Aerial view of Dana Point Harbor, Orange County. Copyright (C) 2002-2021 Kenneth & Gabrielle Adelman, California Coastal Records Project, www.californiacoastline.org.
Orange County was granted sovereign tide and submerged lands in Newport Bay in trust in 1919 to establish and operate a harbor, for bulkheads and breakwaters, and for the promotion and accommodation of commerce and navigation. In 1961, the County was granted sovereign tide and submerged lands in the Dana Point Harbor in trust to establish and operate a harbor, for the promotion and accommodation of commerce and navigation, for recreational use, public parks, parking, highways, and playgrounds. In 1975, the County was authorized to transfer portions of land to the Commission to be operated as an ecological reserve or wildlife refuge by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The County is required by Section 6306 of the Public Resources Code to complete an annual financial statement and standardized reporting form for trust lands on or before December 31 of each year.
Below is a list of reports the County has submitted:
| Statute | Description |
|---|---|
| Chapter 526, Statutes of 1919 | An act granting certain. tidelands and submerged lands of the State of California to the county of Orange in said state upon certain trusts and conditions. |
| Chapter 575, Statutes of 1929 | An act to amend section 1 of an act entitled “An act granting certain tidelands and submerged lands of the State of California to the county of Orange in said state upon certain trusts and conditions,” approved May 25, 1919, relating to the granting of franchises upon, and leases of, the tidelands therein granted to the county of Orange. |
| Chapter 200, Statutes of 1931 | An act to establish the line of ordinary high tide in certain parts of Newport bay in Orange county, California, in conformity with certain decrees of the superior court of the State of California, in and for the county of Orange, establishing said line of ordinary high tide. |
| Chapter 2044, Statutes of 1957 REPEALED by Chapter 415 |
An act declaring portions of the lands granted to the County of Orange by an act entitled “An act granting certain tidelands and submerged lands of the State of California to the County of Orange in said State upon certain trusts and conditions,” approved May 25, 1919, as amended, which have been and which may be hereafter improved, filled, and reclaimed, unavailable and unuseful for navigation, commerce, and fisheries, and excluding such portions from use for navigation, commerce, and fisheries, and providing that such portions, and other portions of the lands granted by said act, may be irrevocably alienated and conveyed free of public use and trust by the said county by exchanging such lands with the owner or owners of uplands contiguous thereto. |
| Chapter 321, Statutes of 1961 | An act granting certain tidelands and submerged lands of the State of California to the County of Orange in said State upon certain trusts and conditions. |
| Chapter 415, Statutes of 1975 | An act to amend Section 1 of Chapter 526, Statutes of 1919, and to repeal Chapter 2044, Statutes of 1957, relating to sovereign lands granted to the County of Orange in trust. |
| Chapter 715, Statutes of 1984 | An act relating to tide and submerged lands granted in trust to the County of Orange and to the City of Newport Beach. |
| Chapter 361, Statutes of 2004 | An act to amend Section 2 of Chapter 317 of the Statutes of 1997, to add Sections 4.5 and 5.5 to Chapter 74 of the Statutes of 1978, and to add Sections 2 and 3 to Chapter 526 of the Statutes of 1919, relating to public trust lands. |
| Chapter 512, Statutes of 2014 | AB 2764, Committee on Natural Resources. Public resources. An act to amend Section 126 of the Government Code, to amend Section 39512.5 of the Health and Safety Code, to amend Section 6306 of the Public Resources Code, and to amend Section 1 of Chapter 321 of the Statutes of 1961, relating to public resources. |
| Chapter 332, Statutes of 2017 | SB 367, Bates. Tidelands and submerged lands: County of Orange. An act to amend Section 1 of Chapter 321 of the Statutes of 1961, relating to tidelands and submerged lands. |
| Chapter 107, Statutes of 2024 |
AB 2393, Dixon. Tidelands and submerged lands: County of Orange and Newport Bay: franchises or leases. An act to amend Section 1 of Chapter 415 of the Statutes of 1975, relating to tidelands.
|
| Staff Report | Description |
|---|---|
| 04/04/1941 (page 247 of minutes) | |
| 07/25/1974 (22) | Consideration of substantial improvement of granted tide and submerged lands at Dana Point, as required by Chapter 321, Statutes of 1961 |
| 01/26/1977 (33) | Request for approval of expenditures of tidelands funds |
| 05/26/1977 (22) | Request for approval of expenditures of tidelands funds for Newport Harbor Sea Scout Base – $442,752 |
| 12/16/1980 (46) | Authorization for litigation – expenditure of tidelands revenue |
| 03/27/1986 (29) | Consideration of expenditure of $1.5 million of tidelands revenues (plus interest) for Newport Dunes project |
| 02/05/1992 (23) | Review of proposed leases involving granted filled tide and submerged lands |
| 04/05/2004 (24) | Consider approval of the dedication of Orange County’s Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve as public trust lands to be held in trust, pursuant to Chapter 526, Statutes of 1919, as amended |
| 10/19/2012 (61) | General lease – dredging |
| 08/19/2015 (78) | Review the proposed acquisition of real property for a temporary vessel storage facility located outside the boundary of legislatively granted sovereign land |