Crystal Ball of DBW’s Future: Hazy

SACRAMENTO — The marine industry is a goldmine and Sacramento’s policymakers are missing out on an opportunity to work with an economically secure sector. Such is the sentiment expressed by vocal leaders of the maritime industry, and continued oversight of recreational boating (and its sister industries) could ultimately lead to the disappearance of a vital segment of California’s economy. Efforts have been underway to streamline organizational operations at California State Parks, causing many within the boating and maritime industry to predict the state’s Division of Boating and Waterways, or DBW, would become absorbed into the larger agency. Some in the industry believe DBW has hemorrhaged boating-savvy staff members, which could lessen the agency’s ability to fully understand the issues affecting boaters. DBW’s status as the state’s leading agency for recreational boaters and maritime professionals had already been stripped and shrunk in the recent past. The standalone Department of Boating and Waterways was relegated to “division” status in 2013, when Gov. Jerry Brown’s reorganizational efforts removed the agency’s independence and incorporated it into State Parks. The department, colloquially known as Cal Boating during its standalone period, was renamed as the Division of Boating and Waterways in July 2013. Could state officials chip away at the...