Marina del Rey boaters get reprieve on evictions

MARINA DEL REY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Concerned boaters packed the L.A. County Small Craft Harbor commission meeting in Marina Del Rey, voicing their concerns after receiving eviction notices to vacate their slips during construction projects to modernize the marinas.

For many in the audience, their boats are their homes.

They say they don't know where to go or what to do. For example, boater Jonathan Joss told the commission: "I'm here to tell you that relocation doesn't work. Breaking up families, taking away people's homes, putting them on the street does not work."

And Yvonne Clark said: "I think there needs to be some compassion on the behalf of Legacy Partners for the people living in this community."

Legacy Partners is the builder who's been modernizing the docks at the marinas and building hundreds of new apartment units next to them. They sent out notices in April ordering 300 boaters to be out by this July.

Good news for the boaters - the builder canceled those eviction notices.

Timothy O'Brien with Legacy Partners said: "As I stand here today, no notices have gone out and no notices will go out until we're on the same page with the department."

The builder and commission will meet at their monthly meeting in June for an update on the plan.