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Where does Morro Bay’s George Leage live?

November 22, 2013

George LeageBy KAREN VELIE and JOSH FRIEDMAN

Morro Bay Councilman George Leage does not have a legal residence in Morro Bay; instead he sleeps in an apartment in his family’s sushi restaurant, Off the Hook.

Off the Hook is located in Morro Bay tidelands, an area of which the city acquired ownership through a state grant. The tidelands grant prohibits residential use of the area and requires businesses to support public access or public trust uses.

“Residential use of these public lands is specifically prohibited,” the Morro Bay Harbor Department Lease Management Policy states.

The city leases tidelands to individuals and businesses, like Leage and Off the Hook. Several years ago, Leage put the restaurant lease in his sister’s name, though he continues to manage the business. About a year ago, Leage says he began living in a caretaker unit in the restaurant.IMG_1840

“There have been caretaker units at different places around here.” Leage said. “I thought it was grandfathered in or permitted as a caretaker’s unit.”

The California State Lands Commission monitors compliance with state land grants. State Lands spokesperson Sheri Pemberton said living on state-granted tidelands is not a proper use of the land.

“It is and has been the commission position for decades that residential use of the tidelands is inconsistent with the public trust,” Pemberton said. “Residential use is a private use and inconsistent with the public nature of these lands.”

In March, Leage attended a city study session on the harbor tideland lease site rules and regulations. During the meeting, former city attorney Rob Shultz told the audience that residential use is not permitted on Public Trust lands.

Leage said he did not remember that portion of the presentation and that Schultz did not know where he was residing. Leage also said he would move if state or city officials ask him to.

“If they state to me it is not residential, I will get out of there,” Leage said.


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If he isn’t a legal resident … no contest … he can not serve in public office.


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He is legal as anyone and can serve. The article lead-in is poorly written and confusing.


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You wish. The facts are crystal clear and well presented.


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While it’s proper that Leage move out once he is given notice that an obscure narrow STATE regulation is being violated, this is also no big deal as a caretaking and mixed use low impact residential use is perfectly sensible, AND as others have pointed out, is a part of the mixed use, LOW COMMUTE footprint part of CURRENT LEADING municipal planning.


Look at planning commission agendas around the state, such low impact ZERO COMMUTE to work uses are common (small apartments attached to commercial development). Trying to trash this councilman for an obscure violation is just a common tactic.


I say give Leage a pass on this common sense use IF he moves out at once, GET THE STATE to catch up on modern mixed-use planning, and get BACK TO recalling Mayor Irons and his destruction of the towns wastewater finance and public employee morale.


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Zero-Footprint George


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I say give hem a pass too – he is leaving no footprint behind and he even parks a block away from the apartment, i know b/c my friend works at restaarant down there and sees him. he’s a considereat gentleman not to park right in front of that place so everyone can see his truck.


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Or is he hiding the fact that he lives there and doesn’t want anyone to know.


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Give him a pass because he walks and “is leaving no footprint”. I heard the uni-bomber recycled regularly. Mayor Ford in Toronto is a heavy composter. Rumor is that the entire Duke Lacrosse team rode in an electric car convoy to every game.


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Alright, I’m with you on everything but Robert Toronto. He’s my new hero.


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That’s a lame comment alright. Trying to excuse Leage by claiming he provides a shining example of modern mixed use planning is a pretty desperate argument.


There is plenty of legal housing within easy walking distance of the restaurant – VERY easy walking distance. The implication that Leage is being a great guy and doing us all a favor by living in that illegal apartment is just – lame.


As for the statement that this is a narrow, obscure State regulation, that is not true either. The land was given to the county 66 years ago, and to the city nearly 50 years ago. The related law said then, and it says now – tidelands grant land cannot be used for private purposes, including residences. That is not narrow – it is a very broad principle and it has been in place for decades. As if that were not enough, this law is clearly described in Morro Bay’s own harbor lease policy. Narrow and obscure? No way.


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Actually, there are a number of grandfathered “beds” in several of the Tidelands leases. These include “liveaboards”, transient occupancies, caretakers, and one outright “residence”. I am not yet compelled (due to lack of factual information) to believe this case is not similar in nature to the other permitted living/sleeping spaces. Can you provide authoritative facts that would disprove the above possibilities?


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See my most recent post, and do your homework


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Looks like it’s Tim for the nuclear option. Sorry MB


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Just another lying politician caught with his paints down. He wasn’t residing there, he just took a nap for 8 hours a night?


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Most of his napping is done at the council meetings.


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Poor George. He got caught and like most ethically compromised people he is pleading ignorance of the law.


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Given that Leage has been operating businesses on tidelands lease sites for many, many years, it is hard to imagine he would not know what the law is. It is also interesting that he does not recall hearing the statement in the City presentation that living on one of those lease sites is illegal.


Schultz didn’t know where he lived? Fascinating. Many people have known ages that Leage was living down there and that it wasn’t legal. I heard about it a long time ago. What about the Harbor Director who is responsible for administering the sites? Did he know?


My guess is that someone who wants to take that lease site away from the Leages is behind tipping off the press. Many other people could have raised this issue long ago but didn’t.


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My guess is that Jamie Irons, Christine Johnson and/or Noah Smukler brought this to the media’s attention. Whatever happened with the smart growth concept that all these people are pushing, where a business owner lives above his business in order to save the planet? These three are not nice people. Sign the recall against Jamie Irons.


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Don’t forget: Betty Winholtz, Walter Heath, Surfrider Foundation, Joey Racano, Lois Capps, Roger Ewing, John Diadati, New Times, SLO Tribune, Barack Obama, Obamacare, socialized medicine, John F. Kennedy, Karl Marx …


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Smart growth does not include blatantly violating State law.


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If it is truly a unit used by a former caretaker of the building, I wonder if the city issued permits for the private bath facilities? If the use is prohibitied George shouldn’t be living there, but, this is newsworthy? Looks like another attack piece to me. We also have more than 1 residential use building on the Embarcadero, in the area around the Yacht Club. Maybe the writer of the article can clarify the difference in those properties as well as the Anderson Inn, Grey’s Inn, Embarcadero Inn the Hotel built a couple of years back as well as the one under construction next to the Aquarium.


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It’s very simple and well documented. Hotels and the yacht club serve the public at large. That is the government’s objective for the Tidelands Grant lands.


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How do we know George doesn’t come out at night and do some security patrols and some light janitorial?


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Is this part of a systematic scheme by the current council to rid the city of those with any tenure?

The Leage family helped build Morro Bay!

There is a definite pattern developing here that can only be terminated by the Mayor being recalled.


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They helped build Morro Bay, and therefore they don’t have to follow the law like other people? That concept is going to be very hard to sell.


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Just how long is this boogeyman list the Recallers have now?


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Apparently shorter, less demoralizing to Morro Bay and less vindictive than the “enemy list” of Stop the MB Recall, et al.


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humpty dumpty fell off the wall with his recall.


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Oh great, I’m living in a subaru wagon and can’t get together enough $$’s to make deposit and here mister Moneybaggs is living in an office, ILLEGALLY. I sure hope he can find a place to live – poor guy.


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yknow, i don’t say much on this board but that took less than a minute for someone to “dislike” my comment. That tells you a lot about some people.


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I think it says a lot about your post. Down voted.


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mbhomeless, as I am writing this, has 7 likes and 10 dislikes, which is a very good ratio on this site, and you are 0 for 3. Maybe there are fewer heartless people posting comments than we think. Happy Thanksgiving.


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As i write this, you are 0-3. Tu quoque.


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You must not be familiar with my work. I’m Slophocles, the Mean-Spirited Liberal. I live for dislikes.


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Up voted.


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Maybe people like me after all.


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Gorge League has worked very hard to get the connections he has. Now why don’t you just back off and let a man live where he wants to.


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And park their cars where they want, and buy and sell their goods where they want, smoke what they want – where they want, and eat what and where they want, etc. Guess we don’t need any rules or regulations. OH WAIT, we do need them for the serfs, not the elite, the politicians, the government workers, etc.


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Let’s leave serfers out of this, they ain’t bothering anyone.


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mbhomeless………..You complain about living in your car……..why don’t you go find a affordable place to live. Like Bakersfield, Oildale, or even Santa Maria.


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Oh, you want a piece too? Let me tell you something – I was trying for a while to move to the Bullhead city where I could get an aparmtment for $350 a month but then i started reading posts from people like you and probiz and saw how people in this town REALLY feel about the homeless and I decided to stay here just to spite you. Now I’m never leaving that albertson’s parking lot. And in case you didnt know, there are more people moving into that parking lot every day. The other night i slept next to a family of four crunched into a Ford Focus. So you and probiz go ahead and deliver your Thanksgiving turkeys to the drunks and Motel 6 and then go back to your homes on Ironwood and Nutmeg and have a good laugh about us, and I’ll eat a cornish hen for you, raw, next to a dumpster!


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My stars! This could blow up bigger than the Trib’s recycling bin exposé !!!


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Yet another local news source unjustly persecuting the poor Recall Victims. I think they’re just down to the Fogcutter “News” now, aren’t they? – the only one left that “reports” things the way they like?


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I suspect that your effort to downplay this issue will not work. We have a Council member living in an illegal residence, and it is very difficult to believe that he didn’t know that it was illegal.


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The memory is always the first thing to go when public officials get caught in a tight spot. After that usually comes rehab, but I don’t think George will go that far.


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I suspect your effort to make this an issue will not work. Everyone can see that this is just another attempt by Irons, Smukler and Christine Johnson to distract people from the deceipt and damage that they’ve done to Morro

Bay in less than a year. Sign the recall.


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Please give us the damage report, taxpayer.


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Watch your sewer bill for a future announcement of one of their most egregious and expensive damaging action. Stick around long enough and someone else won’t have to explain what’s been done to you. You’ll figure it out for yourself, if you’re still here and a property owner in Morro Bay.


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Not so The initial numbers, ridiculously inflated, were put together by consultants from within the county – members of the good old boys/girls network. Stay tuned for far more sensible cost estimates as others weigh in with facts and realistic numbers.


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You would have fit right into Los Osos 35 years ago. I heard the same thing back then. The numbers aren’t right, we can get it cheaper, blah,blah blah. Take a look at what Los Osos’ sewer is costing now. The real numbers, by the time Morro Bay’s sewer gets built, will be much higher after another 10 or 20 years. Interest rates will go up, energy costs will go up, labor costs will go up and, most importantly, every property owner’s sewer bill will go way up to pay for the utopian dreams of Jamie Irons, Smuckler and Christine Johnson. If you rent, your rent is going up. If you stay in a motel, your room rates are going up. If you work in a restaurant, food prices are going up. All because of a small number of lemmings who followed this group off the cliff. Sign the recall.


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