Harbor District to court over unpaid rent: Restaurant group, which operated Ketch Harbor Pub and Pelagic Cantina & Fish Market, owes over $155K, officials say
The Harbor District is taking the Pelagic Hospitality Group to court over $155,433 in unpaid rent on the Ketch Harbor Pub and Pelagic Cantina and Fish Market, General Manager James Pruett said, however, the district has now regained possession of the property.
Dispute around the Pelagic Hospitality Group’s unpaid rent has been ongoing for months, and the Harbor District Board of Commissioners recently approved the filing of unlawful retainer action against the restaurant management organization to seek back rent, utilities, interest and penalties as well as obtain the keys to the property, Pruett said.
As of May 13, those filings were not reflected in the San Mateo County Superior Court online database.
The keys have now been obtained, Pruett said, but were in Pelagic’s possession past the May 16 social media post where they announced they were shutting down Ketch Harbor Pub and said the district disregarded Pelagic CEO David Westendorf’s cancer diagnosis and ignored his ADA status.
“The San Mateo County Harbor Commission has disregarded David’s ADA status and instead opted for greed,” the post read. “In these 10 months, they have not offered even a single accommodation afforded by the law. Furthermore, the rent reduction we’ve requested has turned into an eviction.”
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An attorney for Westendorf, Andrew Galvin, had no comment on the ongoing legal action.
At a February meeting of the Harbor District, members of the Pelagic Hospitality Group haven’t been paying full rent in protest of the district’s alleged mismanagement and disregard. At that same meeting, Westendorf requested a rent reduction to $14,500 — its current rent stood at $20,500 a month — and alleged the district attempted to intimidate the hospitality group and the restaurant’s supporters.
Pelagic’s lease on the three Harbor District-owned buildings was set to expire in 2028, but Pruett said the district is working on requests for proposals for new tenants for the space. The entire situation is unfortunate, Pruett said.
“I wish it was different,” he said. “I wish it never happened.”
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