city council district 6 v corona del mar & newport coast
Nancy Gardner
councilwoman v newport beach, california
september uPDATE
AAAR, LAD, WE'RE OFF TO THE DRY TORTUGAS
We wish. There is quite a number of boats anchored off Big Corona
right now. Some of them are there for a brief layover before sailing off to new
adventures, but some of them look like they couldn't sail to the bell buoy, and
there's the rub. Some may be derelicts which could end up on the beach during a
storm. Others have live-aboards, and when they don't stir for weeks on end,
concerns are raised about what's happening with the contents of the toilet or
whatever the nautical term is, particularly when Big Corona has had some water
quality hits lately. City staff is working with Harbor Patrol to figure out
what can be done, beginning with who has jurisdiction.
DREDGING
At his request, members of the City Council met with Congressman
Campbell. The City and other stakeholders have contributed their share of funds
for the Upper Bay dredging project and want the federal government to come up
with its share so the project can be completed. The congressman is well known
for his position on earmarks which means that elected representatives from other
districts have had to take the lead on this issue. The meeting changed nothing
in that regard. However, there was one potential bright note concerning the
lower bay. The City has been talking about "one and done," having the Army
Corps of Engineers dredge to original design depth, at which time the City
would take over all responsibility for the harbor. Congressman Campbell said
that if we can show it would save the federal government money, he could support
such a program.
AERIE REDUX
At the last Aerie hearing, unlike earlier go-rounds, the concept of
a marina--a rather large marina--was presented, and this raised questions that
weren't addressed in the Mitigated Negative Declaration. After some discussion,
the owner has agreed that an Environmental Impact Report should be done, and
once it is complete we will be going through the public hearing process again.
BEGONIA PARK
As mentioned, there is a proposed house at the juncture of Begonia and Pacific
that will alter the view from the park. The Planning Commission approved the
structure, but at the request of residents I appealed the decision so that the
City Council can take a second look in terms of General Plan policies.
STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE
At a recent presentation on the fire danger presented by Buck Gully, it became
clear that Belmont Village (formerly Crown Cove) represented a unique hazard.
Because of the number of people living there, and the fact that many of them
need some assistance, most of the fire fighting resources would be monopolized
by efforts to evacuate there. Fire Marshall Steve Bunting met with the
management, and they stepped up, clearing the slopes of potential fire material,
and now he feels that if there were a fire, those buildings could be protected
by a single engine, freeing up critical resources for other areas.
OASIS RUMMAGE SALE
If your closets, drawers and garage need some more space, do a good
cleaning and take the results to the Oasis for the rummage sale. It raises a
good chunk of change for the Friends who do so much to support the work of
Oasis. Then you'll want to go to the sale itself to fill up all those empty
closets and drawers. The sale is September 26 and 27 from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm.
Delivery days are September 15-24, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, Room 3. No clothing,
luggage, large furniture.
FUTURE TOPIC SUGGESTIONS
This is a two-way process, so please don’t hesitate to contact me with your ideas and opinions.
Councilwoman Nancy Gardner
QUALITY OF LIFE Advocate FOR NEWPORT BEACH
City of Newport Beach - 3300 Newport Blvd - Newport Beach, CA 92663
Phone: 949.644.3004 - EMAIL: gardnerncy@aol.com
Copyright 2008 v Nancy Gardner v All Rights Reserved