever. We'll be out there.
Best regards, Your Board of Directors |
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HARBOR PATROL PERFORMANCE AUDIT
During the OC Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Supervisors approved by a 4-0 vote (Pat Bates was ill) the scope of work for the performance audit of all three County Harbors, starting late April or Early March. The collection of data will start right away.
 Collecting this data is important to find out what's really going on and who should pay. For example, how many emergency and non-emergency calls is each harbor office receiving? Which services being provided now are NOT mandated by law? How much money would really be saved were these services eliminated or outsourced to private industry? Note that outgoing Supervisor Norby (moving on to the State Assembly) started discussion, saying that, in a meeting in his district last night, the main topic of discussion was the "raiding" of park funds to finance Harbor Patrol operations. Mr. Norby complained that some services provided by the Harbor Patrol may be "nice to have" rather than essential or legally required. His example was that Sheriff's Patrol officers do to not provide a tow or gas when cars are broken down within those areas of the County where the Sheriff is contracted to provide services.
Frankly, we don't see it that way. Nor apparently does Supervisor Moorland, who pointed out that boats float with the wind and current. Mr. Moorlach didn't say that in an emergency cars don't sink, although Supervisor Norby granted this later, nor that cars can drift great distances out to sea if they are not promptly rescued. He also didn't say the most obvious thing about safety: passengers in broken down cars can just walk away and not worry about drowning. But apparently the point wasn't lost as the discussion did move on to the real issue, namely costs and funding sources.
Regarding "raiding", we strongly disagree with Mr. Norby's underlying assertion. The Harbor Patrol has been in continuous service for over 50 years. It has not increased head count in over 30 years despite dramatic increases in County population and corresponding increases in regional boating. In fact, the Harbor Patrol in fact predates most all OC Parks operations. So clearly it's not about a funds grab by the Harbor Patrol or their parent, the Sheriff Department. It seems to us like it may be more a politically motivated push to raid Harbor Department funds. Or are we missing something here?
You can watch the full 15 minute supervisor discussion live by clicking here. Then go to agenda topic AA, Item #58 on the meeting agenda. |
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WHY SHOULD DANA POINT BOATERS CARE?
Great question! Well, it's not about the risk of paying more for Harbor Patrol services here in Dana Point. That's not even on the table because we already pay too much. We pay much more than our fair share, as we explained in our previous email on this subject and as we touch on again further down. It is instead about the reasonable expectation that we should pay LESS. Why? As was acknowledged by Mr. Norby later in discussion, the problem may at least partly lie with Harbor Patrol funding needing to come from a more proper source. After all, boaters already pay sales tax when they buy their boat, then annual property taxes, and possessory interest taxes, and even fuel taxes. Now, starting this year, we also pay the entire bill for the Dana Point Harbor Patrol services, out of the Dana Point Tideland Trust Fund (more than 70% of the Tidelands fund revenue is derived from recreational boating fees within the harbor). This means that Dana Point recreational boaters now pay for all drug enforcement, immigration enforcement, public safety and homeland security for 42 square miles of the coastal waterway OUTSIDE OUR HARBOR.
To illustrate just how silly it is that Dana Point boaters should foot the entire cost of the Harbor Patrol office in our harbor, one could then easily argue that any boater who enters our harbor should pay a Harbor Patrol cost recovery fee. One could also argue that since Newport Harbor and Huntington Harbor boaters don't pay their fair share of the total county-wide Harbor Patrol services that they then should be assessed an extra fee. Why? Newport Harbor puts in 15% of the total County Harbor Patrol budget and their Harbor Patrol office spends 40%. Huntington Harbor puts in essentially nothing while spending 30%.
 We of course do not advocate this additional tax on boaters. There is a better, fairer source of funding! We think the answer is to fund the Harbor Patrol the same way the Sheriff Department is funded: from the County's General Fund. It follows (for us anyway) that there should be a corresponding reduction in OC Parks budget, unless of course they can justify the money for a new purpose.
In short, all Harbor Patrol services identified as necessary by the Performance Audit team which are not outsourced should be paid for out of the County's General Fund. As one Dana Point boater put it when testifying at the previous OC Board of Supervisors meeting, "we already gave at the office!"
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PADDLE AND KAYAK FOR HAITI RELIEF
As we well know, on January 12, a series of earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 6.5 to 7.3 devastated Haiti. The American Red Cross is working with its partners to assist those affected by this disaster. Westwind Sailing of Dana Point Harbor is supporting the effort by donating 100% of its profits from Stand-Up Paddle and Kayak Practice on Saturday, January 30. Suggested donations are the regular low rates for paddle practice however any donation over $10 will be accepted.
This is a great opportunity for families, boaters and all water enthusiasts to contribute to a very worthy cause, learn a bit about Stand Up Paddling and Kayaking (some say the biggest thing to come to South County since Dana Point Harbor), and actually go paddling too. Yes, if you don't have equipment then it will be provided. Here are the specifics:
Date: This Saturday, January 30, 2010.
Time: 9 am - 2 PM
Where: OC Sailing & Events Center - ON THE DOCK. 34451 Ensenada Place
Suggested Donations:
Stand-Up Paddle: $25 for 1 hr., $35 for 1 ½ hr. or $40 for 2 hr. (per person)
Kayaking (single or double): $20 for 1 hr or $30 for 1 ½ hr. (per kayak)
For more information click here. |
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OTHER NEWS
 Dana Point's Embarcadero is certified a "clean marina". The Embarcadero joins the East Basin and West Basin marinas, certified last year, in a very exclusive club of California recreational harbors where all its marinas are certified. (We hear DPH may be its first member!)
Note also that the Embarcadero is the very first dry storage and boat launch facility that has been certified. Click here to read more in this The Log news article. |
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MEETINGS RECENTLY ATTENDED BY DPBA DIRECTORS
- California Coastal Coalition
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OC DPH Stand Up Paddle Boarding (3)
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County Board of Supervisors
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Supervisor Pat Bates Office (2)
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OC DPH Performance Measurements (2)
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OC DPH Management (many)
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Treasurer-Tax Collector Chris Street
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Tri-Cities Trolley Stakeholders Meeting
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Dana Point Chamber of Commerce (2)
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Dana Point Harbor Parade of Lights (3)
- VVMOST (more about this next time)
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DID YOU KNOW?
The current operating agreements for management of the East and West basins authorize 72 live-aboards (3%). At the end of 2009 there were 15 registered live-aboards in the East Marine (up 5 from the same time last year) and 29 in the West Basin (down from 33 last year).
That's a total population of 44 live-aboards, 28 below the authorized level for the harbor.
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Questions should be directed by email to (Officers@DanaPointBoaters.org). Or call us at (949) 485-5656 and leave a voice mail and we'll get back to you soon.
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