The Region : Marina del Rey City Bid Gets Setback

Claiming that Marina del Rey could not generate enough money to pay for essential services as an independent city, the head of a state agency that evaluates cityhood applications has recommended that marina residents be denied a chance to vote on incorporation. Ruth Bennell, executive director of the Los Angeles County branch of the Local Agency Formation Commission, wrote in a report that the marina lost about $400,000 in the 1984-85 fiscal year, taking in about $5.5 million and spending about $5.9 million. Bennell also criticized cityhood supporters for wanting control of the 800-acre area, more than 50% of which is publicly owned. The commission will hold a public hearing on the matter March 26. Cityhood supporters disagreed with the report’s conclusions. They have commissioned a consultant’s analysis of the marina’s finances. If commissioners deny the cityhood application for an election, the group’s only recourse will be the courts.