State Denies Request to Review Veto of of Marina Cityhood Election

A state agency that evaluates cityhood applications has refused a request from Marina del Rey Cityhood Inc. to reconsider its veto of an election on incorporating the marina as an independent municipality.

The cityhood committee collected 1,468 marina voters’ signatures in support of a vote, but was rebuffed in March by the county branch of the Local Agency Formation Commission.

Commissioners said at the time that the cityhood proponents were interested in forming a new local government mostly as a means of establishing rent control. They also said they were convinced that a city of Marina del Rey would not be able to pay for basic services.

The cityhood committee later asked for another hearing, saying that a commission staff report was “seriously flawed in its economic review” and that the issue of rent control should not have been a factor in deciding whether to allow an election.

Last week, the commission unanimously agreed not to reopen the matter “because the points that the (cityhood) committee made in their request had all been discussed at the hearing,” said Ruth Benell, commission executive director.