News: Council Member Nancy Gardner

city council district 6 v corona del mar & newport coast

Nancy Gardner

council member v newport beach, california

newsletter: april 2011

RUMOR
Remember the game Rumor–you whisper something to the person next to you, he repeats it to the person next to him and around you go until the last person says the message aloud–and it’s not at all the same as what the first person said. Well, the same thing has happened with the library. As part of the evaluation of facilities in West Newport, it was proposed that the existing Balboa branch be closed AND (very important, that “and”) be replaced with a new facility in the Marina Park community center. A version of this appeared in the Pilot, was picked up and passed on, and when it came out the other end, we were getting calls from the Today Show wanting to know why Newport was removing all books from all its libraries. So just in case you got that version . . . The city is not going to a print-less universe. What is being considered is whether a new site might better serve the community with more space for story time, crafts, study and, yes, books. Mayor Henn has had one meeting on the subject with residents, and there will be lots more public discussion before any decision is made.

RESPONSE TIMES
I can’t think of anything scarier than to be awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of someone trying to get into the house. It did a lot for my ability to sleep soundly to learn that the average response time to an emergency call by our police department is under three minutes. In making calls, however, remember that breaking up a noisy party doesn’t qualify as an emergency, no matter how early you have to get up the next day, so the response to that will depend on how many sub-three-minute calls intervene.

CdMRA ANNUAL MEETING
The Corona del Mar Residents Association and CdM Business Improvement District have their joint annual meeting at Sherman Gardens April 20 starting at 5:00pm for the tailgate party. There will be representatives from various city departments to answer questions as well as presentations by the Chief of Police, among others.

YOU VILL BUILD THIS NUMBER OF HOUSES
The Regional Housing Needs Assessment or RHNA (pronounced Reena) is a state requirement that a city’s housing element must provide for future expected growth (forecast determined by the state) and affordable housing requirements (also determined by the state). The rehabilitation of substandard housing and urban infill projects are the kind of Smart Growth development we are being urged to do (particularly by the state), yet (and this will come as a tremendous surprise to those who follow state activity) a city gets no RHNA credit for that kind of development. The Association of California Cities, Orange County, has formed a RHNA work group of which I am part with the goal of addressing such inconsistencies. Something else I’m hoping we address–economic reality. A city with high land values and no vacant land has a hard time providing much of the required affordable housing. We don’t want to send everything out to the Inland Empire, but if we can provide ten units in a nearby community instead of one unit in Newport, I would think that’s a bigger benefit, particularly if the other community wants the addition. That may be way too sensible, however.

EMAIL
For fans of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, I am a romantic: I don’t know how things work, I just expect them to, so I haven’t a clue as to why a couple of emails haven’t reached me. I read all my emails and respond to those addressed to me personally, so if you don’t get an answer after a day or two, I’m not ignoring you. It is the vagaries of my computer. Please try again.

=> Return to Newsletters

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