The “Goldenrod 6” chickens in Corona del Mar have been a hot topic for the past few weeks and on Tuesday the Newport Beach City Council will join the conversation.
Mayor Nancy Gardner will bring the hens – and the ordinance governing them – up during public comment time at Tuesday’s council meeting.
If there is an interest by the council members to look into the matter, the city staff will begin researching options and information regarding the issue. They will prepare a report for the council to consider no sooner than two weeks from Tuesday.
The chickens, who call Michael Resk’s house on Goldenrod Avenue home, have caused a flap in Corona del Mar since a neighbor filed a noise complaint in mid-December.
The chickens, considered livestock, are in violation of a city ordinance. Animal Control officer Mike Teague visited Resk in December and told him to get rid of the hens within a few weeks.
“The municipal code states that poultry is not allowed in the city, except within designated areas, like the Santa Ana Heights area,” Teague said.
Resk isn’t disputing the actual ordinance, he said. The code deals with poultry as livestock, he added, which in its definition are domesticated birds being raised specifically for meat or eggs. His hens, he argued, are more like pets.
City Manager Dave Kiff has put a hold on the enforcement of the ordinance so the City Council can look at the issue.
Has the ordinance outlived it’s usefulness? If it’s modified, what changes should be made? Is it best the way it is? These are all questions that will be answered if the city council decides they want to look into it, Gardner said..
If the issue is explored further, the city staff will also look at other cities in more detail and how they handle animal regulations, Gardner added.
Recently, Resk has been in touch with Gardner expressing his concerns. The Goldenrod 6 facebook page has reached nearly 350 “likes” and Resk said he’s has had an outpouring of support from the community.
He’s encouraging supporters to attend the council meeting to voice their opinion and/or write to their district’s council member.
“I hope there are enough members of the community that are willing to step out and take action, to do what is prudent in order to keep them,” Resk said.
He is waiting to hear the city’s response before formulating his next move, he said.
“I would hope [the city] would turn it into something positive,” for the community, Resk said.
Resk and the hens have made headlines in numerous local media outlets since the Indy’s initial story on Dec. 23. The media coverage has helped bring attention and support to his cause, Resk said.
Resk, who has had the chickens for almost a year and a half, says they’re quiet, clean and add character to the community.
“People really enjoy them… (People) come to see them and pet them (every day)… They have a nice big yard to roam around, they’re healthy and I keep it clean,” Resk said last month. “They add more to the neighborhood than detract from it.”
Resk initially got them just as something fun to have in the yard and control the pest problem. Now, he said, they’ve become something special for the community. Neighbors get eggs, kids love to pet them and even dogs like them. And they are substantially less noisy than most dogs, he added.
“Chickens, to me, don’t seem to be particularly obnoxious,” Gardner said, but the neighbor who complained said the hens can be quite noisy, she added.
Resk and his chickens live on the ocean side of the pedestrian bridge that crosses Bayview Drive. He encourages others to stop by, say hi and pet the chickens.
“I hope we can find an amicable solution,” Resk said. “I’m hoping [the city] is willing to meet the response of the community and we keep the chickens.”
