By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
Looking for a way to contribute to your community?
The City of Newport Beach is inviting residents to apply for the General Plan Advisory Committee, or GPAC, to participate in a comprehensive update of the City’s General Plan.
All California cities are required to develop general plans to serve as blueprints for the future, outlining policy goals and objectives to guide and shape development. The last comprehensive update to Newport Beach’s General Plan was in 2006.
The advisory committee members will be tasked with helping ensure community input, reviewing and guiding changes to the General Plan goals and policies, and making recommendations to the General Plan Steering Committee, a smaller group that will oversee the GPAC and report directly to the City Council.
We are seeking residents who represent a diversity of geographic areas, age groups, business interests, environmental groups and other interests. The representation categories (as approved by Council resolution this week) include members of City boards, commissions or committees; boards located in Newport Beach but not directly connected to the City; environmental interest groups; business interest groups; and up to 14 at-large members.
The General Plan Steering Committee will review applications and make recommendations to the City Council for consideration.
The GPAC will meet as necessary on weeknights or weekdays, Monday through Thursday, at a time to be set by the committee. Meetings will be held at the Civic Center, 100 Civic Center Drive. Applicants must be residents of Newport Beach and cannot hold any paid office or employment in Newport Beach government.
For more information and applications visit www.newportbeachca.gov/vacancy or contact the City Clerk’s Office at (949) 644-3005.
The application deadline is Wednesday, September 28 at noon.
City Launches New Online Tool to Track Water Use, Assist in Drought Compliance
The City has launched a new online tool, AquaTrax, for residents and business owners to conveniently track their water usage and water allocation budgets. Customers can use this new tool to track water use daily and by billing period, and receive alerts when leaks are detected or when water use is increasing. The dashboard also provides comparisons to water use of similarly sized households.
Customers with digital meters are be able to monitor their daily water use and use by billing period. Customers with traditional, analog meters can view bi-monthly water use until the City has fully upgraded its meters. Newport Beach’s transition to digital meters is well underway, and it is expected that all customers will have digital meters installed by June 2023.
With the introduction of the AquaTrax tool, monitoring water use is easy and convenient. As an added benefit, the data will help residents, business owners and the City comply with state-mandated water reductions currently in place throughout California.
Newport Beach water customers can access AquaTrax using the same username and password used to pay water bills. Water customers who have not set up online bill pay can still view their water use by visiting www.nbca.gov/wateruse.
Annual Amateur Surf Championships Set for Sept. 24 and 25
The 33rd annual City of Newport Beach Surf Championships will be held on September 24 and 25 at 54th Street Beach, with Salty Crew apparel returning as this year’s sponsor.
The event is an amateur competition and features divisions for surfers of all ages. Divisions include elementary school, middle school, high school, open mens (19+ years), Masters (30+ years), Legends (40+ years), Hall of Fame (50+ years) and open girls (all ages).
For more information and registration visit https://newportbeachca.gov/government/departments/recreation-senior-services/surf-championships.
Special Event Permits Now Available through Virtual Connect Online Portal
Special event permit applications can now be submitted through the City’s new Virtual Connect Online Permitting (CiViC) portal at https://www.newportbeachca.gov/civic.
Permits are required for all public and semi-public events including outdoor concerts and entertainment, walks/races, street fairs, farmers markets and more, as described by the Newport Beach Municipal Code. The City typically approves about 250 special event permits each year.
The City’s Recreation and Senior Services Department coordinates review of the applications and issues permits and permit conditions in coordination with various City departments. For more information on special event permits, call (949) 644-3151 or visit https://www.newportbeachca.gov/government/departments/recreation-senior-services/special-event-permit-application.
Eagles Tribute Band to Perform at OASIS Sept. 23
The OASIS Senior Center will be bringing “that peaceful easy feeling” with an outdoor concert on Friday, September 23 at 5 pm. Desperado, an Eagles tribute band, will be performing. Bring your own picnic lunch and low-slung beach chair. Tickets are $10 each; to purchase tickets call (949) 644-3244 or visit the OASIS administration office.
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:
- Reunified one person with her family after she fled a domestic violence incident.
- Transported one person to a crisis stabilization unit for treatment.
- Transported one person to the Yale Navigation Center for shelter.
- Transported seven 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:
- Continue to shelter people.Twenty people who had been experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach are now sheltered in the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.
- Met with staff from Adult Protective Services to place two people into assisted living and completed the necessary forms with the clients.
- Enrolled one person into services.
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.
