News: Council Member Nancy Gardner

city council district 6 v corona del mar & newport coast

Nancy Gardner

council member v newport beach, california

newsletter: july 2013

THE BORERS ARE COMING
Not the kind that take twenty minutes to describe something that could be covered in one and isn’t that interesting to start with. This is the Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer, or as you and I know it, Euwallacea sp. This tiny bug (females blackish, .4-1.5 inches, males brown, 1.4 inches) bores—as its name suggests--into a large number of trees (avocado, locust, oak, liquid amber, sycamore, persimmon, mimosa, olive included) and once inside it infects the tree with fusarium sp., causing dieback. The first sign is a single exit hole with white powdery stuff around it. Most critical—the fusarium can be transferred from one tree to another by tainted pruning instruments. If you have gardeners, you should tell them to disinfect their equipment with 25% bleach, Lysol or 70% ethyl alcohol. If you suspect one of your trees has the beetle, you are requested to contact the county Agriculture Commissioner, 714 447 7100 or Dr. Akif Eskalen at akif.eskalen@ucr.edu. And yes, there’s a difference between informative and boring.

LOWER CASTAWAYS
To kick off the discussion of the future use of this property, the Harbor Commission held a well-attended study session in March, generating a number of fruitful ideas including a launch area for paddle boards and kayaks, a hub for cyclists, and some sort of educational aspect, perhaps by providing an area that could be used by different groups for varying periods of time. Also popular—ice cream, undoubtedly from those who fondly recall Wil Wright’s. A sub-committee of the Commission will work with a couple of Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commissioners to refine these ideas and sooner, rather than later, their suggestions will be presented to council.

ALL IT TAKES IS AN ACT OF CONGRESS
And seeing that Congress seems to have a little trouble getting things done, the Tidelands Management Committee recommended not trying. If this seems a little in media res, another subcommittee of the Harbor Commission sought guidance from the TMC on whether, because of the larger boats in the harbor, to pursue changing the pierhead line established in the 30s. The direction from TMC was to look at things that could be handled locally instead of those that could only be handled in D.C.

AND SPEAKING OF TMC
The reconstituted Tidelands Management Committee will be appointing a new citizens advisory panel to help steer the Tidelands Capital Infrastructure plan. If you are interested in applying, go to the city web site, scroll to Boards, Commissions and Committees for the application or contact the city clerk, lbrown@newportbeachca.gov. Application deadline is July 15.

FOR CLEAN WATER TRY SWEEPING
And no, I don’t mean sidewalks and driveways, although they should be swept and not hosed off. In this case it’s streets. Street sweeping is one of the best tools for mitigating the effects of urban runoff, and yet there are a number of areas in the city where the streets aren’t swept. The Water Quality/Coastal Tidelands committee is recommending the council take corrective steps in the matter. Not sure when this will be on the agenda. Meanwhile, as evidence that our continuing focus on water quality pays off, Heal the Bay’s annual grading of beaches gave the city excellent marks with an A+ for the Wedge, and A grades for a number of other ocean and bay beaches including Harbor Patrol Beach. This last is particularly noteworthy because not many years ago it was seeing high bacteria counts and became a target for city cleanup efforts. Fast forward to the present, and shazam! It sparkles.

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.

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Council Member Nancy Gardner

QUALITY OF LIFE ADVOCATE FOR NEWPORT BEACH

City of Newport Beach | 100 Civic Center Drive | Newport Beach, CA 92660

Phone: 949.644.3004 | EMAIL: ngardner@newportbeachca.gov