Title
Harbormaster Update-June 2026 Activities
Recommendation
June 2026 was a busy and productive month for the Harbor Department, marked by significant activity across all three pillars of our mission: keeping Newport Harbor clean, safe, and well-enjoyed. The Department assumed management responsibility for slips and garages at Balboa Yacht Basin (BYB), a milestone transition that is already yielding measurable improvements in service delivery and facility conditions. Water quality remained a priority, with staff responding to multiple spill reports, advancing the oyster garden program, and celebrating an anecdotal but encouraging sign of ecological health - an adolescent octopus photographed swimming at Marina Park. On the safety front, a significant enforcement action resulted in the arrest of an unpermitted charter operator on an outstanding warrant, and staff conducted numerous rescues, assists, and educational interventions throughout the month. The "Well-Enjoyed" category reflects a harbor humming with summer activity, with staff going above and beyond to assist boaters, enforce public dock rules, and ensure commercial operators comply with Marine Activities Permit (MAP) requirements.
RECOMMENDATION:
1. Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; and
2. Receive and file.