News: Council Member Nancy Gardner

city council district 6 v corona del mar & newport coast

Nancy Gardner

council member v newport beach, california

newsletter: june 2010

A SLEEPLESS NIGHT
City staff supports the Relay for Life in a big way, raising over $120,000 this year for cancer research. It’s a 24-hour event, and I had the brilliant idea of asking my five-year-old granddaughter Cleo if she’d like to spend the night there on the Harbor High football field. This is a girl who can spend thirty minutes picking out the right headband, so I figured I’d get brownie points for asking but she would never agree. Ha! “I’ve never been camping,” she said excitedly, so there we were, the two of us in our tent with our sleeping bags--with no pads! She slept like a log, I didn’t, but it was a fun adventure for us and a great cause. Great cause or not, however, next year I’m sleeping in my own bed. If you didn’t have a chance to get out for the event, contributions can still be made: American Cancer Society, 1940 E. Deere Ave., #100, Santa Ana, CA 92705, attn: Jennifer Patalsky, and indicate Newport Beach Relay for Life.

INSTANT WATER TESTING?
With our current system of water testing, a sample is taken from a local beach, it goes to the lab, and twenty-four hours later we can say, “You shouldn’t have been swimming at that beach yesterday.” Not the biggest help, but this summer we’ll be testing a new method that can give results almost immediately. The effects could be interesting. I can see some family living inland where the temperature is predicted to be over 100, loading up the van, fighting traffic to get down here, paying the parking fee, laying out all their stuff on the sand, and just as the kids are about to dart in the water someone walks over and says, “We just got a bad test result. The beach is closed.”

CLEANER AIR & MAKING MONEY, TOO
If you have a vehicle fueled by natural gas, the City’s natural gas station is now in service. It’s located at the General Services yard (corner of Superior and 15th) and is open 24-hours a day to airport taxis and any other CNG vehicles. The entire cost of the station was paid for by Clean Energy which manages it, and the city will get a nickel a gallon on all natural gas sold, excluding city vehicles.

PEACE IN THE HARBOR
There have been issues at times with the Harbor Patrol, particularly on the part of sailors who have felt that there was a lack of appreciation for certain harbor traditions. I had coffee the other day with Mark Long, the Harbormaster, and he said he’ll be bringing forward some suggestions to promote greater amity between his staff and those using the bay. Speaking of boats, copper bottom paint is suspected to be the main source of copper in the bay which in turn can be harmful to marine life. Coastkeeper, in conjunction with the city and the Water Quality Control Board, is promoting a program at the Balboa Yacht Basin that includes incentives for those willing to switch to more environmentally-friendly boat bottom treatments. For more information contact Ray Heimstra of Coastkeeper: 717-850-1965, ext. 304.

CITY BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES
I once was part of a casting session. We were looking for actors to play agents in a commercial for Century 21 Real Estate for which I worked. Sometimes as soon as someone walked in the door, it was “Thank you, next.” Could have been the next Olivier, but never got to show his stuff because he didn’t have the “look.” Brutal (and probably explains why actors are sometimes a little peculiar). Our appointment process for city boards, commissions and committees is a lot more equitable, but it’s still a difficult process. We’re a city with a lot of talented people, many of whom want to participate, and you try to make judgments from written applications and brief face-to-face interviews. I usually walk away feeling that there are at least three great possibilities for any single position. For those who don’t make it, I would respond with a heartfelt, “Try, try again.”

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FUTURE TOPIC SUGGESTIONS

This is a two-way process, so please don’t hesitate to contact me with your ideas and opinions.

Council Member 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