Section 80 Of Chapter 3. Boating And Waterways Commission From California Harbors And Navigation Code >> Division 1. >> Chapter 3.
80
. (a) The Harbors and Watercraft Commission and its successor,
the Navigation and Ocean Development Commission, are continued in
existence in the Department of Parks and Recreation and within the
Division of Boating and Waterways as the Boating and Waterways
Commission, but with only the powers and duties imposed upon it by
this chapter.
(b) The Legislature finds all of the following:
(1) Recreational boating and recreational watercraft use continue
to be popular activities enjoyed by Californians and others visiting
the state.
(2) Harbors, docks, waterways, piers, and other similar water
bodies or infrastructure governed by this chapter should remain open
to all members of the public equally.
(3) Absent deliberate and thoughtful planning and regulation,
those activities have the potential to be dangerous or deadly,
difficult, and expensive for the general public to access and enjoy,
and environmentally unsound.
(c) The Legislature hereby declares that effectively managed
waterways and adequate facilities for the use of boating and
watercraft vessels are essential for safe, accessible, and
ecologically balanced boating and waterway recreation throughout the
state.
(d) It is therefore the intent of the Legislature that:
(1) Existing boating and watercraft recreational areas,
facilities, and opportunities should be expanded and managed in a
manner consistent with this chapter, in particular, to maintain safe,
publicly accessible, and sustained long-term use.
(2) New recreational boating and watercraft facilities, including
harbors, docks, and piers, should be provided and managed pursuant to
this chapter in a manner that will sustain long-term use by the
public.
(3) Waterways, harbors, ports, piers, and other boating or
watercraft infrastructure should be maintained to ensure sustainable
long-term public utility.
(4) Boating and watercraft recreation should be managed in
accordance with this chapter through financial assistance to local
governments and joint undertakings with agencies of the United States
and with federally recognized Native American tribes.