Save Pete's Harbor

Alex Kekauoha has reported on Pete’s Harbor twice for KPFA radio. Here you can listen to his recent report, posted online on June 20, 2013. You can hear James Lee (Secretary for Save Pete’s Harbor), Buckley Stone (Pete’s Harbor resident), and Alison Madden (former Pete’s Harbor resident) speak.

There is one slight inaccuracy in this report. A special July 1 State Lands Commission (SLC) hearing is mentioned. There was no such hearing, but there was a resident whose unlawful detainer hearing was that day and where the SLC was invited to attend. (The SLC did not attend.)

Vindication Imminent for Save Pete’s Harbor, But Struggle Continues after Council Meeting Media Contact: SavePetesHarbor at Gmail dot Com REDWOOD CITY - After more than seven months, Save Pete’s Harbor (SPH), the group working to preserve the state-owned submerged lands in the Smith Slough portion of Pete's Harbor as a commercial marina open to the boating public, can finally celebrate after learning that Redwood City staff will be recommending that the city council vote on Monday, May 6, to send the proposed development at Pete’s Harbor back to the drawing board.[1] SPH feels vindicated by the fact that the staff recommendations virtually mirror the position our organization put forth in a widely read op-ed two weeks ago.[2] We are also proud to have overcome what most people thought were insurmountable odds: a planning commission and city council whose members have been friends with and received contributions from the land owner;[3] a professional PR firm hired to attack SPH and its allies;[4] theft, defamatory attacks, and a calculated spread of mistruths; and a well-heeled and well-connected developer who has expressed his desire to develop the entire Redwood City waterfront regardless of the negative impact to the boating public of California and the community's public access rights to the bay. However, because the city council may only be sending the project back to the planning commission and not rejecting the proposal outright, the struggle continues to preserve the state-owned outer harbor as a viable commercial marina open to the boating public. We also have no guarantee that the city council, with their close ties to the landlord, will follow staff recommendations. For this reason, SPH is asking that the public turn out to support our cause at the city council meeting at 7 PM. Every supporter will be another pair of eyes on the council. SPH is also accepting much-needed donations to pay for our ongoing legal fees via Paypal and Rally.[5] SPH is applying for 501(c)(3) status and expects to be approved, so all donations will be tax deductible. We at SPH would like to thank our attorney Brett Jolley of Herum Crabtree, as well as Redwood City staff, for all their hard work. We would also like to thank all the community groups and members who contributed letters, research, and support, and spoke out at so many community meetings. Our struggle continues, but we are heartened to see the first signs of progress. We look forward to working with the City of Redwood City and the Pauls Corporation on a plan that will be good for recreational boaters and Redwood City. SPH's only interest in meeting with these parties is to discuss the preservation of a viable commercial marina for the public. As implied in our mission statement and by the very nature of our organization,[6][7] SPH has no interest in acquiring the smaller "consent" lease (Lease PRC 6857) of state-owned submerged lands for ourselves, nor are we looking to pursue any sort of profitable venture through our advocacy. Our goal has been consistent from the beginning, and we truly appreciate the City of Redwood City taking the time to hear our concerns over the last seven months. As Chair Alan Gordon of the State Lands Commission stated at the commission's meeting on December 5, 2012, it seems there is room for a compromise solution that truly incorporates public input and benefits the wider community. We hope and expect that the city council does the right thing and follows staff recommendations to these ends. (SPH invites the public to the May 6 city council meeting at 1017 Middlefield Road in Redwood City, at 7 PM.) * [1] http://mercurynews.com/ci_23162044 [2] http://tinyurl.com/sphoped [3] http://tinyurl.com/recuserwc [4] http://tinyurl.com/singerlies [5] http://tinyurl.com/helpsph [6] http://tinyurl.com/aboutsph [7] http://tinyurl.com/sphbylaws

Pete's Harbor and the Waterfront Restaurant afford Bay Area residents an opportunity to explore Redwood City's natural and rustic charm.

Internal communications between city officials showcase the dubious relationships between the land owner, city officials, and the developer.

Last week, Save Pete's Harbor donated 195 books to Kepler's books in Menlo Park. The books were rescued from the Pete's Harbor laundry room.

Leslie of Save Pete's Harbor (SPH) speaks to the California State Lands Commission (SLC) at their 24 January 2013 special meeting. Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom was present in his capacity as an officer of the SLC.

In this video, Leslie explains why she has come to the SLC: because all local government bodies and agencies and elected officials whom we at SPH have reached out to have either refused or neglected to help the community of nearly two hundred boaters and RV residents at Pete's Harbor (in Redwood City, California) who were evicted on 15 January 2013 by Paula Uccelli, a prominent local campaign fund donor and long-time friend of city, county, and state government.

SPH is a group of concerned citizens whose goal is to preserve the state-owned, outer portion of Pete’s Harbor in Redwood City, California as an environmentally friendly marina open to the boating public.

The SLC manages the submerged state lands at the outer harbor. Pete Uccelli placed a marina on these submerged state lands without the state's permission and he was ultimately given clear title to land to which the state had some public trust right, title, or interest that was subject to uncertainty and dispute. SPH hopes that the SLC understands that Mr. Uccelli was only given a unique deal on the leases of these submerged state lands because Mr. Uccelli was providing a major service to the boating public by providing maximum feasible public access to these submerged state lands in Smith Slough.

Otherwise, Pete's Harbor could not have happened at all. The SLC needs to understand that at a minimum, they must make sure that boater access isn't decreased and that these submerged lands must be kept for a public access marina in keeping with the Commission's own policy statement on the Public Trust Doctrine.