City Grapples with Sudden Closure of Marina Bait Shop as it Continues Waterfront Revitalization Effort

Martinez Bait and Tackle Store was closed May 10 because of "health and safety concerns" with no plans to reopen; city leaders looking at other options

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The Martinez Bait and Tackle Store is closed indefinitely.

By Sam Richards

City leaders are pondering the next move related to the Martinez Marina’s bait shop, which was shut down in early May with various structural problems and is considered unsafe and not economically feasible to repair. 

The bait shop — the Martinez Bait and Tackle Store —  was closed May 10, after it had cut operating hours to three days a week, Friday through Sunday. 

In an email, City Manager Michael Chandler said the bait shop was closed because of “a number of health and safety concerns,” including drainage and electrical issues, plus the condition of structural supports under the building, and flooring and outside decking concerns. The city had received a call from someone concerned about the safety of the building, he added, which prompted inspections.

“Any of these items would be sufficient to justify closing the bait shop, but all of them combined have led us to recommend not spending any more repair money on the facility given its age and condition, and instead pursue a replacement model, with a private (contracted) operator,” Chandler said. 

At the May 15 City Council meeting, Chandler said putting money into the existing building would be “putting good money after bad.”

Torrance-based firm Almar Marinas has, since 2005, been the city’s contracted marina manager. Almar operates a dozen California marinas, including Martinez, The Brickyard Richmond Marina, the Treasure Island Yacht Harbor and the Oakland Marinas.

Almar, he added, supports the city’s position concerning the bait shop. Almar had recently approached city staff seeking permission to close the bait shop, given the recent re-closure of the fishing pier and a lack of business (although the shop had a strong April).

Almar had previously worked with the city in 2023 to find a new private operator for the bait shop, but those negotiations fell through. 

Chandler also said he expects an update on the situation will be given at the June 10 meeting of the city’s Waterfront and Marina Subcommittee. Council  members also asked city staff for updates at future council meetings.

Almar’s contract role managing the rest of the marina will remain unchanged, Chandler said. On May 1, the City Council voted 4-1 — with Mayor Brianne Zorn dissenting — to approve making a $50,000 loan to the city’s Marina Enterprise Fund, and then move that same amount from that fund as a payment to Almar Marinas, for general expenses needed to sustain operations at the Martinez Marina. The closure of the bait shop will have no bearing on that $50,000 payment, Chandler said.

“We are hopeful that (Almar’s) operating account balance will continue to recover over the next several months and into the new budget cycle,” Chandler said.

Zorn, in a later interview, said she would rather have seen the city invest that $50,000 directly in waterfront needs, rather than leave it to Almar to do the investing.

Almar Chief Operating Officer Jim Hayes, who spoke at the May 1 City Council meeting, did not respond to requests for an interview for this story.

Moving the bait shop into the nearby harbormaster's building, Chandler said, is “not a viable option.”

A sign informs the public of the closure of the bait shop.