Million-Dollar City Yacht Is Really More of a Boat, Insists L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

There are many eye-catching, exciting luxury yacht anchorages. The environment of the Bahamas is subtropical to exotic. The West River considerably moderates the environment particularly during the cold months season. Summer time conditions in the Bahamas average 30 levels Celsius and are just 5 levels Celsius chilly during the cold months season. Summer time and september can bring very tornados in the form of serious weather. The lifestyle of the Bahamas is a mix of Africa and Western impacts.

Need to fire all these scummy overpaid idiots.

The Coast Guard registry defines this ship as a "yacht"..period. Well, not quite..this news item comes out as we discover the Los Angeles School Board is about to vote (this coming week) on the proposal to cut ALL Adult Education funding (closing much needed schools like Harbor Occupational Center), Early Development (aka pre-school), after-school programs for K-12 and any number of other programs, like art, music, trade classes, some sports, etc.! This is absolutely unconscionable! These adult schools alone (which also allow high school students to access training outside their regular classes) serve thousands who, in these times especially, need access to affordable training and re-training in employable skills! A considerable staff of excellent, caring teachers and support personnel will also be displaced if this happens! Yet, they can find enough to pay for captain, crew and maintenance (diesel fuel isn't cheap) and a three quarter million upgrade of this yacht! It doesn't make a difference which "pocket" the money comes from..budgets can be re-adjusted! If "visiting firemen" coming to the city need a tour, then take them out on one of the harbor's fireboats or tugs.."boats" that actually do perform other needed services!  Well, what do we expect from a city administration that justified not only paying the previous L.A. School Superintendent $300K a year, but increased it by $50,000, upon the promotion of the former Deputy Superintendent when he assumed that post! That's almost two teachers' salaries! Please..everyone deluge the school board, your councilperson and anyone else you can think of with emails and calls to stop this travesty! Show up at the school board meetings, if you can! We can't let this happen!

Be serious here people, Its L.A. Every Ill thought out, lame brain, hare brained idea in the world has passed through the halls of this local via Hollywood. One question; Does it have its own escorts and greeters from the Hefner mansion too?

He's not a mayor, he's a douche bag. 

They can't pay for the schools, cops, or fireman but thay have a damn boat?

Anyone that votes to raise taxes on yurself is a fool!

Mark my words if this was a GOP Mayor this WOULD be a yacht, but since it is a poor little old dem, it's only a boat.

Quack, Quack, Quack, sounds like a duck, but is really a weasel.

BTW it didn't need new engines, they were replaced to be more GREEN! 

Sorry...it's a yacht.  Sell it and contract with a yacht owner who could use the extra income for each event.  It would probably be more upscale for all this facy promotion going on.

They got a $500,000 federal grant to fund the repairs. It's easily verifiable. My first comment stating this-- noting the source and providing the entire sentence the author chopped up and quoted got silenced by the moderator-- who is-- and why? I guess one of the rules of LA-Weakly moderating is-- "Don't let facts get in the way of a "bash" story."

Hi Tcurry2, and others, The Port of Los Angeles is not your stereotypical city government entity.  This is a WORLD PORT. If you would like the port to do-away with the Marketing Department, overseas business building missions, and the Angelena II "Yacht", then welcome the Port and City into 3rd World status. The Port and it's marketing activities is geared for making money, and insuring trade and commerce flow through this area now and forever!  Get on the boat!

This stinks.  I am sure this is used for political gain by our Los Angeles Politicians.They could rent a yacht for a day much cheaper to tour people if it was truly to promote trade.  Another abuse of the taxpayers money.  The Port Authority spent $489,000 of 1.5 million dollar stimulus money given to Los Angeles in 2009 to retrofit this yacht with a "hydro-electric propulsion system".  Villaraigosa says it is not taxpayers money; I have news for him, stimulus money is taxpayers money; cost of maintaining this yacht comes from taxpayers money.  Disgusting. Trudy Curry  

This is so typical of a liberal and politicians of both parties.  They love spending OUR money.  Then they try to justify the expense even when the city, county state and country is broke.  I don't know why the people continue to vote these corrupt clowns to positions of responsibility then hands them the check book.

You can put lipstick on a yacht but it's still a yacht. California is broke and there's a good chance they'll come looking for a bailout. They will cry how they have to layoff police and firefighters.  My response would be: sell your frigging yacht first then we'll talk.

One last thing.  The Angelena II is tied up on a secured dock, right next to Port Police patrol boats.  There is no slip fee.

Sell that old bucket. It is not worth the money they are spending on it. I had a friend buy one, an old wood boat just like it for $30,000.

This whole "yacht" controversy is rediculous.  Here's why:1. David Goldstein initiated this story with the sole intent of boosing ratings for his news show.  Isn't February "sweeps"?  Goldstein is a fabricator and performer.  Not a journalist. 2. The City of LA is lucky to have the Port of Los Angeles and gleen the benefits of being the landlord for the largest most important port in the United States.  You figure the amount of revenue and jobs generated by that.3. Every major port in the world has a boat of its own with which to conduct tours of the harbor.  The Port of LA's is probably the oldest, least expensive to operate, and modest, of any you will find.  Yes, it's 70+ feet long.  So what?  The "free" tours have included business owners and shippers from around the world in the midst of deciding where to conduct their business, as well as students from the LA area, some of whom had never seen the ocean! The "Angelena II" has served thousands of visitors over the years, for a fraction of what it would have cost to send folks to the local tour boat at Ports O' Call Village.  4. Goldstein forgot to mention that the diesel engines are being replaced with brand new electric technology.  The Angelena II will be the first "yacht" of it's kind to be propelled by electric motors!  The new diesel engines operate solely to charge the batteries when needed. This equals "Zero Emissions" most of the time. Federal grants are being used to fund this part.  Geez Goldstein! 5. The Angelena II is a Port of Los Angeles success story, not a black eye.  Everyone wake up, go down to to San Pedro, or Wilmington, see for your selves the size and scale of the Port of Los Angeles.  Be proud!  This is your port!

Politicians are all the same.  If everything was on the up and up, the people of L.A. would never have though that anything was awry, but we seem to have politicians that turn from pumpkins and real people in to Kings and Gods and actually believe that they deserve it all.  And the easiest thing that a politician does is to spend taxpayer money without the slightest hesitation.  This major loves "nice" things that is just the way he is and he will never stop spending outrageously while he's in office and he will always have an excuse!  So, lets see how long he lasts.  If it goes another round and he runs another term.  I think all of the people who vote him in "again" should have counseling, because they really are not well.

Politicians mixed with Yachts equal a storied yacht named "Monkey Business", as former Senator Gary Hart learned so bitterly. Senator John Kerry berthed his Yacht in Rhode Island to avoid Taxes in his home state. Rep. Russ Canahan had similar problems with his old yacht on the Illinois side from Missouri. I wonder if Mayor Villaraigosa has a private plane that taxpayers subsidize, like Air Claire McCaskill?

why not sell it and sign an agreement with a tax paying tour operator to be available when needed.never mind, that makes too much sense.

Our mayor is Menino of Massachusetts

Jeeeeze....I thought we were the ones with an idiot for a mayor. Seperated at birth maybe???

I've been on that boat twice with business groups and twice with school groups. Calling that thing a yacht is a real stretch. It's very utilitarian and not the least bit the fancy kind of vessel you'd call a yacht. The tour is fascinating by the way and gives an excellent understanding of how the port works and shows the amazing scale of the harbor. This article does not do the educational and public relations value of the boat justice at all. I strongly suggest taking that tour if you ever get the chance.

They could have just bought a new yact for a mill 2. But since there broke they shoulf have gotten nothing. Once again the dems and unions rippoff the people. I take the rich repubs at least they buy the boats themselves. Also not stupid enoughto but 1.2 mill in a boat worth at best 100000.

Maybe they can rent it out and Shoot & PROMOTE porn movies made with Mandatory  RUBBERS !

Port "generate its own profits".  Public relations are necessary to generate those profits.

I'm aghast to see a comment like "And the port says 'installation and repair work is being done by city workers, including electricians, carpenters and others.' (Essentially the most expensive labor force that taxes can buy.)"

Are we going to see Newt Gingrich campaign ads next?  What's wrong with this author and the editors?

I work for a different city and assure you that city workers are hardly the most expensive labor force that taxes can buy.  When we consider the tax-funded bail out money "rewarded" to the criminals who broke Wall Street, we might say they're a far better example of the "most expensive labor force that taxes can buy."

Cities across the county lost millions of reserve dollars in a stock market that took risks that were so unsupportable that they had to hedge against themselves.  As a result, city workers everywhere have paid a much higher share of their benefits.

I am college educated and have the expertise that allows me to help my city avoid millions of dollars in fines every year.  My salary has been stagnant for the past nine years.  I work hard to keep my job because the job market is competitive.  And I get a measure of fulfillment in doing an excellent job for a city I live in.

None of the sensational articles, not the original scoop or the piggy backers like this one, mention how much it costs to operate this vessel each year.  I imagine that's because the numbers will show that it's less expensive to own than rent.

Mayor can't even join up Kore a Town in the redistricting joke that is currently afoot

From Shipbuilding Tribune.com  02-07-12

"Since its construction in 1970, the Angelena II had been powered by two 350-horsepower diesel engines that, as of September 2011, no longer met California emissions requirements. While the Port is spending approximately $200,000 for the cost to replace the existing diesel engines (required by the Coast Guard, for back-up power), the Port applied for and received an approximately $500,000 U.S. Department of Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant to upgrade the vessel power system to cleaner technology. Installation and repair work is being done by city workers, including electricians, carpenters and others."

The actual truth of the matter is much clearer.

the boat (yacht, whatever, it's a tour boat) is older than I am, so no surprise it needs new engines. People are having a cow over the coast of those engines, but a large part of the expense is having to cut a hole into the engine room, take out the old engines, and put in the new engine/motor system (I understand they're making it a biodiesel/electric hybrid drive).You couldn't replace a boat that size for twice what they're paying for the new engines, so I figure they're getting a good deal.

IF it's used properly, this is a great asset and a moneymaker.Otherwise, just a toy

I'm sure the slip fee for a 73 foot yacht is a pretty penny also. Keeping it clean is expensive, and it probably uses about $300 worth of fuel each time it cruises the harbor. 

Time to send the city council in the footsteps of redevelopment agencies. 

A couple of comments/suggestions for you: 

Don't refer to Ask.com or Yahoo!Answers as research.  It make you look like an amateur.

If you want to see the difference between yachts and boats compare Angelena II to photos of yachts at www.deltamarine.com or www.lurssen.com.

Stop trying to make a name for yourself by digging up dirt or creating sensationalism out of nothing.  Try doing something productive with your time.  It is easy to be a critic - much harder to have a positive influence on the world.