Local News in Brief : Rent Hike for Boat Dwellers Defeated

An attempt by a major leaseholder in Marina del Rey to raise the rent of people who live on boats was sunk Wednesday by county officials.

The Small Craft Harbor Commission denied a request by Real Property Management Inc., which controls 1,122 of the 6,000 slips in Marina del Rey, to raise the so-called live-aboard surcharge from 55% to 75% of monthly slip fees, or a minimum of $350.

Ted Reed, director of the Los Angeles Department of Beaches and Harbors, said the proposed rate increase was “not fair and reasonable” because it exceeded county guidelines established in 1978. The guidelines call for surcharges to be between 50% and 55% of the slip fees and says they should be comparable to other area marinas.

Reed said the highest live-aboard surcharge elsewhere is $175 at Anacapa Anchorage in Oxnard.