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Island Company

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When William Wrigley Jr. died in 1932, ownership of the company transferred over to his son Philip Knight Wrigley and daughter Dorothy Wrigley Offield. In 1972, the Wrigleys and Offields created the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy, then a private charitable foundation, and three years later, deeded 88 percent of Catalina’s interior and coastline to the foundation. The Catalina Island Conservancy thrives to this day as a non-profit organization. Its mission is ‘to be a responsible steward of its lands through a balance of conservation, recreation, and education.’ Under the stewardship and guidance of third and fourth-generation descendants of William’s wife Ada a nd himself, the Catalina Island Company continues to offer a complete resort destination experience, including hotels, restaurants, a spa, water sports, camping, and a host of land and sea tours, activities and adventures that showcase Catalina’s culture, history, rugged wilderness, and unique marine ecosystem.

As the ICO continued to grow and develop from the goals of the two families who molded it, today that company invites tourists and residents to visit all n ine properties throughout Avalon, including the Pavilion Hotel, Hotel Atwater, Catalina Expeditions, Catalina Visitors Country Club, Catalina Island Gold

C ourse, Descanso Beach Club, Casino Ballroom, and Avalon Grille, as well as all operations located at the resort town of Two Harbors. Accommodations in Two Harbors include historic Banning House Lodge, Villa Santa Cruz, and Villa Santa Rosa, comfortable camping cabins, and four campgrounds that contest to be the best in all of California, each offering unique experiences that make Catalina’s west end the best end.

“The vision of the Catalina Island Company is to be recognized as a leader in providing exceptional individual and group experiences to our guests and visitors and be a respected business partner w ith our employees, suppliers, and community,” said Michelle Leslie, Director of Marketing for the Catalina Island Company, in an email to the Log. “Our vision – like our history on Santa Catalina Is- land – is long-term. We will use our resources (human, physical, financial, and natural) [sustainably] to implement the highest quality plans, designs, and developments that create properties of enduring value. Along with other stakeholders, we are committed to preserving the natural beauty and unique character of Santa Catalina Island. In Avalon, Two Harbors, and other holdings, we will work to develop a master-planned, quality island c ommunity that preserves our history, culture, and authenticity. The overall objectives of our efforts are to make Catalina Island in general, and ICO properties in particular, a premier southern California vacation experience.”

For more information about the Catalina Island Company or to explore their properties, please visit https://www.visitcatalinaisland.com/.

From claim or a real estate dispute, are subject to these formatting requirements. Under most circumstances, however, an agreement to arbitrate a dispute is treated like any other term in the contract, and there are no particular formatting or initialing requirements. An agreement to arbitrate a dispute that arises from a boat purchase agreement must therefore be in writing, but there is no requirement for the parties to initial the paragraph.

Most yacht brokers in California include an arbitration clause within their form purchase contract. However, many different form contracts are used in California and the language of the arbitration provision can vary widely from broker to broker. The provision described in the reader’s question above is, frankly, an example of a poorly drafted contract. The contract called for the arbitration of disputes, but it did not require any particular arbitration forum, such as the American Arbitration Association, JAMS, or the California Yacht Brokers Associatiation. The parties in that case must either agree to a particular forum on their own, or file a lawsuit and ask a judge to sort it out. A party cannot be compelled to submit to the jurisdiction of an arbitration forum that he or she did not agree to in writing.

As a dispute resolution tool, arbitration probably has an equal number of critics and supporters. The value of the process relies almost entirely on the skill, knowledge, and dedication of the arbitrator. The most significant advantages to arbitration are speed and cost. Arbitration is much faster than traditional litigation, and a dispute will usually be resolved in a fraction of the time that would have been required in litigation. The filing fees in arbitration are much higher, and the arbitrator is paid a very nice fee by the parties. However, the overall cost of the process is usually less than litigation because of the abbreviated schedule and the elimination of many of the rules and procedures that are used in litigation.

The most significant drawback of arbitration is that, under California law, there is almost no avenue for appeal, even if the ruling by the arbitrator completely ignored the facts or the law. Federal law allows a small avenue for appeal, but as a practical matter it is not much better. This really highlights the importance of selecting the right arbitrator.

Finally, it is important to note that a party to a yacht purchase agreement is free to strike out any provision in the agreement that is disagreeable, including the arbitration clause. This action should not be taken lightly, since the other party to the agreement (the buyer or seller) may feel strongly about the provision, and a modification to the standard contract language could “kill” the deal. But like any contract, a yacht purchase agreement must reflect the terms and conditions that will work for both parties, and an oversight during the negotiation period may lead to a headache in the future.

David Weil is licensed to practice law in the state of California and as such, some of the information provided in this column may not be applicable in a jurisdiction outside of California. Please note also that no two legal situations are alike, and it is impossible to provide accurate legal advice without knowing all the facts of a particular situation. Therefore, the information provided in this column should not be regarded as individual legal advice, and readers should not act upon this information without seeking the opinion of an attorney in their home state.