News: Council Member Nancy Gardner

city council district 6 v corona del mar & newport coast

Nancy Gardner

council member v newport beach, california

newsletter: NOVEMBER 2014

CLANG CLANG CLANG WENT THE . . . FERRY?
One of my father's favorite stories was the night he and a couple of friends, finding themselves on the wrong side of the bay after the ferry shut down, did the only sensible thing (sensible after a certain amount of alcohol had been consumed) and stole the ferry, driving it across to the other side where they parked it at the dock and scurried home. This is not to encourage anyone to try and repeat the feat (which would probably end up with a charge of piracy in today's world) but to invite you to a different ferry experience. Instead of back and forth between the Fun Zone and the Island, on Saturday, November 15, the ferry will be making a tour of the bay under the aegis of the Harbor Commission, highlighting a number of recent and future harbor projects. The ferry will depart from Harbor Patrol headquarters on Bayside Drive, and it's first come, first served. The Commission will hold a brief meeting at 8 am and departure is shortly thereafter.

DROUGHTBUSTERS
The Environmental Nature Center will be hosting a presentation by city staff on methods of dealing with the drought on Wednesday, November 5, from 6-7 pm.

EELGRASS REDUX . . .AND REDUX. . . AND--OH, YOU GET THE IDEA
We have an eelgrass plan. It's fairly complicated, but in its most basic form, the city will guarantee a certain amount of eelgrass in the harbor, and in return, we will be allowed to dredge (or give individuals the right to dredge) a certain amount of eelgrass each year. We end up with both habitat and a navigable harbor. The city has spent a nice chunk of change on this, hiring experts in the field to help shape the plan and convince the agencies of its benefits. The big kahuna on this topic is National Marine Fisheries. This is the agency that has basically written the book on eelgrass, set the policies to which all the other agencies adhere, and it was a struggle to get them to look at things in a new way, but eventually they agreed it was a good plan. We took it to the Army Corps of Engineers, and they signed on, as did the wildlife agencies. So full speed ahead, right? Oops, one agency missing, but since everyone else has said okay, piece of cake, right? Only if you're Marie Antoinette because this final agency--wait for it--is the Coastal Commission, and CCC staff doesn't seem the least bit impressed or even interested in what these other agencies think. Finding ourselves with a bit of a brick wall, we have brought in Don Schultz who has shepherded more than one of our projects through the Commission, and while I'm hesitant to even say it, there does seem to be light and it does seem to be the end of the tunnel and not an oncoming train.

LOOK, MA, I'M FLYING--BUT NOT IN THE HARBOR?
Water propelled vessels are those things you see where someone hovers above the water, propelled by a jet of water. Currently, there's one operator in the harbor, but another has applied for a permit, and also prices are coming down to where individuals might be purchasing them. Because there have been concerns expressed about the practice, the Council put a moratorium on new permits and asked the Harbor Commission to review the issue. At several public meetings held on the subject, noise and safety were the most frequent objections. After much discussion, the Commission decided that these vessels, like personal water craft and parasailing, were fine in the ocean but not in the harbor, and that will be its recommendation to the Council.

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE

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