By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
Residents are invited to join members of the Newport Beach Police Department on Saturday, July 16 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Rose Bakery Café, 3536 East Coast Hwy, for the first Mobile Café, a new community outreach initiative.
The Mobile Café will give community members and police officers the opportunity to meet informally to discuss community issues and build relationships.
Most of the public’s contacts with law enforcement happen during emergencies or emotional situations. Unfortunately, those situations are not always the most effective times for building relationships. The Newport Beach Police Department Mobile Café allows for relaxed, one-on-one interaction and a unique opportunity for community members to learn more about the Police Department’s work.
This is a comfortable setting for the public to ask questions, address concerns, or simply get to know our officers and build stronger community partnerships. For questions or information please contact Sgt. Steve Oberon at (949) 644-3717 or soberon@nbpd.org.
City Prepares for Next Week’s King Tides
The City is gearing up for next week’s evening King Tides, which are a series of some of the highest tides of the year.
Although no rain is forecasted, City crews will be placing sand bags in strategic areas on the Peninsula and Balboa Island next week in preparation for potential flooding. Also, staff will be installing the stop gap boards on the south side of the Balboa Island seawall on Monday, July 11 (see photo below).
Each night next week, dozens of City staff will be on site in key areas with truck-mounted pumps, ready to pump any water seepage in the streets created by the King Tides’ height and resulting pressure.
The predicted tide heights for the week are: Monday, July 11 peak of 6.9 ft. at 7:52 p.m.; Tuesday, July 12 peak of 7.2 ft. at 8:40 p.m.; Wednesday, July 13 peak of 7.3 ft. at 9:29 p.m.; Thursday, July 14 peak of 7.1 ft. at 10:18 p.m.; and Friday, July 15 peak of 6.7 ft. at 11:08 p.m.
General Plan Update Steering Committee to Meet July 11 in Civic Center Community Room
The General Plan Update Steering Committee will hold its first meeting on Monday, July 11, at 6 p.m. in the Civic Center Community Room at 100 Civic Center Drive. The agenda is available here.
The steering committee will introduce itself to the community and will hear updates on the progress of the City’s General Plan Housing Element and the Circulation Element. In addition, City staff will provide an overview of the remaining General Plan Update, including anticipated schedule and necessary consultant services. These meetings will be a great opportunity for the community to participate and to stay informed and involved.
The City Council initiated a comprehensive update of the Newport Beach General Plan in 2019. Later that year, the City was assigned a heightened Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) allocation of 4,845 new housing units. This RHNA allocation and legislative changes regarding housing required an immediate pivot from the comprehensive update to a more focused update. Now that the City is wrapping up its 6th Cycle Housing Element, City Council re-formed the General Plan Update Steering Committee in January and appointed its three members in April.
For additional information please visit the General Plan Update webpage at www.newportbeachca.gov/gpupdate.
Movie in the Park Kicks Off July 15 at 7 p.m.
Grab your beach chairs and blankets and join us at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 15 at Buffalo Hills Park for the first Movie in the Park event of the summer. The event will include crafts and games for kids and “The Croods: A New Age” on the big screen! Activities kick off at 7 p.m., with the movie starting promptly at sundown. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for our August and September movie dates.
Learn to Maintain Better Posture at OASIS, UCI Health Lecture July 13
On Wednesday, July 13 at noon, the OASIS Senior Center will host a lecture, “How to Maintain Good Posture,” presented by UCI Health. To RSVP or to get more information on UCI Health lectures, please call 949-644-3244.
OASIS Senior Center frequently hosts informative and interactive lectures in partnership with UCI Health. Last month UCI Health family medicine practitioner Elham Arghami, M.D. presented “Balance Problems and Fall Prevention.”
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:
- Helped provide a wheelchair to a disabled person.
- Transported two people to the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.
- Transported one person to an emergency room for treatment.
- Transported nine people to services, shelter intakes, and appointments.
- Conducted 28 outreach interactions with residents and people experiencing homelessness.
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:
- Enrolled two older adults into services and completed housing assessments.
- Continue to shelter people. Seventeen people who had been experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach are now sheltered in the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.
- Completed housing paperwork for a client.
To donate to those experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach, please visit our Good Giving Program web page: https://www.newportbeachca.gov/trending/community-issues/homelessness/how-you-can-help.
