DBW-50thAnnBook-PROOF

“Boaters throughout the state began to look at the department as an ally,” says Marty, “and I was very happy to be part of that attitude change.” In the late 1970s, when she was asked to be the reviewing officer for the Alameda Naval Station graduation ceremony, Marty knew she had arrived. Since her retirement in 1982, Marty has been involved with establishing the “New Partnership Foundation,” a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to poor families in Baja, Mexico. Marty has been president of the group and now serves as chairman, working hands-on to collect desperately needed food, clothing, shoes, medical supplies, and educational materials from contributors. She also travels frequently to Mexico to distribute the items to those in need. She and her husband and two children have long enjoyed boating in their 14-foot runabout for family recreation time. Marty still believes that Cal Boating’s most important role centers on boaters and boating education. “As more and more people get interested in water sports and California’s waterways become more and more congested,” she says, “we need to be sure that people understand the right of way on the water, so training is really critical.” Marty takes great satisfaction from the work she did to strengthen the department and show boaters throughout California that Cal Boating was really a state agency for them. She is also pleased that she could bring more prominence to California boating at the national level and serve as a role model for women in government service. “I was proud to represent women and Latinas and to travel to places where minority women were not expected to go,” says Marty.

1999

Through 2007, Cal Boating has provided $3.529 million in grants to local agencies for removal of 649 abandoned vessels and navigational hazards from state waterways.

Cal Boating works with state Assembly­ member Denise Ducheny to pass Public Beach Restoration Act (AB 64), which allows department to provide coastal beach and sand renourishment projects to address continued loss of public beaches due to intense coastal and inland development during past century.

Cal Boating offers opportunity during National Safe Boating Week for the public to have used life jackets inspected and trade unserviceable life jackets for new, fully functional ones.

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50 Years: The Department of Boating and Waterways, 1957 to 2007