News: Council Member Nancy Gardner

city council district 6 v corona del mar & newport coast

Nancy Gardner

council member v newport beach, california

newsletter: DECEMBER 2013

HUMBUGGERY
Call me Ebenezer, but I don't get the giant Christmas tree at malls. You go out and cut down a tree that has survived lightning, fire, drought, but not you; truck it to its destination where you prune it and prim it, taking out awkward branches, sticking new branches in bare spots; spray to even out the color and smother it in ornaments--by the time you're finished it looks like a faux tree, so why not just go plastic in the first place and leave the tree in the forest?

WEST SIDE STORY--Newport Version
The curtain rises. Stage left, the AQMD Jets enter: "We are AQ, we're clean air all the way, so get rid of the fire rings and do it today." Stage right, the CCC Sharks enter: "We're for the coast, and we'll have our say, keep your mitts off the fire rings, don't take them away." Center stage, caught in the middle, the poor city which makes an appeal to the one person who is supposed to be neutral and bring order, the immortal Officer Krupke: "Dear Officer Krupke, we're down on our knees, with two warring agencies, who do we please? It just ain't that easy, we've so much to lose, please Officer Krupke--you choose!" Unfortunately, we don't have an Officer Krupke (and he wasn't very effective anyway), so we'll just let the two agencies duke it out and hopefully not end up like Tony.

HARBOR CHARGES
As a result of opinions expressed at two "look back" meetings, some changes were made to the original ordinance. The buffer zone around the docks was removed, meaning that the lease rates apply only to the dock and gangway. Docks owned by HOAs were reclassified from commercial to residential, as long as they don't rent to non-HOA members, and there are now five and ten year permits as well as the existing one year term. This didn't satisfy everyone, but that's probably because we are all working under a new definition of compromise: to settle or adjust by concessions on YOUR side.

NEWPORT PIER
So, we could have a restaurant at the end of the pier or . . . we could have food trucks offering different cuisines, farmers markets, craft shows (craft beers?), performances (Shakespeare really by the sea), community events . . . The idea is flexibility, offering more variety to our residents and visitors and also opportunities for vendors and businesses who could never afford a waterfront location. It's something we'll be looking at. The big challenge: Will the Coastal Commission share the vision or impose so many restrictions and requirements that we give up on originality and go back to a restaurant.

JEAN WATT, CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
If you look at the environmental history of our city (and beyond), it's hard to find anyone who has made a greater contribution than Jean who was recognized by the Chamber of Commerce as its Citizen of the Year. While I am awed by her many accomplishments, I think what impresses me the most is all the people she has mentored who have gone on to take leadership roles in various green organizations. That's a real legacy.

CORONA DEL MAR HIGH SCHOOL STADIUM
CdM High is proposing an athletic stadium which has not warmed the cockles of neighbors' hearts. Inflamed them, maybe. We have received a lot of communication insisting the city reverse its course in this matter, and we've had to explain that it isn't our course. On school property, it's the school board's course. We're just another body, commenting on the EIR.

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