Newport Beach leaders are taking a fresh look at how the city manages its onshore and offshore harbor moorings and the associated fees to ensure they are equitable for public access.
The State Lands Commission recently examined the fee structure for tying up a boat in the Newport Harbor after complaints from the Newport Mooring Association about an inequity between what its members pay and what Newport Beach residents pay for private piers.
The city, through a new council ad hoc committee, will review various harbor uses, including options to make local moorings more affordable, especially for people who live on their boats.
The state commission, which oversees local management of areas of submerged land known as tidelands, such as the Newport Harbor, recently decided that the study the city commissioned reviewing fees for boaters using offshore moorings was valid and can be used to set new mooring rates for the approximately 800 spots where boaters park their boats in Newport Bay.
The city is trying to have future moorings be maintained through the city license program, for which higher rates have already been set. Mooring permits have long been a commodity privately traded and sold for often large amounts of money. In July 2024, the City Council said current mooring permit holders would be able to keep their rates, but transfer the permit only once more. Upon transfer, the permit would be converted to the city’s license program, which would reflect the new pricing.
The Newport Mooring Association was unhappy and requested a review of the city’s plans from the California Coastal Commission and the State Lands Commission.
While reviewing the new rate schedule the city planned to use for moorings, the State Lands Commission in late December raised concerns that the cost of docking at private piers was “significantly below market rates” and should be evaluated.
The Newport Beach City Council has tapped Councilmembers Joe Stapleton and Noah Blom to work with city staffers take a look at that, as well as other costs and issues.
“This is a complete review of everything,” said Stapleton, who served on the city’s Harbor Commission from 2013 to 2015. “It’s private pier holders, moorings, it’s the entire harbor management.”
As part of the review, Stapleton said he and Blom will meet with boaters with moorings, the mooring association, residents with private piers, representatives of yacht clubs and other aquatic organizations.
Anne Stetson, president of the Newport Beach Mooring Association, said she is disappointed the harbor users aren’t part of the ad hoc committee.
“Once again, stakeholders are not at the table,” she said, meaning that while the city might include their input, they are not actually helping to make recommendations. “City leaders have mentioned the importance of transparency, but ad hoc meetings where plans are conceived, convening without public oversight or engagement, is what got us here in the first place. We hope to see more than ‘check the box’ engagement, and instead see city leaders engage with the impacted community.”
The process will likely take “months,” Stapleton said.
City Manager Seimone Jurjis said he expects to give a progress report to the state commission by June.
Stapleton, who said he uses the harbor weekly either on his stand-up paddleboard or in his Duffy, said the goal is to reach a compromise that works for everyone.
“We all win when the Newport Harbor is at its best,” he said. “That goes for everybody. This is all about coming together to find a solution to make sure that the harbor continues to be the jewel of the city.”
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