Point Reyes Light - October 28, 1999

Supes ban Jet Skis countywide

Despite warnings that they were courting a lawsuit, county supervisors on Tuesday voted 4-to-1 to ban Jet Skis from all waters under their jurisdiction.

Supervisor Steve Kinsey called the vote "a great day for Marin County and West Marin in particular."

County jurisdiction extends three statute miles out to sea on the West Marin coast, but in East Marin it is a "jigsaw," noted Kinsey aide Liza Crosse.

For example, around McNear's Point near San Rafael, county jurisdiction ends close to shore while in San Pablo Bay it extends out several miles, she said.

The dissenting vote was cast by Supervisor Cynthia Murray, who said the ban was a "floating sledgehammer" and that problems with Jet Skis could be resolved while allowing them more access to Marin County waters.

As it is, the ban will not affect the waters offshore of cities fronting on San Francisco Bay. Kinsey said some cities in East Marin are probably waiting to see how county government fares in litigation before deciding whether to adopt similar ordinances. The supervisor added that when Washington banned Jet Skis statewide, Jet Ski users fought the ban all the way to the state supreme court and lost.

Nor will the ban apply to Jet Skis used for emergency purposes, such as their use by lifeguards at Stinson Beach.

Approximately 60 members of the public showed up for the 3.5-hour hearing, with Jet Ski proponents and opponents almost equally divided.

Supervisor Annette Rose acknowledged that efforts are underway to make Jet Skis in the future more friendly to the environment. If that happens, she added, the ban could be amended.

Members of the public debating the ban ranged from surfers to sea captains. Jet Ski users told of saving a windsurfer off the Golden Gate and even of rescuing an injured seal. Are the supervisors willing to buy county residents' Jet Skis if use of them is banned? asked one woman.

Supervisor Kinsey conceded it was "a tough situation" since "you're limiting personal freedom...

"I've ridden Jet Skis," he said after the meeting. "They are fun, but not every place has to be all things to all people." No one has the right to use "thrill craft at the expense of the greater community and the environment," he added.

In West Marin, the movement to ban Jet Skis was initiated by the Environmental Action Committee (EAC) in July, 1996. Last year, the Park Service banned Jet Skis in waters off the Point Reyes National Seashore and part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

Jet Skis are already banned in Bolinas Lagoon and Tomales Bay. Kinsey said they will now also be banned from the mouth of the bay and the Esteros de Americano and de San Antonio.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has drafted a ban for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary but has not published final regulations. Upset by NOAA's slow progress, the EAC last year sued NOAA to finish its job. A court hearing on the suit is scheduled for Jan. 5.

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