By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
Our next City Council meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 29. Items of interest are highlighted below. The entire agenda and reports can be viewed here:
https://newportbeachca.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/68229/72.
A study session will begin at 4 p.m. Agenda items include:
- Potential traffic calming options for Tustin Avenue. As a follow-up to the June 28 City Council meeting, staff will provide more information related to potential traffic calming options for Tustin Avenue.
The regular meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. Agenda items include:
- Extension of fee waivers for Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) permits. The Council will consider extending the temporary waiver of City building construction permit and plan check fees related to the development of ADUs and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs). The Council previously approved the fee waivers in April to help meet state-mandated housing goals. The fee waiver would complement other City programs to promote and facilitate ADU development, including website enhancements and pre-approved plans that will be available in early 2023.
- An agreement between the City of Newport Beach and the Friends of Newport Beach Animal Shelter (FONBAS). FONBAS has funded and constructed a new animal care and shelter facility at 20282 Riverside Dr. and proposes to donate the property and improvements to the City to operate its municipal animal control services and animal shelter.
- A contract award for construction of a pedestrian and bicycle bridge, park expansion and parking lot at Superior Avenue. The Council will consider awarding a $10.5 million contract to Reyes Construction, Inc. to build a new pedestrian/bicycle bridge across Superior Avenue, expand the park area at Sunset View Park, and construct a new, larger parking lot at the intersection of Superior Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.
- A new staff position to support Police Department retention and recruitment. The Council will consider adding a human resources specialist position to the Human Resources Department to help address challenges related to recruiting and retaining City police officers.
City Council Meeting Information
The Newport Beach City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of most months (the exceptions are August and December).
Typically, there is a Study Session that starts at 4 p.m. Study sessions are times for the Council to take a deeper look at a specific issue, or hear a presentation, that might eventually lead to a specific and more formal action. A closed session often follows the Study Session. Closed sessions are typically to address legal, personnel, and other matters where additional confidentiality is important.
The Regular (evening) Session typically starts at 6 p.m., and often has a specific listing of different items ready for formal votes. Items on the “Consent Calendar” are heard all at once, unless a Council member has removed (aka “pulled”) an item from the Consent Calendar for specific discussion and separate vote. If an item on the agenda is recommended to be “continued”, it means that the item won’t be heard nor voted on that evening, but will be pushed forward to another noticed meeting.
Public Comment is welcomed at both the Study Session and the Regular Session. The public can comment on any item on the agenda. If you want to comment on a Consent Calendar item that was not pulled from the Consent Calendar by a Council Member, you will want to do so at the time listed on the agenda – right before the Council votes on the entire Consent Calendar (it’s Roman Numeral XIII on the posted agenda).
If an item is pulled, the Mayor will offer that members of the public can comment as that specific item is heard separately.
Additionally, there is a specific section of Public Comment for items not on the agenda, but on a subject of some relationship to the city government.
If you cannot attend a meeting and/or want to communicate with the City Council directly, this e-mail gets to all of them: citycouncil@newportbeachca.gov. The City Manager also get’s a copy of the email, because in almost all cases it’s something that the City Manager follows-up on.
The Council meets in the Council Chambers at 100 Civic Center Drive, off of Avocado between San Miguel and East Coast Highway. There is plenty of parking in the parking structure. You are always welcome to attend in person, but you can also watch on TV, Spectrum channel 30 and Cox channel 852 or stream it on your computer.
This Insider’s Guide is not an attempt to summarize every item on the Agenda – just the ones that seem of specific interest to the City Manager. You are encouraged to read the full agenda if you wish.
