If you are searching for a Marina del Rey newspaper, you will find that local news for the harbor comes from a mix of sources rather than one paper. This website is a separate local site operated independently from The Argonaut at argonautnews.com; it is not affiliated with that newspaper. A long-running Westside weekly, several online outlets, regional TV newsrooms and Los Angeles County's own harbor pages each cover a different slice of what happens in Marina del Rey, Venice, Playa del Rey and the surrounding neighborhoods. This guide lists the sources that are currently publishing, what each one tends to cover and how to follow it.
Why Marina del Rey news is spread across several sources
Marina del Rey is an unincorporated community of Los Angeles County, not part of the City of Los Angeles. Decisions about the harbor, its leases and its public land are made by the county, through the Department of Beaches and Harbors and the Board of Supervisors. Since December 2021, all of Marina del Rey has been in the county's Second Supervisorial District. That means city-level sources, such as Los Angeles neighborhood councils, cover the neighborhoods around the marina but not the marina itself, while county pages carry the official harbor information. Most local outlets cover the marina as part of a wider Westside beat.
The Argonaut
The Argonaut is a Westside weekly that has covered Marina del Rey and nearby neighborhoods since 1971. It is published at argonautnews.com and, according to its contact page, by Times Media Group. It is a separate publication from this website, which is not affiliated with it.
- Areas covered: Marina del Rey, Del Rey, Mar Vista, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, Santa Monica, Venice and Westchester.
- What it covers: local news, arts and events, food and drink, opinion, and a boating section that includes Marina del Rey nautical news.
- How to get it: the print edition is distributed free on Thursdays across the areas above, one copy per reader. Articles are posted on its website, and the site also offers digital editions of the paper.
For readers who want older coverage, archives of past Argonaut issues are held by Newspapers.com and the California Digital Newspaper Collection at UC Riverside.
Online local news outlets
Marina Del Rey Patch
Patch runs a Marina Del Rey edition alongside a separate Venice-Mar Vista edition. The Marina Del Rey page mixes stories from nearby Los Angeles-area Patch sites with a daily "Patch AM" roundup focused on Marina del Rey, which highlights a local story and upcoming events. It also hosts a community events calendar. Patch is free to read online and through its mobile app.
Santa Monica Daily Press
The Santa Monica Daily Press (SMDP) covers Santa Monica first, along with the wider Westside, and keeps a Marina del Rey tag for stories about the harbor. Recent examples include coverage of the county's new Lot 4 parking structure. It posts several stories a day online and offers its print edition as a PDF on its website.
Westside Current
Westside Current has a dedicated Marina del Rey section covering crime and courts, county projects such as the Marina del Rey for All initiative, abandoned boats in the harbor, and restaurant and business news. The site offers email newsletters and a form for submitting news tips.
Yo! Venice
Yo! Venice describes itself as a local news, forum and events source for Venice Beach. It posts daily and regularly covers Marina del Rey along with Venice, Santa Monica and Culver City topics such as neighborhood council business, housing, RV parking and public safety. Readers can sign up for an email newsletter, and a weekly digital edition is available. Its newsletter options also include sister Westside titles such as Westside Today and the Santa Monica Mirror.
Free Venice Beachhead
The Free Venice Beachhead is a volunteer-run community paper with roots going back to 1968. Its focus is Venice rather than the marina, with local issues, politics, arts and obituaries. It posts articles online, keeps PDFs of past issues, and lists pickup locations for printed copies on its website.
Regional TV and broadcast coverage
Larger Los Angeles newsrooms cover Marina del Rey when a story reaches beyond the neighborhood. NBC Los Angeles keeps a Marina del Rey tag page. In 2026 it collected stories on boat fires in the harbor, a police pursuit that ended in Marina del Rey, the summer WaterBus and, in September, a series on abandoned and impounded boats in the marina. These outlets are useful for breaking news but rarely cover routine community or county business.
Quick comparison
| Source | Main focus | How to follow it |
|---|---|---|
| The Argonaut | Westside weekly, including Marina del Rey and boating | Free print on Thursdays, website, digital editions |
| Marina Del Rey Patch | Daily local roundup and events | Website and Patch app |
| Santa Monica Daily Press | Santa Monica and Westside, Marina del Rey tag | Website and print edition PDF |
| Westside Current | Westside news with a Marina del Rey section | Website and email newsletters |
| Yo! Venice | Venice and the Westside | Website, email newsletter, weekly digital edition |
| Free Venice Beachhead | Venice community issues | Website, PDFs, printed copies at listed locations |
| NBC Los Angeles | Breaking and regional news | Website tag page |
Staying informed about the harbor itself
For official information about the marina, the most direct sources are the county's own pages rather than news outlets.
LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors
The department's website has a Marina del Rey section covering boating, residents, businesses, history and development, plus a newsroom, a link to the county's public alerts site and a public meetings calendar. A "Subscribe" link on the site leads to the county's email and text alert signup. For beach water quality, the site links to the county Public Health beach grades page and Heal the Bay's Beach Report Card.
Small Craft Harbor Commission
The Small Craft Harbor Commission makes recommendations to the Board of Supervisors on the operation and management of Marina del Rey. Its regular meetings are scheduled for the second Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. in the Burton W. Chace Park Community Room, 13650 Mindanao Way, with a Zoom option. Meetings are canceled fairly often, so check the commission's page before going. Agendas are posted in an archive on the same page. The department also lists the Design Control Board and the Beach Commission among its public bodies.
Marina del Rey for All and "On the Horizon"
Marina del Rey for All is a county-led planning initiative from the Department of Beaches and Harbors, supported by Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, that aims to make the marina "a more vibrant, equitable, accessible, and sustainable coastal destination." Its website, mdr4all.org, collects county announcements, press coverage and issues of its newsletter, On the Horizon, which first came out in September 2025. The site has a sign-up link for updates.
Events and visitor information
The Marina del Rey Tourism Board's official site, visitmdr.com, lists harbor events such as the farmers market, cruises and seasonal festivals. It is promotional rather than a news source, but it is a practical place to check what is happening around the water.
Nearby neighborhood councils
Because Marina del Rey is outside the City of Los Angeles, it has no neighborhood council of its own. Several surrounding Los Angeles neighborhoods do. The Del Rey Neighborhood Council, for example, holds monthly board meetings, posts agendas on its calendar and offers both an email newsletter and an agenda notification signup. Following the council for the neighborhood next to yours can be a good way to hear about land use, traffic and safety issues that spill over into the marina.
A simple way to keep up
- Pick one general local source, such as The Argonaut's weekly print edition or a daily email from one of the online outlets.
- Sign up for the county's Beaches and Harbors alerts and the Marina del Rey for All updates for official harbor news.
- Check the Small Craft Harbor Commission page monthly if you follow leases, slips or development.
- Use a regional TV tag page for breaking news.
