Happy New Year to one and all! I hope each of you had a spectacular holiday season with friends and family. However, the holiday season can also be a bit stressful and taxing on one’s health and sanity in many ways as well. So, as we kick the tires on 2024 take some time to rest, relax and reset. I can think of no better way to do that than spending some time on a boat or enjoying some time at the beach.

While you are enjoying leisure time on your vessel take stock of its condition. Please perform any routine annual maintenance and secure all hatches, doors and canvas. This rain season is forecasted to be EL NINO. That could bring substantial rain, or it could not. Best to be prepared for wet weather than to react to the havoc it causes. If you are not a regular user of your vessel, make certain to schedule a few visits, particularly if we do see weather and rainfall, over the next several months. Just a simple check-in or two will ensure your lines, canvas, weather-proofing and the basic security of your vessel stay in optimal condition.

For those of you with dinghies and tenders that support the use of your permitted vessel - Please be aware that we have had a number of marina fairway accidents over the past several months that were, in part, caused be oversized dinghies and tenders sticking out into the fairway. Due to this Marina Operations staff have been reviewing dinghy/tender status across our entire Long Beach Marinas system. They have already reached out to many permittees that have a dinghy/tender issue. Marine Bureau staff will work with each permittee individually to address their dinghy/tender needs within the scope of Long Beach Marinas Rules & Regulations. For reference see page 12 of Long Beach Marinas Rules & Regulations - IV. General Regulations, D. Dinghy or Yacht Tender (1-4). The priority is the safe navigation of our fairways for all vessels. If you have questions about your dinghy/tender status, please contact your specific Marina Office and staff will be glad to answer any questions you may have.

Lastly on items to note, 2024 Parking Passes are currently being distributed. If you have not picked up your passes, please make certain to do so by January 31. The 2023 parking passes will be recognized through January 31, 2024. On February 1, 2024, any vehicle occupying boatowner restricted parking without a 2024 parking pass can and will be cited.

With that January is a relatively quiet month in our Long Beach Marinas but as we progress into February we will see the usual number of regattas, races, concert events and other activities that enliven our marina community. I look forward to it all and a rewarding and prosperous 2024 with each of you in our Long Beach Marinas!

Stay well and safe boating,

Todd Leland
Marine Bureau Manager
Marina Offices are open and accepting new vessel permit applications. To provide more comfortable and efficient customer service we have moved to a hybrid front desk/window service at ABM and Shoreline offices. Note – Many requests can still be readily handled by phone or email.

TENDERS & DINGHIES – Over the past several months we have seen an increase in marina fairway incidents involving moored tenders and dinghies. In each incident the tender or dinghy causing an issue has been moored outside the allotted “overhang” limit of the permitted slip. In November and December, the Marine Bureau started red-tag noticing tenders and dinghies that are moored outside the allotted space for permitted slips. In January and February 2024, the Marine Bureau will start impounding tenders and dinghies moored outside allotted slip space.

Unauthorized commercial activity is ILLEGAL IN LONG BEACH – Please do not engage in unauthorized commercial activity at, on or near Long Beach Marinas property. Violators can and will be cited and punished to the full extent of applicable law. Reminder – Unauthorized Commercial activity will put your slip permit in jeopardy of cancellation.

DID YOU KNOW many amazing things have historically happened on January 1 – on the first day of 1502 Portuguese explorers landed at Guanabara Bay on the coast of South America and named it Rio de Janeiro (River of January). The Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln freed slaves in the Confederate states rebelling against the Union on January 1, 1863. Ellis Island in New York Harbor opened January 1, 1892. Over 20 million new arrivals to America were processed until its closing in 1954. On January 1, 1999, European nations began using a single European currency, the Euro. Participating countries included Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.
This past holiday season observant boaters and pedestrians enjoying Alamitos Bay may have noticed something different in the design of one of our Trees In The Bay installations. Each year Marine Maintenance staff work diligently to build, test and deploy the Trees In The Bay program. This includes individually testing and stringing thousands of incandescent tree bulbs as well as running thousands of feet of electrical cable, both on land and underwater, to power the lights on each tree from 5pm to 12 midnight every evening between Thanksgiving and New Years’ Day.

This past Fall Brent Dennis, Parks, Recreation and Marine Director, challenged our Marine Maintenance staff to innovate and apply solar technology to the Trees In The Bay program. In partnership with Jarrod Osborne, President/Contractor of Long Beach-based solar company Solar Source, Inc. the PRM Marine Bureau introduced the first sustainable energy Tree In The Bay. The “Solar Tree” is no different from any other Tree In The Bay save for the custom fitted solar panels attached to recharge batteries which power new LED holiday lights each night.

The Solar Tree was first land-tested for several days and nights in our Marine Maintenance yard to ensure that the solar panels generated enough energy to recharge the batteries for seven hours of operation each night. On Friday, December 1 the Solar Tree was deployed into Alamitos Bay for water-side field testing. Since then, the Solar Tree has activated at 5pm and operated flawlessly, up to the date of this printing, for the full seven hours until 12 midnight.

Congratulations on a successful “Pilot Program” launch goes to Eric Woodson, Cedric Banks, Cory Forrester and the entire Marine Maintenance Division as well as to Jarrod Osborne and his Solar Source, Inc. technicians. The Marine Bureau looks forward to the 2024 Trees In The Bay season when we can continue to grow this sustainable energy program.

The Long Beach Marinas and City of Long Beach will strive to be sustainable and resilient in the face of climate change impacts such as air pollution, extreme heat, drought, coastal storm surge, and sea-level rise. Solar energy can help to reduce the cost of electricity, contribute to a resilient electrical grid, create jobs and spur economic growth, generate back-up power for nighttime and outages when paired with storage, and operate at similar efficiency on both small and large scales. While one solar tree is a small first step towards sustainability and resiliency, we encourage you to participate in making Long Beach a safer, healthier and more sustainable place to live, work and play. Together we can help to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, prepare the community for the impacts of climate change, improve the quality of life and enhance economic vitality in Long Beach.
Marine Patrol has received a set of new vehicles. These trucks will be replacing the Marine Patrol Jeeps. The new 2023 Ford F-150’s are hybrids with regenerative braking systems and as such, get excellent gas mileage. Like the Jeeps, they are also 4x4 equipped. The trucks have a much more spacious interior, and the bed will provide us with greater utility in the field, especially while working the many events that take place in the marina footprint.

Officer Pina is shown here wearing our new uniform. We have transitioned from tan tops and green bottoms that most marina patrons are accustomed to seeing, to an all-green look. The change was made to create uniformity amongst all the Special Service Officer details throughout the city which include Marine Patrol, Airport, City College, City Hall and Corrections.