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Regular-Law & Justice Services # 39.
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| Board of Supervisors |
Sheriff-Coroner |
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| Subject |
| Introduce by title only, waive first reading, and receive public comment on an ordinance repealing Sections 9-1.12 and 9-1.18 of Chapter 1 of Title 9 and adding Chapter 6 to Title 9 of the Yolo County Code regarding vessel sanitation and mooring. (No general fund impact) (Prieto) |
| Recommended Action |
Introduce by title only, waive first reading, and receive public comment on an ordinance repealing Sections 9-1.12 and 9-1.18 of Chapter 1 of Title 9 and adding Chapter 6 to Title 9 of the Yolo County Code regarding vessel sanitation and mooring.
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| Strategic Plan Goal(s) |
Operational Excellence
Thriving Residents
Safe Communities
Sustainable Environment
Flourishing Agriculture |
| Reason for Recommended Action/Background |
Yolo County is currently experiencing an increase in the number of abandoned, submerged, and live-aboard derelict vessels in its waterways and along its shorelines. When left alone, the vessels possess the potential to contaminate the water through the leaking of organic waste and fuel. It is significantly more expensive to correct and clean up the hazards once they exist than it would be to prevent the issues from occurring in the first place.
Yolo County currently has no preventative measures or enforcement tools that it can employ to help mitigate these problems. As a result, the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office has been utilizing grant funding on an annual basis from the State of California Department of Boating and Waterways to remove abandoned vessels from its waterways. Although these monies have funded successful removals, there is often not enough money available to remove every vessel as it is an extremely costly process. Boats often float abandoned in the County’s waterways for months until funding for abatement can be secured. Adoption of this ordinance will allow the Sheriff’s Office to abate these types of vessels and recover related costs as part of the enforcement process.
The issues related to abandoned and sunken vessels are not unique to Yolo County as these problems have existed throughout the Sacramento River and in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta dating back to the latter part of the 20th century. In the late 1990s, many municipalities in the San Francisco Bay area started to reclaim waterfront properties, ordering the removal of derelict and abandoned boats from marinas and unofficial anchorages. As these boats moved or were evicted from their varied locations in the Bay, they migrated upstream into the Delta and through the Sacramento River. The boats typically moved into a marina and either dropped their anchor in a quiet slough or backwater or tied up illegally to an existing dock. Many of these boats were derelict and unable to move under their own power. The people who owned them often lived aboard these boats in violation of marina regulations and county zoning ordinances.
As a result, many counties and cities that have jurisdictional control of the Delta and Sacramento River waterways have enacted their own mooring and sanitation ordinances. For example, Contra Costa County enacted an ordinance in 2005, followed by San Joaquin County in 2007, Solano County in 2008 and Sacramento County in 2009. More recently, the City of Sacramento established its ordinance in 2014. While differing in various degrees, these ordinances include definitions pertaining to vessels, establish regulations to control vessel sanitation and pollution, and also create vessel mooring and anchoring regulations. A chart comparing and summarizing all of the ordinance reviewed by staff is provided as Attachment B to this staff report.
Consistent with the efforts of these neighboring counties and cities, staff have drafted an ordinance that will provide the Sheriff’s Office with the necessary tools to mitigate the vessel abandonment and sanitation issues the County is currently facing. If approved, this proposed mooring and sanitation ordinance will allow the Sheriff’s Marine Patrol to work collaboratively with surrounding jurisdictions. |
| Collaborations (including Board advisory groups and external partner agencies) |
| Staff has worked collaboratively with Supervisor Villegas, County Administrator staff, the Sheriff's Marine Patrol unit, and staff from Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, West Sacramento Police Department, City of Sacramento Police Department, and the Department of Boating and Waterways. |
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| Fiscal Impact |
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| Source of Funds for this Expenditure |
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Explanation (Expenditure and/or Revenue) |
| Further explanation as needed: |
| Proposed ordinance will generate revenues through fines and fees associated with enforcement. |
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