News: Council Member Nancy Gardner

city council district 6 v corona del mar & newport coast

Nancy Gardner

mayor v newport beach, california

newsletter: december 2011

NEW DISTRICTS
Newport is officially redistricted, and without too much angst. If you’re interested in the fine details, there’s a written description of each district that reads something like this: “Beginning at the intersection of the most southerly boundary line of the City of Newport Beach and the mean high tide line of the Pacific Ocean; thence in a northwesterly direction along the mean high tide line of the” – but in case you prefer the Cliff Notes: Everything on the peninsula south of PCH is District 1. Santa Ana Heights shifts to District 3. The Port Streets east of San Miguel are now District 5. All of Newport Coast east of Newport Coast drive is District 7, and that small section of Harbor View Hills south of San Joaquin Hills which was District 7 is now District 6. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same.

TRASH
Yes, it is true that an RFP has been issued to look at outsourcing trash pickup. The rationale is to find out what’s out there and to see if automated service would be effective in other parts of the city besides Newport Coast. Now a great many residents will undoubtedly tell us (have begun to tell us) they don’t care what’s out there. They like the excellent service they are currently provided and are uninterested in messing with it. We do have great service. Put out one can, put out ten, it all gets hauled away. About the only thing we don’t take is construction debris and refrigerators, and that kind of service will be hard to match. As for automated service, a trash container can weigh ten pounds or fifty, and the person picking it up doesn’t know which can lead to injuries. Automated trucks don’t have this problem. A potential problem, though, is narrow alleys in some parts of the city that might be too tight for that kind of machinery. We’ll see what comes back in terms of responses.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG, SEVEN SHOTS RIPPED INTO MY BODY AND I WAS OFF ON THE GREATEST ADVENTURE OF MY LIFE.
With a nod to Max Shulman (Dobie Gillis, Rally Round the Flag, Boys!), if you like fun and adventure, you should sign up for the city’s Citizens’ Police Academy. It’s not a minor commitment—one night a week for twelve weeks—but what a twelve weeks it is. I recently attended the graduation ceremony of the latest group, and their enthusiasm for the experience might have seemed surprising until we saw video highlights of their training which includes activities with just about every aspect of police work including, for all you secret Dirty Harry’s out there, actually shooting guns and a drive along. Contact the police department for more info.

THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME
I got an angry phone call and an angry email a while back, and I was glad to get them. Not glad in the same way I’m glad when someone tells me I’m swell, but despite the discomfort, both were important. The phone call was about an untimely intrusion by an entity contracted by the city. It was one of those cases where the action seems so boneheaded that you probably wouldn’t think to develop a policy on it—until you get that angry phone call. We did get the phone call, and now there’s a policy. The email was from someone unhappy about an important issue who felt I had been patronizing in my response to him. Rereading my response, I didn’t think I was, but it was a good reminder of the vagaries of email. Several times I have answered someone’s question in the way I like things answered—short and to the point—and have been told I was rude. This man’s email was a timely reminder that most nuance is lost in email which means what the reader takes away can be much different than what the writer intended. So both phone call and email were of value. I have to admit, though, that the ones telling me I’m swell are more fun to receive.

REMINDER: NEW ADDRESS
My new email address for city business is: NGardner@newportbeachca.gov. Don’t worry if you forget it. I’ll still be using the AOL one, too.

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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.

Mayor 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: ngardner@newportbeachca.gov