By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
Congratulations to the Friends of the Newport Beach Animal Shelter (FONBAS) for the latest milestone in a public-private partnership that will bring a new, permanent animal shelter to the City of Newport Beach.
Last week FONBAS joined members of the City Council and City staff for a “topping off” celebration at the shelter building site, marking the placement of the highest beam in construction of the new facility.
FONBAS members have raised nearly $3 million in recent years to purchase the Riverside Drive parcel and to fund design and construction of the shelter. Once construction is completed, the shelter will be donated to the City and managed by our staff.
The permanent shelter will replace a temporary, leased shelter and will help improve the health and welfare of the animals in our care.
We can now look forward to the next milestone for the shelter, a ribbon-cutting expected in the fall. Thank you to FONBAS and to the many community donors who contributed so far to make this public-private partnership a success.
For more information on the shelter project, visit https://fonbas.org.
Mayor’s Youth Council Now Accepting Applications for 2022-23 School Year
Mayor’s Youth Council is now accepting applications for the 2022/23 school year. This educational program gives high school students an in-depth look at careers offered in local government and provides a forum to express opinions, creativity, and civic mindedness.
Mayor’s Youth Council is comprised of three different functions: education, service and outreach. In addition to one-on-one mentoring with City staff, Youth Council members will also be involved in the planning and implementation of community events and engagement with their peers.
High-school aged residents are invited to apply by Monday, September 5. Click here for more information or to apply: https://newportbeachca.gov/government/departments/recreation-senior-services/youth-teen-programs.
Asphalt Shortage Temporarily Postpones Jamboree Road Construction
Paving operations for the Jamboree Road pavement rehabilitation and reclaimed water project have been postponed due to a shortage in asphalt concrete materials.
The paving work was originally scheduled to be completed by August 11. Because of a lack of available materials, the City’s contractor, All-American Asphalt, has rescheduled this work for October.
In the meantime, the contractor will continue with improvements to the medians on Jamboree Road between San Joaquin Hills Road and Back Bay Drive. The median improvements include expanding the reclaimed water irrigation system and installing new landscaping.
Working hours are Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Intermittent lane closures will be required to facilitate the median irrigation and landscaping work. Thank you for your continued patience throughout construction.
June Treasury Report Now Available Online
The June 2022 Treasury Report is available on the City’s website at: www.newportbeachca.gov/treasury.
As of June, the City’s investment portfolio totaled $377.6 million when measured at amortized cost. The current market value of the City’s portfolio of $368.7 million incorporates price fluctuations due to the changing interest rate environment that are typically irrelevant, since the City typically holds its securities to maturity and receives the full principal value at that time.
The City’s liquidity portfolio is sized to meet the City’s cash flow needs over the next 12 months. Approximately $57.5 million or 15 percent of the portfolio was invested in liquid investments available for day-to-day operating expenses and the costs associated with ongoing construction projects.
An additional $28.9 million or eight percent of the overall portfolio was invested in a portfolio of securities with targeted short-term maturities, which earns a higher yield than the City’s more liquid investments.
Be Well Mobile Crisis Response Update
The Be Well mobile crisis response team operates in Newport Beach 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to mental and behavioral health crises. The mobile unit is staffed with mental health specialists and EMTs, and works closely with the City’s police and fire departments.
This week the Be Well team:
- Collaborated with the County’s Adult Protective Services and Veterans’ Administration teams to shelter a newly-evicted older adult.
- Transported one person to a psychiatric facility for treatment.
- Transported one person to a crisis stabilization unit for treatment.
- Reunified one person with his roommates.
- Transported one person to an emergency room for treatment.
- Transported six people to services, shelter intakes, and appointments.
Homelessness Update
The City of Newport Beach provides a comprehensive response to address homelessness through a coordinated effort by City staff, contractors, partner agencies and nonprofit groups.
This week, the City’s homeless outreach and response teams:
- Sheltered a newly homeless couple and helped one partner prepare for a job interview. Donations from the Good Giving program were used to purchase proper attire and and sundry items for the job interview.
- Continue to shelter people. Eighteen people who had been experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach are now sheltered in the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.
- Helped three people enroll in services and complete housing assessments for the County’s Coordinated Entry System.
- Transported one person to a Social Security appointment.
- Enrolled an older adult into services and completed a housing assessment.
- Enrolled an older veteran into the Emergency Housing Voucher program.
To donate to those experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach, please visit our Good Giving Program web page at https://www.newportbeachca.gov/trending/community-issues/homelessness/how-you-can-help.
Click here to view the latest homeless dashboard, which includes key monthly and yearly data on the City’s homeless response: https://www.newportbeachca.gov/trending/community-issues/homelessness/monthly-homeless-count.
