SAN FRANCISCO — As the sun begins to set with the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, boats make their way back to their slips.
“This is San Francisco Harbor. It’s a sailing harbor with some of the best sailing in the world,” said Roger Kroeze.
Kroeze has docked his boat in the city for more than 20 years but he’s growing tired of paying rising harbor dues, as boaters say they’re getting very little in return.
“This is a publicly run marina. The services in the marina are the poorest,” said Kroeze.
Looming budget deficits have city departments scrambling to address the shortfalls and search for additional revenue. City officials want to hike the berthing fees for boat owners by more than 30%.
Mariners say that’s unnecessarily rocking the boat.
“The city doesn’t know how to run a yacht harbor yet they’re running it and they’re charging me more and more,” said Kroeze….
