Shuttle Dinghy
Reminder - sign up for our Shuttle Dinghy at Marina Park for mooring fields H and J!
A reminder – sign up to use our Shuttle Dinghy! Boating season is here!
Last fall, the NMA is launched a pilot program with the City of Newport Beach to provide better access to moored boats by providing “shuttle” transportation to fetch a moored boat’s dinghy. The NMA obtained an 8’ Walker Bay dinghy and placed it at Marina Park in a special, marked parking spot on the Marina Park dock. The dinghy can be used to row out to a moored boat in the H and J mooring fields to fetch the permittee’s own dinghy, and then return to the Shuttle Dinghy depot.
The NMA hopes to improve overall access to the moorings, as well as help reduce crowding at the public docks.
Shuttle Dinghy users must be NMA members in good standing and will be required to sign an agreement with the NMA acknowledging our requirements and certifying that the member has current marine vessel insurance in effect that covers liability for the use of its vessel on the mooring and any dinghy or tender used to access the vessel. Members will be provided with the combination to the lock on the dinghy and oars. A reasonable time of 30 minutes is expected for most shuttle trips. A PFD is provided under the back seat of the boat.
If you would like to be a part of our Shuttle Dinghy Pilot Program, please download and sign our agreement, which can be found below, and email it plus your contact information (name, email and cell phone number) to mail@newportmooringassociation.org with “Shuttle Dinghy” in the subject line.
We hope this is a positive program to increase access to our beautiful harbor!
Thanks for your support!
Your NMA Directors
Looking out for the interest of all mooring owners
Newport Mooring Association
P.O. Box 1118, Newport Beach, CA 92659-1118
A little more background...
From Board Member George Hylkema - "While this is a "pilot" program for the Harbormaster and for NMA it was as I have mentioned "prototyped" for 10 years at the Fernando dock where my dinghy has served as a shuttle with 7 keys out to fellow mooring permit holders in the C mooring field. There are at least 4 fewer dinghies at the Fernando dock with this setup. I hope it becomes popular."
Thank you for all your work on this program, George!
Update 4/13 HC Meeting - No Report On Mooring Extensions and Transferability IS On The Table Again
To ALL Mooring Permittees -
Commissioner Beer did not release his report on Mooring Row Alignments and the Mooring Extension Application Process at the April 13th Harbor Commission Meeting. Instead, he gave an overview of the process he has been pursuing to develop his report and policy recommendation.
Commissioner Beer did not provide an expected timeframe for its completion. He stated that the report would eventually be presented at a Stakeholder meeting rather than a regular Harbor Commission meeting.
Later in the meeting, Commissioner Williams said they would be taking a look at transferability in the near future. One young mooring owner got up and begged the Commissioners not to destroy his life savings which he had invested in his mooring and his boat.
The NMA would like to note that our only substantive input into this analysis was done through Ms. Carol Jacobs, former Assistant City Manager, and that the last draft of the study we had reviewed was in October 2020. Since that time, we have not seen any drafts of the report or the new proposed policy and procedures.
We will keep you posted as events develop.
Sincerely,
Your NMA Directors
Looking out for the interest of all mooring owners
P.S. Contributions to the NMA are always appreciated
Alignment and Extensions
April 13th HC Meeting - No Rate Discussion but Mooring Extension/Alignment Policy will be Presented
To ALL Mooring Permittees - The Harbor Commissioners are pushing the shore mooring rate discussion later to the May Harbor Commission meeting. However, Ira Beer's initial report on the proposed “Mooring Realignment and Extension Policy” WILL be presented this Wednesday, April 13th at the City Council Chambers at 5pm. The meeting agenda has only the Staff Report which states the objectives and process for development of the policy – the actual presentation and report are not included with the Staff Report. The NMA feels that it is important for mooring permittees attend the initial presentation of this long-awaited policy - it will have implications for ALL mooring owners.
An excerpt from the Staff Report is below:
Commissioner Beer’s objective in optimizing field and row layouts is threefold: 1) to ensure the fields are safe and have adequate maneuverability for all mariners, not just the mooring permittees; 2) to maximize the use of space within the mooring fields in the most effective manner possible and 3) provide staff and the community with guidance for mooring field extension requests.
Commissioner Beer met with the Newport Mooring Association (NMA) to discuss the objectives stated above and took the NMA’s comments into consideration. Those comments included the NMA’s position that reducing the width of an existing row resulting in the reduction of boat size to a mooring permittee (even only upon future transfer) would be met with concern; and that the existing list (at that time) of mooring permittees seeking a five-foot extension should have a way of being accommodated. Commissioner Beer considered the NMA comments in addition to that of other stakeholders, including several mooring permittees, and subsequently developed a general methodology to establish the maximum size vessels within each row of each mooring field. The maximum lengths were calculated allowing for approximately three boat lengths for maneuverability. Once those distances were determined, the subcommittee then reviewed those lengths with conditions in the fields and revised the three-boat length methodology to suit field conditions.
Commissioner Beer has drafted a new proposed policy on Mooring Row Alignments and the Mooring Extension Application Process. The purpose of the policy is to provide operational guidelines to support amendments to Title 17 and or City Council Policy H-3. Commissioner Beer seeks input from the Commission and public before completing formal recommendations which he plans to bring before the Commission for approval in the near future.
Protect your mooring by attending the Harbor Commission meeting on this coming Wednesday, April 13th at 5pm at the City Council Chambers, 100 Civic Center Drive, NB.
Sincerely,
Your NMA Directors
Looking out for the interest of all mooring owners
P.S. Contributions to the NMA are always appreciated
Please Donate to the NMA!
The NMA is a volunteer organization that engages professionals to support the interests of the Mooring Permittees. We rely on donations to pay for legal opinions, appraisals, etc. Please donate to help our efforts!
You can donate by sending a check to:
Newport Mooring Association, P.O. Box 1118, Newport Beach, CA 92659-1118
OR
Send us a Zelle payment from your bank via your online banking program or app. Send your Zelle payment to: mail@newportmooringassociation.org
You do not need to include a phone number. The email address is sufficient. Zelle is used by almost all banks and is a very simple and easy way to transfer small sums of money.
City Raising Mooring Rates
Stop the Boating Tax
The Newport Harbormaster Commission is currently considering a 2, 3, or even a 5 times rate increase for shore moorings.
The NMA considers a large rate increase for shore moorings to be a Tax on Boating, since the cost to administer the area used by shore moorings is less than the current rates being changed.
Because the City may not discriminate in rates changed for similar uses of the tidelands, the NMA is concerned that a similar increase may be passed on the homeowners with docks, yacht clubs, marinas, and off shore moorings for their use of the tidelands.
While the Harbor Commission is saying they have no current plans to increases the other rates, we at the NMA cannot see how they can raise rates for one group and not for others using the same body of water.
We are urging all boaters who want to keep boating affordable in Newport Harbor to send emails to oppose the current rate increases which would double, triple, or even increase the current rates by 5 times or more the current rates.
Please send your opposition to increases to shore moorings rates to all the email addresses shown in the flyer.
For comments and questions please contact the NMA at Mail@YourNMA.com.
Thank you again for your concern.
Your NMA
P.S. Contributions to the NMA are always appreciated
Report on the Harbor Commission's Special Meeting on Monday, March 21, 2022
Dear NMA Members,
Thank you all for the great turnout at the meeting. We had almost 100 mooring permittees present, and several spoke on the proposed increase of the rates.
At the meeting, the City gave a similar presentation to the slideshow presented at the February Harbor Commission Meeting, and Commissioner Beer made extensive comments to push back on rate arguments (comparable rates, rate discrimination appraisal methodology) given over the past months via email by the NMA and other concerned permittees. The NMA Board had prepared comments and spoke at length as well.
Mr. Beer’s comments were echoed at the end of the meeting by Commissioner Scully, who also made comments about the value of moorings, and that the values were excessive. This is a very big topic for Commissioners Scully, Beer and Kenney, who all view the moorings as “leases” and not permits, and their actions on this topic may impact transferability.
At the end of the meeting Chairman Kenney said that the shore mooring rate discussion would be continued until the April 13th Harbor Commission meeting.
We will be posting materials from the Monday Meeting to the website as we receive them.
Thanks for your support!
Your NMA Directors
Looking out for the interest of all mooring owners
City Raising Mooring Rates
Report on the March 9th Harbor Commission Meeting – and What’s Coming Next ...
Dear NMA Members,
On Wednesday evening the Harbor Commission, without much notice to the NMA, invited a representative from the State Lands Commission (SLC) to give a presentation to address what the City may be required to do in setting mooring fees.
The NMA only learned of this late Friday and quickly responded, requesting SLC to also speak to the obligations of the City to not discriminate in rates charged for use of the State tidelands for berthing boats, regardless of whether the same tidelands were used for a restaurant dock, fuel dock, yacht club dock, private residential dock, or a mooring. The NMA’s Board sent a letter to the SLC two days prior to the presentation and presented arguments against rate discrimination if the Commission were to impose a 2, 4, or even 10 times rate increase, when the City would not consider doing the same for the rates charged for every other user of the tidelands. The NMA also had our attorney, Greg Hatton, confirm the obligation of the City to not discriminate in rates. For additional information, the NMA presented a survey of similar shore mooring rates in Southern California.
NMA’s letter to State Lands, the State Land’s presentation, and the NMA shore mooring survey can be downloaded below.
We were pleased to note that the representative from the SLC reminded the Commissioners that they are not allowed to discriminate in setting rates for use of the tidelands for the same purpose.
The next month or two will are critical in the fight to preserve our moorings as we know them. WE NEED YOUR HELP – here’s how:
Reserve the dates: MONDAY, MARCH 21 at 5:00pm and TUESDAY, MARCH 22, at 4:00pm.
- Show up at the Harbor Commission Special Meeting on Monday, March 21st, 5:00pm. The meeting will take place at Marina Park in the second-floor meeting rooms. The address is 1600 West Balboa Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92663.
- Be ready to attend the City Council Meeting on Tuesday March 22nd at 4pm, as the results of the Special Meeting may be brought before the Council at that time. The City Council Meeting will be held in the Council Chambers at the Civic Center – 100 Civic Center Drive, Newport Beach.
- Call and email your City Council Members and the City Manager - one email will reach all members and the City Manager: citycouncil@newportbeach.gov or call 949-644-3004
- Email the Harbor Commission Members - one email will reach all members: HarborCommission@newportbeachca.gov
If you have not sent your Mooring Association dues, please do so, and a bit more if you can for us to obtain own appraisal and legal support for the NMA to fight these increases. Our dues are currently $50 per year.
Thanks for your support!
Your NMA Directors
Looking out for the interest of all mooring owners
Staff From State Lands to Speak at Wednesday, 3/9 Harbor Commission Meeting
Dear NMA Members,
While the Special Meeting devoted to on-shore mooring rates is Monday, 3/21, the Harbor Commissioners have invited a representative from the State Lands Commission to come and speak at this week’s Harbor Commission Meeting on this Wednesday 3/9. Per the Staff Report “The Harbor Commission will hear a presentation from a representative of the California State Lands Commission on the rights and responsibilities inherent in the granted stewardship of tidelands.” We believe that this will be an informative meeting for all permittees.
Under the current format of the meeting, only the Commissioners will be allowed to ask questions of the State Lands Committee representative, However, people will be allowed to make public comments at the beginning of the meeting if they wish.
We hope to see you at the meeting - it will be held Wednesday, March 9, at 5pm in the City Council Chambers at 100 Civic Center Drive.
City Raising Mooring Rates
Notice of the Special Meeting of the Harbor Commission
Dear NMA Members,
Per the Harbor Master, Paul Blank, the special Harbor Commission meeting on Onshore Mooring Rental Rates is scheduled for 5 pm, Monday, March 21, 2022. The meeting will take place at Marina Park in the second-floor meeting rooms. The address is 1600 W Balboa Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92663. Please put it on your calendars – we will share more information shortly.
Thanks for your support!
City Raising Mooring Rates
Results of the February 9th Harbor Commission Meeting
Dear NMA Members,
The Harbor Commission meeting was well attended, and the NMA Board and other Mooring Permittees spoke to the issues on the proposed on-shore mooring fee increase as part of Public Comments. Each Harbor Commissioner acknowledged the large number of emails they received on the mooring increase. After a brief presentation from City Staff on additional comparable mooring fields, the NMA pointed out again that in administering the harbor for the people of the State of California, the City may not discriminate in charges and fees for use of the tidelands, which had not been addressed in any of the revised materials. Many spoke about the calculations of the rates, and the NMA particularly asked for a delay of 90 days on the vote.
The Harbor Commissioners ultimately decided:
- They would continue the recommendation and vote on the increase for 60 days
- They would hold a Study Session with mooring permittees to discuss new information and alternatives, most likely the same day as the next Harbor Commission meeting - March 9th - time and place yet to be determined
- They would like to review comments from George Netzer on the critiques to the appraisal
We will follow up to get the Netzer responses on critiques of the appraisal, circulate them to all of you, and continue our research and our development of alternatives to the original appraisal recommendations. It is very evident that the next targets will be off-shore moorings and transferability under the topic of “Affordability.” Please keep your ideas and comments coming to us and to the Commissioners – it makes a difference!
- Call and email your City Council Members and the City Manager - one email will reach all members and the City Manager: CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov or call 949-644-3004
- Email the Harbor Commission Members - one email will reach all members: HarborCommission@newportbeachca.gov
Please, if you have not sent your Mooring Association dues, please do so (and a bit more if you can) so that we can obtain our own appraisal and legal support for the NMA to fight these increases and retain transferability.
Thanks for your support!
City Raising Mooring Rates
Update on Mooring Rate Increase
Here's an update on NMA's meeting with the Harbor Commission's sub-committee on moorings:
Members of the NMA Board of Directors met with the Harbor Commission Subcommittee (Commissioners Kenney, Beer and Cunningham) last Thursday evening. We presented our objections to the latest appraisal which outlined the objections fully described in our Position Paper which was highly critical of the methods and assumptions used in the recent Netzer appraisal.
Our Position Paper can be found here.
The Commissioners were cordial, but stated that the appraisal, which still calls for a 10 times increase in shore mooring rates, will be presented at the next Harbor Commission meeting for review and possible approval to go forward to City Council. We received the impression that some of the members thought that a delay of 60 days would make sense to receive further input. The same members discussed that a meeting with the mooring owners in a workshop setting might also be helpful. But all of this was up to the Commission as a whole, and so we are urging all mooring holders to show up at the Harbor Commission meeting and let their voices be heard.
Again, please come to the Harbor Commission meeting on Wednesday, February 9th at 5pm, in the City Council Chambers, located at 100 Civic Center Drive, Newport Beach, CA.
After our meeting with the Subcommittee, a new staff report was sent to the Harbor Commission for the Harbor Commission meeting. That report left out the NMA's position paper which contained a lengthy rebuttal to the appraisal report. The NMA was disappointed it was not included.
The new staff report includes reference to approaches used by other harbors, but ignores the City's extensive study of appropriate charges for tidelands use and the City's own report approved in the 2017 George Hamilton Jones appraisal. It is NMA's view that if the City used its own extensive approved study, and treated the fees charged for different tideland uses the same without discrimination, the mooring rates would not increase, unless the City added services to the moorings.
The 2017 George Hamilton Jones appraisal treats all rates approximately the same, ranging from about .40 cents to $1.00 per foot, with "other uses" set at .76 cents per foot. Updated to today's rates, that would be .83 per sq ft per year. These rates are in the current City fee schedule.
The NMA has pointed out that in administering the harbor for the people of the State of California, the City may not discriminate in charges and fees for use of the tidelands. We did not see this important point in any of the Staff Reports.
Again, it appears clear that the City is charging lower fees (per square foot) for other tidelands moorage and berthing, but what it is proposing to charge for mooring owners, and not by a minor amount, but 10 times higher for recreational use of moorings. The Beacon Bay Bill (State Tidelands Grant to the City) specifically forbids this fee discrimination when setting tideland fees.
We all need to attend the Harbor Commission meeting this Wednesday to ensure that mooring permittees let their voices be heard.
Here’s how you can help:
1. Show up at the Harbor Commission Meeting Wednesday, February, 5:00pm at the City Council Chambers - 100 Civic Center Drive.
2. Call and email your City Council Members and the City Manager - one email will reach all members and the City Manager:
CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov
or call 949-644-3004
3. Email the Harbor Commission Members - one email will reach all members: HarborCommission@newportbeachca.gov
4. If you are a member of a Yacht Club, call and email the bridge and board of directors of your yacht clubs.
5. If you have not sent your Mooring Association dues, please do so and a bit more if you can so that we can obtain our own appraisal and legal support for the NMA to fight these increases.
Please join us in the fight! See how to donate below:
City Raising Mooring Rates
Update on Mooring Rate Increase
Dear NMA Members,
As you are likely aware, on Wednesday, February 9th at 5pm, the Newport Beach Harbor Commission will be considering the City Staff recommendation to raise recreational shore mooring fees by over 1,000%. The NMA strongly opposes this proposal, and members of the NMA Board will be meeting with the Harbor Commission on Thursday, February 3rd, to discuss the proposed fee increase.
Key topics to be discussed:
1. The City is charging lower fees (per square foot) for other tidelands moorage and berthing. The Beacon Bay Bill (State Tidelands Grant to the City) specifically forbids this fee discrimination when setting tideland fees.
2. This mooring fee increase threatens affordable small boat access in Newport Harbor. These moorings are specifically protected by the City’s Local Coastal Program Policies and in general by the California Coastal Act in terms of protecting low-cost recreational access to the harbor.
3. In our opinion, the 3rd party appraisal that was used to justify this outrageous fee increase uses inappropriate methodology and is seriously flawed.
4. We believe the City should heed the various city policies that encourage the city to charge affordable rates for recreational uses in the harbor to promote the use of Newport Harbor and to better serve all city harbor users – including the use of on-shore moorings, off-shore moorings and docks.
Additionally - On January 11th, the City Council accepted the Harbor Commissions 2022 Objectives. According to the objectives, the Harbor Commission is planning to review the transferability of all moorings. The Commission is also planning to review the location of shore moorings and appropriate boat size.
In order to protect your mooring permit and privileges please consider to attending the next several monthly Harbor Commission meetings.
We will keep you updated as events progress.
Please join us in the fight! See how to donate below:
City Raising Mooring Rates
CALL TO ACTION
Dear NMA Members,
On February 9th the Newport Beach Harbor Commission will be voting on a fee increase in Newport Harbor. The current recommendation is to raise the shore mooring rates from $341 to $4,320 per year. This is an increase of over 1,000%.
We believe this increase threatens the last affordable small boat storage in Newport Harbor and will knock many small boat owners out of the harbor. We need your help!
The Newport Mooring Association has less than 30 days to convince the harbor commission to reject this fee increase and leave the existing fee structure with built-in inflation increases should remain in place.
What can you do to help?
- Attend the Wednesday, February 9th Harbor Commission meeting at City Hall at 5pm. Consider making comment against the fee increase.
- Call and email your City Council Members, the City Manager and the Harbor Commission members - these two emails will reach ALL of them: CityCouncil@newportbeachca.gov, HarborCommission@newportbeachca.gov or call 949-644-3004 to leave messages.
- Get directly involved- the NMA is forming a sub-committee of members to address this shore mooring fee increase. This is good civic engagement at the local level. Email us at mail@newportmooringassociation.org to get directly involved.
- Renew (or Register) your NMA Membership today. Please see the registration form on the NMA membership webpage at https://newportmooringassociation.org/membership
- Donate a few dollars on the NMA website to help us mobilize over the next 3 weeks.
The Harbor Commission started initial discussions on the fee increase at the Harbor Commission meeting on Wednesday. Here are Important notes from that meeting:
- The NMA and other speakers pointed out that the 3rd party mooring rate appraisal has significant problems- ie.it is not reasonable to compare waterfront property to floating mooring lines or to compare docks (that provide water, power, security) to muddy shore moorings. Our detailed assessment of the Netzger appraisal is here:
NMA Whitepaper - Shore Mooring Appraisal Problems
- The Harbor Commission acknowledged the 3rd party mooring fee appraisal is flawed and postponed any decisions on the matter for one month to give stakeholders, staff and commissioners time to digest the issue.
- The NMA pointed out that the City had been incorrectly relying on specific restrictive language in the existing tidelands grant (AKA Beacon Bay Bill - "BBB") that pertains only to the private residential lots at Beacon Bay when determining permissible rent levels, and it is the NMA's view that any local ordinance relying on or mischaracterizing the BBB cannot be used to justify the inaccurate 3d party appraisal.
- The NMA pointed out that the City’s own Coastal Land Use Plan actually requires the City to maintain low cost moorings (Policy #3.3.2-3).
- The NMA pointed out that the State Lands Commission, the watchdog for all state tidelands, allows for affordable mooring rates and has used better methodology in its recent mooring rate benchmark study (AKA The Tomalas Bay Benchmark Study).
- The NMA and others argued that the existing long term fee structure, which includes inflation increases should remain in place. We believe the city has no obligation to adjust the current fee structure. The City’s Tideland Trust Fund contained $37 million at the end of last year. Therefore, there is no need for a discretionary increase in mooring fee structure at this time.
- The NMA Will be posting more information as we develop it.
In closing, the shore moorings are the last affordable place to keep a small boat in Newport Harbor. We believe any significant fee increase will knock many small boat owners out of Newport Harbor and out of boating. We plan to fight vigorously to maintain affordable boating in Newport Harbor.
Please join us in the fight! See how to donate below:
City Raising Mooring Rates
Update – THE CITY IS ATTEMPTING TO RAISE MOORING RATES 10 TIMES
To Mooring Permittees -
The meeting went well last night. The Commissioners started off the agenda item by stating they would not be taking any action on the onshore mooring fee increase and would be postponing any action until the February meeting. They moved forward with the staff report and public comment. There were around 50 people in attendance. There were around 15 speakers opposed to the fee increase and none in favor. We think many people opted not to speak given the matter was postponed.
By the end of the agenda item, the commissioners seem to agree the shore mooring fee appraisal was defective. We believe the speakers were able to convince the commissioners to question the need to charge “full market value rents”. One objective was to convince the commissioners that it is legal and reasonable for the city to charge “low cost/affordable” mooring fees which would allow the current fee structure (with existing CPI adjustments) to remain in place.
A few of the commissioners closed by indicating they want to offer more services to mooring users (dredge shore mooring areas and maybe provide some work docks etc.) but they need to raise fees to do so.
Our assumption is that the Harbor Commission will have a new staff report 3 days before the February 9th, 2022 meeting that recommends a significantly smaller fee increase for the shore moorings. We will continue to work on this issue, and keep you all posted as we have new information.
If you have not sent your Mooring Association dues, please do so and a bit more if you can to obtain our own appraisal and legal support to fight these increases.
Thank you for your support!