Patrol had three masters

It was a year of transition for the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol, as the unit saw two new leaders in one year and had to deal with the prospect of a smaller budget and new laws.

Among the first changes was enforcing new requirements for boats anchored off Corona del Mar State Beach. Until a January council meeting, unmanned boats could be anchored off the coast for weeks at a time. The problem was that anchor chains and lines would break and boats would drift away. The new ordinance limited the time sailors can be away from their boat and how long they can anchor off the coast.

A couple of months later, Lt. Erin Guidice was named the new harbor master for the Harbor Patrol. She replaced Deana Bergquist, who moved to another position in the department.

Guidice had been with the harbor patrol for years, but only held the harbor master position for a few weeks before being arrested for driving drunk in Irvine after she rear-ended a car at a red light. She was quickly transferred to the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange. She later pleaded guilty to a DUI.

Lt. Mark Long, who has years of experience within the Sheriff’s Department but had not been posted in Harbor Patrol before, took over as harbor master in May. He said he immediately looked to continue Guidice’s and Bergquist’s goal to better connect with the local sailing community, especially the yacht clubs.

Among all this, the county and the state were struggling with a budget crisis. Jobs across the Sheriff’s Department were on the chopping block, but because Harbor Patrol is funded through a separate line item, it was spared, officials said.

That didn’t stop county supervisors from reviewing the unit for things to cut. A report released this month highlighted the seeming stalemate the county is in with the patrol. Staffing is at a minimum and can’t really be adjusted because of state laws the sheriff’s department must enforce, and they can’t force cities like Newport Beach to help pay for it. County officials said the matter will continue to be looked at this year.

A Senate bill under consideration in the Legislature may also give the government the authority to suspend a drunk boater’s license. Last year was the first in a decade when deputies could arrest someone for operating a boat drunk, but their license wouldn’t be suspended.