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 2014

ROAD CLOSURES
You're going to want to avoid PCH through CdM as much as possible from April 8-11. PCH will be closed at Fernleaf to westbound traffic for long periods due to the water pipe project. It will be particularly tough on residents in that area since some work will be done at night to get the project finished as fast as possible. If you forget about the closure and are stuck in traffic grinding your teeth, remind yourself that when completed, the project will improve water pressure on this side of town, not only making life more convenient but also safer.

SAVING WATER
A number of city medians are planted with turf which means a lot of water is being used to irrigate something that, since it's in the middle of a busy street, provides no recreational access and is hazardous to maintain. Thanks to a grant obtained by city staff, grass will be replaced in some medians with more drought-tolerant landscaping such as can be seen on the Superior median which was redone a few years ago. Jamboree will probably be the first target.

TRASH TALK
Launch Date: Okay, we're getting ready to launch. Your pickup day will remain the same. The rollout of the new carts and service will take place over a four-month period, beginning 3/31. Postcards will be sent out, but you can also go online, www.newportbeachca.gov/residentialrefuse
to see when your area is scheduled. I was particularly interested to check since several of my current cans are held together by the thinnest of plastic threads, and I'm not sure they'll take too many more trips.
Storage: There was one change proposed for the new service. At present, you're not supposed to put your cans in the alley. It's a regulation rigorously adhered to by some, cheerfully ignored by others, many of whom are probably unaware of the rule and think that's one of the functions of an alley--trash storage. Anyway, the proposed change would have allowed an exception to the current rule. The exception was not, "My garage is too full of boxes so there's no room for trash cans." It would have been for situations where, because of a utility placement, for example, it would be virtually impossible to put the cans any place but in the alley. I thought this was a good idea, providing some flexibility, but there was concern expressed by many that such a "loophole" would encourage more people to flout the law, making for more messy alleys, so the proposal was voted down. Although there will be no change in the ordinance, I have a feeling there will also be no change in practice. People who have put their cans in the alley will continue to do so. Hopefully, with the sturdier cans and tighter lids, it will not be as easy for critters to use them as fast food drive-throughs.

SHREDDING (PAPER, NOT WAVES)
Doing a little spring cleaning, I came across a noteworthy (at least to me) find--my father's tax returns from 1939-1950. He always said he starved his first year or two as a lawyer, and that doesn't seem to be much of an exaggeration. In 1939 he made $1056.58 which even in those days probably wasn't buying too much. Of more personal interest, I could track his residential history: 241 Santa Ana, 1730 Ocean, 1569 Miramar, 121 E. Bay Front, and 808 S. Bay Front. I doubt that the current edifices have the slightest resemblance to what he lived in, but it would be fun to connect the addresses with some of his tales. And lest you think I come from a family of hoarders, there was a fifty-year gap in returns. I think he kept those early ones just to remind himself of what it had been like at the beginning.

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