Bill to Derail Marina del Rey Cityhood Drive Signed Into Law

Gov. George Deukmejian signed into law Wednesday night a controversial measure aimed at short-circuiting a tenant-led drive to turn Marina del Rey into a city that landlords fear would adopt rent controls.

The new statute sets a Feb. 15 deadline for filing incorporation papers. Currently, there is no deadline.

Cityhood supporters have maintained they will meet the deadline, forcing the Los Angeles Local Agency Formation Commission to decide whether the city would be economically feasible. Earlier this year, the commission staff issued a preliminary report asserting that the county-owned marina would not have the tax base to support a city.

A favorable ruling by the commission would pave the way for an incorporation election in the marina.

But Hy Tucker, president of Marina del Rey Cityhood Inc., on Wednesday said cityhood has gained momentum because of the controversy surrounding the legislation, carried by Sen. Joseph Montoya (D-Whittier).

“We’re getting a lot more people coming out of the woodwork because they feel the bill in itself favors the lessees” (marina landlords) who had the bill introduced, said Tucker.

After Feb. 15, cityhood campaigns in areas such as the marina, where more than 50% of the land is publicly owned, would face additional hurdles.

In particular, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors could derail the cityhood drive merely by objecting to the submission of cityhood petitions to the Local Agency Formation Commission.

The board, which supported the legislation, contended that the proposed city would enact rent controls and, in turn, limit county revenues from marina leases.

The 803-acre marina, once a marshy stretch of coast between Playa del Rey and Venice, has become a major tourist attraction as well as home to about 10,000 residents, more than half of whom are executives or professionals.

The county leases the land for apartments, boat slips and businesses. Revenues from the lucrative leases are expected to reach $13.4 million in the current fiscal year.

Los Angeles lawyer Douglas Ring, whose father, Selden Ring, is a major marina leaseholder, explained that, among other things, landlords were afraid cityhood would lead to tough rent controls because most of the area’s voters are tenants.

Initially, the bill would have prevented the cityhood drive from continuing after Jan. 1. But in a compromise, landlords agreed to extend the deadline to Feb. 15.

“Obviously, we got something less than we would have hoped to have seen, but that is the legislative process,” Ring said.

Cityhood supporter Tucker said his group will attempt to have the county expand the cityhood study area beyond the general boundaries of the marina to include another 800 acres of vacant land between the marina and Playa del Rey.

The land, owned by Howard Hughes Properties Ltd., is the site of a proposed $1-billion development known as Playa Vista.