Dana Point Boaters Association

Why Donate
To The Dana Point Boaters Association?

Our Purpose:

The Dana Point Boaters Association, DPBA, is a California Not-For-Profit IRC §501(c)(4) Corporation. Donations to the Association, our only source of funds, are welcomed from all families interested in protecting the many different kinds of recreational boating done from and within the harbor, using kayak's, paddleboard's, sailboat's, small powerboat's to large motor cruisers, in the short term and for generations to come.

Our organization’s agenda is to meet or exceed recreational boaters’ needs through constructively working with the many and various types of other constituencies who, along with boaters, are fellow stakeholders in achieving the best interests for Dana Point Harbor. These constituencies include business and commercial entities as well as government agencies from harbor and local to regional, state and federal.

The Dana Point Boaters Association advocates the preservation, enhancement, and expansion of affordable recreational boating. We work to improve the family friendly atmosphere and breadth of water-oriented activities we all enjoy in our beautiful harbor. We serve as the watchdog by ethically protecting the rights of all boaters and representing them when collective action is most effective. We actively gather information and communicate our views to educate boaters, external interests, and public officials. We build and maintain constructive working relationships to identify and achieve common goals with other harbor stakeholders. We will pass on our harbor to the next generation of recreational boaters in better condition than it is today.

Our overreaching goal is to make sure that boaters are represented at the table when decisions are being made; that boaters’ perspectives and interests are fairly represented and that Dana Point boaters always receive full and proper consideration in the decision making process.

Benefits of Your Donation:

Effective Recreational Boating Boater Advocate
The Dana Point Boaters Association has been the outspoken voice and always vigilant advocate for recreational boating interests and needs, since well before our formal incorporation in March, 2007.

Your support and donation allows these efforts to continue, as our Harbor enters a period where outside interests, including commercial developers and their lobbyists have focused government attention on commercial redevelopment matters, including proposed expansion into historically dedicated recreational boating use areas. Recreational boaters’ interests need attention too! It’s really a matter of constantly reminding other of our needs, interests and concerns. Sometimes even demanding fair boater treatment when those in decision making roles get distracted. That’s what we do.

Wide Ranging, In-depth Recreational Boating Analysis and Information
The Dana Point Boaters Association provides online access to extensive research reports, study findings and other documents published on our public web site and announced regularly on social media. These materials are often a direct result of our extensive research efforts to understand the background of each issue where we strive to represent our fellow boaters. These materials are specifically intended to assist all Dana Point recreational boaters in understanding local and regional issues, furthering their own boating interests, and developing well informed and independent opinions on the issues of the day.

Periodically, DPBA holds general meetings to present and discuss issues of particular importance to boaters. When circumstances make such action appropriate, as was the case with Possessory Interest Taxes (PIT), DPBA provides and/or arranges to provide detailed information as well as online forms and process narratives to facilitate the legal process. When issues arise that make an open boater forum appropriate, we provide the sometimes costly venue, as well as the agenda and speakers appropriate for this important activity be of maximum value to boaters.

Innovative Boater Focused Programs
Our Boater Liaison Program has become a truly effective means for boaters to trigger solutions to specific issues and problems they face, as well as a means to seize opportunities for harbor improvements, whether they be large or small.

While other sometimes surprisingly similar discount programs have come and gone, Dana Point Boaters Association donors have, for several years now, gained discounts from a number of businesses throughout Dana Point, simply by showing their current proof of membership.

Accomplishments:
For those of you who have attended our General Meetings and/or have stayed abreast of harbor activities via our Boater Blasts and eNews Blogs, you know that we've had some significant past accomplishments:

In 2014, your Dana Point Boaters Association is working in parallel with OC Dana Point Harbor (OC DPH) and the California Coastal Commission (CCC) toward finding resolutions for the non-compliant sections of their (CDP) Application which is now under Appeal with the California Coastal Commission (CCC).
In 2014, your Dana Point Boaters Association testified at both the City of Dana Point Planning Commission and City Council Meeting to raise the conflicts between the submitted CDP Application and the actual Dana Point Harbor Revitalization Local Coastal Program (LCP). Your Association wrote many letters, submitted data, and gave testimony over the non-conforming areas of OC Dana Point Harbor(OC DPH), Dana Point Harbor Revitalization (CDP) Application. These issues were brought before the City of Dana Point Planning Commission, City Council and California Coastal Commission.
In 2014, your Dana Point Boaters Association worked countless hours reviewing OC Dana Point Harbor's Coastal Development Permit Application (CDP) in preparation for City of Dana Point (CDP) Application Submission. We also had many hours working with OC Dana Point Harbor (OC DPH) over the concerns of Recreational Boaters and other Harbor Stakeholders.
In 2014, your Dana Point Boaters Association once again successfully convinced OC officials to waive a general slip and dry storage slip fee rate hike in Dana Point Harbor, for a 6th year in a row. Unfortunately in 2013 the Dana Point West Basin did receive an equalization of pricing to match the Dana Point East Basin.
In 2014, your Dana Point Boaters Association has continued it's Boater Liaison Program (BLP) which continues to bring to light many situations, ideas, problems and suggestion that we bring to the table with OC Dana Point Harbor, Dana Point Harbor Patrol, Marina Company's and other Stakeholders.
In 2013, the Dana Point Boaters Association introduced the Boater Liaison Program (BLP) which has drawn attention and praise from the entire harbor community, as well as the many participating boaters, as dozens of issues have already been addressed.
In 2013, the Dana Point Boaters Association once again successfully convinced OC officials to waive a general slip and dry storage slip fee rate hike in Dana Point Harbor, for an UNPRECEDENTED 5TH YEAR IN A ROW.
In 2012, the Dana Point Boaters Association successfully convinced fellow harbor stakeholders of the merits in eliminating all commercial business employee parking within the harbor on holiday weekends, further improving access to recreational boating resources.
In 2011, the Dana Point Boaters Association successfully worked with Dana Point Harbor Management to establish a comprehensive harbor-wide holiday traffic and parking management plan, to successfully address various issues which had long prevented boaters from gaining full recreational boating enjoyment on busy weekends as well as during our infamous 3-4 day holiday weekends.
In 2010, for an UNPRECEDENTED 2nd YEAR IN A ROW, the Dana Point Boaters Association successfully convinced OC officials to entirely waive slip and dry storage slip fee increases that were being proposed for all marinas within Dana Point Harbor.
In 2009, Dana Point Boaters Association successfully lobbied before the California Coastal Commission, The City of Dana Point and the County of Orange, thereby triggering the elimination a large commercial store and associated parking lot that had been planned to be placed at the main entrance to the Embarcadero Marina. This decision avoided a significant reduction in available Embarcadero surface area, an area that would have become unavailable to recreational boaters following reconstruction of the harbor’s commercial core.
In 2008 and 2009, DPBA successfully argued at the local and California Coastal Commission (CCC) level for NO NET LOSS OF SLIPS if feasible following dock reconstruction, and a maximum loss of 155 slips. The proposal before CCC was a 477 net loss of slips.
Also in 2008 and 2009, DPBA successfully negotiated the net loss in the number of slips under 30 feet be reduced from 1140 to 324. Also that boaters in slips under 25 feet be given preferential treatment following dock reconstruction.
In 2009, DPBA successfully negotiated with OC DPH and County government, such there was NO RATE INCREASE FOR ANY SLIP OR DRY STORAGE BOATER in Dana Point Harbor during 2009. This broke a tradition of slip and dry storage almost every year since the harbor was opened in 1971.
For the 2008 tax year and forward, DPBA’s agent gained a 30% reduction in PIT for all harbor boaters.
In the 2007 tax year DPBA’s agent gained a 60% PIT refund for those members we represented.
DPBA saved Dana Point slip and dry storage boaters $836,000 in Possessory Interest Taxes (PIT during the 2005 and 2006 tax years).