Article

Last week, the 2025 California Boating Congress was held in Sacramento, Calif. Co-hosted by NMMA, the two-day advocacy event started Tuesday with the California boating community hearing from the California Business Roundtable and receiving a legislative update on key policy issues of note for the California boating community.

Wednesday kicked off with remarks from Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA), a key member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and long-time champion of industry issues. Rep. Garamendi highlighted his efforts at the federal level to address abandoned and derelict vessels as well as aquatic invasive species, both of which are top priorities for the industry in California.

NMMA's Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President of Operations Robert Newsome delivered remarks to the attendees, highlighting the $17.3 billion annual economic impact of the recreational boating industry in California and the current state of the industry.

Throughout the two-day event, attendees representing California marinas, manufacturers, boaters, and other stakeholders heard from bipartisan California legislators and agency officials on top priorities businesses and boaters are facing in the Golden State. NMMA's Senior Director of Public Policy and California State Policy Lead Clay Crabtree introduced Rep. Garamendi and thanked the congressman’s continued leadership on abandoned and derelict vessels.

To learn more about NMMA’s work in California, members are invited to reach out to Clay Crabtree at [email protected].