Owner of kite-surfing island for Silicon Valley executives faces $4.6 million fine

A state water agency has proposed one of its largest fines ever — $4.6 million — against a Bay Area man for allegedly damaging an island by transforming it into a luxury sporting enclave for Silicon Valley executives.

The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board levied the proposed penalty against John D. Sweeney and his Point Buckler Club for allegedly filling and degrading more than 29 acres of tidal wetlands at the 51-acre Point Buckler Island. The island is located in Suisun Marsh, the state’s largest brackish marsh.

The board also issued an abatement order that calls on Sweeney and the club to restore the island, located in the Bay Delta estuary.

The water board has scheduled a hearing on the proposed penalty and cleanup order for Aug. 10 in Oakland.

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The tiny island in Grizzly Bay has been the subject of controversy for years, with Sweeney sparring with the water board and local environmental agencies over whether and how it can be developed.

After purchasing the island in 2011, Sweeney sought to revive a decades-old duck hunting club at the island. He launched a kite-surfing outfit with marketing materials that tout its seclusion and convenience for Silicon Valley and Bay Area executives.

The water board alleges that Sweeney and the club put more than 1.8 million gallons of fill into the water without legal authorization, and unlawfully installed a levee, cutting off several acres from the wetlands, according to the complaint issued Tuesday.

The agency also alleges Sweeney wrongfully added a spate of amenities like helicopter pads, a toilet facility and a lounge area, which are advertised on the club’s Facebook page.

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Before Sweeney and the club arrived and took over, the island wetlands were feeding grounds for salmon migrating to the ocean, and the area was a possible habitat “special status species” like the salt marsh yellowthroat, according to the cleanup and abatement order.

Sweeney has said the water board overstated how much fill he moved on the island and told the East Bay Times that he followed policies established by duck clubs, which don’t require permits to modify the levees under the Suisun Marsh Protection Plan.

In March, he sued the agency and asked courts to restrict the water board from issuing more abatement orders.

“The regional board has spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to try and find any way to steal the land as it’s a key island in the Delta tunnel plan,” Sweeney told the newspaper, alleging the water board was trying to “strong arm” the club for filing a lawsuit in Solano County Superior Court.

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“The regional water board has a vendetta against the club and simply wants to take the land for it to use as a restoration site without buying it,” Sweeney said.

The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission issued a cease-and-desist order on April 22, concluding that Sweeney and the club violated two state laws. The commission also called on the club to apply for a permit for development activities on the island. A hearing on the commission’s order is scheduled for July 21.

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For more California news, follow me @MattHjourno. E-mail me at matt.hamilton@latimes.com.