By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
Get ready for an exciting summer: Registration for the City’s summer classes opened on Thursday, May 16 at 8 a.m.
See the latest Newport Navigator at www.newportbeachca.gov/register for information on summer classes for all ages and interests, as well as community events such as Movies in the Park and July 4 is for Families.
General Plan Update
The City is seeking the community’s continued help to shape the future of Newport Beach through a comprehensive General Plan update.
The central hub for this effort is our newly updated website, Newport, Together, with key information, resources and opportunities to provide critical feedback.
The City’s General Plan is being updated to reflect the community’s current needs and future aspirations. The General Plan contains goals that establish values and direction, policies that guide decision-making, and programs that carry out the actions needed to achieve these goals. The last comprehensive update of Newport Beach’s General Plan was in 2006.
A core part of updating the General Plan is engaging with residents and other stakeholders to capture and articulate a shared vision for the City for the next 20 years and beyond. Outreach at various community events began in March 2024 and will continue through 2025. If you missed the earlier events, you can get involved on the Newport, Together website. There, you can access many resources for this effort, including a project timeline, FAQs, a document library, feedback form, and an opportunity to subscribe to an email list for ongoing updates.
A short questionnaire and interactive map of Newport Beach is live, and the team wants to hear from community members, residents and business owners. Leave a pinpoint marker anywhere on the map and add a comment of what you love about your community, where are there opportunities to meet needs, areas that need improvement, and what is important to you and your fellow community members.
I encourage you to visit the Newport, Together website and stay informed! Visit the website at www.newporttogether.mysocialpinpoint.com. If you have questions or comments, please email gpupdate@newportbeachca.gov.
Join Us at the Field of Honor Event
The City of Newport Beach is proud to support the 15th Annual Field of Honor, presented by the Exchange Club of Newport Harbor. The free event will run through Monday, May 27 at Castaways Park, 700 Dover Dr.
The event displays 1,776 large American flags along the paths of Castaways Park overlooking Newport Harbor to honor armed forces members, past and present, and first responders who have served or are serving our country and our communities.
Two special events are planned: May 18 at noon to celebrate Armed Forces Day, and May 27 at noon to celebrate Memorial Day, featuring keynote speaker Elaine Brattain, former national chaplain for the American Gold Star Mothers.
The event benefits organizations that support military members and other charities.
City Begins Summer Beach Maintenance Operations
The City’s Public Works Department has switched to its summer work schedule.
During the summer season, maintenance crews and contractors start their daily routine at 5 a.m. each day of the week to clean beach area parks, landscape areas and medians. The beach crew’s early start time ensures that the heavy equipment and litter picking concludes before the summer beach visitors arrive.
The City deploys porters from morning to evening to keep the public areas clean and stocked. Trash collection contractors will adjust their schedules later this month to include more frequency of pick-ups and earlier start times.
In addition, Public Work facilities maintenance crews began transitioning from off-season large project repair work to increased summer site inspection and maintenance work. Facilities crews focus their efforts on daily inspections and quick repairs of facility infrastructure to ensure bathrooms and showers are working continually.
Daily maintenance and repair take center stage while the summer crowds fill the beaches. In addition, contracted janitorial services increase from two cleanings a day to a night cleaning and multiple day cleanings, with porter visits to keep supplies stocked and restrooms cleaned.
Night Repaving Work Began May 12 on E. Coast Highway
The City is starting night paving work Sunday, May 12 on East Coast Highway from MacArthur Boulevard to Jamboree Road.
Lane closures will be in place on East Coast Highway between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday nights through Friday mornings.
The repaving work is scheduled to be completed by mid-June, and additional work such as signage and striping completed by late June.
Catch Basin Screens Installed to Enhance Summer Water Quality
This week the City’s Utilities Department began the seasonal installation of more than 400 screens covering storm drain catch basins around Newport Harbor.
During the summer season these screens provide an extra layer of protection to prevent trash from entering the storm drain systems that empty into the Harbor.
This extra effort is in addition to the City’s weekly street sweeping and regular cleaning of catch basins and underground trash capture devices. The screens are removed every year in the fall ahead of the rainy season.
