In the August 30th issue, Scott Poetter was all for outsourcing trash services in Newport Beach. He stated it was working well with the tree trimming services and street sweeping.
A couple of years ago, two large trees fell within a month of each other…one was two houses up from me and the other two houses down from me. One fell on a car, the other fell on a house. The cause was most likely that the roots had been cut to save the sidewalks and curbs.
And then there were the eucalyptus trees falling, one fell on a car and killed a woman.
As for the street sweeping service, on my street in Corona del Mar, the driver of the Athens street sweeper drives so fast up and down the street that instead of picking up the debris, almost all that happens is that dust and dirt are thrown into the air, resulting in particulate
matter to be breathed. It appears to me that the faster he goes, the sooner he will be finished. So much for clean streets! So much for outsourcing providing the same service as we used to get with city employees!
In the September 6th issue, Jean Hastings Ardell spoke about the trash issue but from a more rational and researched perspective. Having just a few days since the bids were posted on Sept. 5th at 3 PM, a vote on the 10th seems premature with the Council, the staff, and the public not having more than a few days to study and compare the bids.
What is the big hurry?
She states that a couple of people claim that Mayor Keith Curry recently said “It’s a done deal”. He denies that he said that but he did admit to discussing the “consultant report” with Councilman Mike Henn. Mayor Curry was the only Council member who had seen the report.
Privately discussing issues outside of a public meeting that will be future agenda items between a few council members probably violated the Ralph Brown Act.
Jane Hilgendorf
Corona del Mar
