The port is owned by the people of California and held in a public trust. But should we trust the current stewards? At present, board representatives are appointed rather than elected by the people whose land they manage.
Beyond the unpopular decision to terminate the lease at the Coronado Ferry Landing, the board has wielded its power to do the following:
- Issue a cease-and-desist order to the popular Portside Pier restaurant Ketch, resulting in lost jobs, lost revenue and one less dock-and-dine restaurant for boaters.
- Close additional dock-and-dine restaurants for boaters, including Joe’s Crab Shack and access to the Harbor Island restaurants by allowing the marina to eliminate boater access. These include C Level Lounge, Coasterra and Island Prime.
- Allow Marine Group Boat Works to end its service to citizen boaters and work exclusively with commercial and super-yachts.
- Encourage jet ski’s and the Patriot Jet Boat to be a hazard to navigation in the bay. They also don’t enforce the speed limit in the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge where you will often see vessels exceeding 50 mph and sending birds into panic.
- The Coronado Cays boat storage area was slated to become a public park. Without public support, the board approved a premanufacturing housing resort on that same land. Later, the board quietly paid $2.5 million of public funds to buy out the lessee with no explanation except to claim they will earn the money back by operating the storage area themselves. Why did they not just have the lessee continue to operate the storage yard until the lease switched over to a public park?
The numbers provided to me by Christian Anderson, a real estate department manager with the port, indicate that the facility grosses $300,000 per year with 67% occupancy. The occupancy has visibly dropped since. After an operator takes their cut for labor, insurance etc., how can the port possibly net $2.5 million?
It is time to allow the public to choose trustees via democratic elections, just like our judges and community college system. I for one will vote for people with business and maritime experience who can make common sense decisions for the good of the citizens of San Diego. We need trustees who will represent the public’s interests and not surprise us with autocratic decisions.
Hock is a 25-year resident of San Diego County and a 4-year resident of Coronado.
