city council district 6 v corona del mar & newport coast
Nancy Gardner
mayor v newport beach, california
newsletter: december 2012
SURF CITY (AND NO, I DON’T MEAN THAT PLACE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER)
I’ve always been surprised at how little attention surfing gets in Newport. Our
neighbor to the north fought a ferocious legal battle just to call itself Surf
City. We, on the other hand, seem to view the subject with a certain ennui, and
yet we are the cradle of local board surfing. It was here that Duke Kahanamoku
introduced board surfing, attracted by the waves breaking across the channel
(before the East Jetty was built). Now, though, there’s an effort to rectify
this indifference and get in touch with another side of our aquatic roots. A
group wants to erect a statue in our city to commemorate the Duke, not just for
his surfing but for his daring channel rescue when a boat went down. The group
wants to also recognize the other individuals that helped with the rescue and
are proceeding with fundraising, approvals, etc.
MAYOR’S WALK
There was a nice turn out for the Santa Ana Heights walk. The highlight was
two goats who walked very nicely on leashes. I highly recommend them as walking
companions since unlike dogs they didn’t feel the need to stop at every fire
hydrant and fence post.
RESIDENTIAL DOCK FEES
Over the last two years the council has addressed the issue of fair market
value for the private use of public waters. We adjusted mooring fees, and then
those on commercial marinas, and now we are addressing residential docks. As a
result of community input, there have been a number of changes to the original
proposal (reducing the area for which fees are charged, removing indemnity
requirements, extending the phase-in period, for example), and we will present
the latest version on December 11, 4 pm, at the current—not the new—city hall
where we will again take comments. The regular council meeting that evening will
take place at new city hall.
TRASH
Most residents like our trash service, and what’s not to like? Unlike most
cities, households don’t pay directly, the General Fund covers it. Any amount is
picked up, and almost anything. However, when we began looking at all city
costs, we decided there would be no sacred cows, so trash service has come under
the same scrutiny as other services. We had a study done, and I had hoped that
study would be like a well-guided arrow, landing clearly and firmly either on
maintenance of the status quo or outsourcing. Nope. It was about as wishy washy
as could be. Outsourcing could be great—or not. It could save money—or not. So
we are sending out RFPs to the waste management industry to see if that will
provide any clarity. If the ultimate decision is to keep it in-house we still
have decisions to make about automated trucks and perhaps some reasonable
limitations on what can be discarded.
HOW TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR COUNCIL MEMBER
I receive many emails from angry, frustrated people, and the emails themselves
are as varied as their senders. Most are pretty polite. There’s no mistaking the
implication that I’m an idiot for having taken the position I did, but the
writers are too well-mannered to come right out and say that. Then there are
those who don’t believe in beating about the bush and tell me I’m an idiot right
off the ding dong. In both cases a good dialogue can actually take place.
Threats are an entirely different thing. Usually, they take the form of, “If you
don’t do A, I will never vote for you, and I will do everything I can to see
that nobody else does.” It takes a great deal of restraint not to say, “Too bad,
termed out, nya nya.” It takes just as much restraint not to let it affect the
outcome: I was planning on doing A, but if I do A, you’re going to think it’s
because of your puerile threat and I don’t want to give you that misguided
satisfaction, therefore I will—hopefully I will still do A because it’s the
right thing but the threat makes it much harder. So if I may make a suggestion,
while it’s probably not the best form to call someone a name, it’s way better
than threatening them. Of course, a little Mary Poppins never hurts. You know, a
spoonful of sugar . . .
FUTURE TOPIC SUGGESTIONS
This is a two-way process, so please don’t hesitate to contact me with your ideas and opinions. My 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.
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
Copyright 2012 v Nancy Gardner v All Rights Reserved