By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
The OASIS center is well on track to return to pre-COVID levels of activity. In the month of October, OASIS served over 12,000 participants in various capacities, including classes, Fitness Center activities, transportation and special events.
OASIS has also resumed a number of special holiday projects. During the month of November, the Thankfulness Project encouraged participants to write down something they are thankful for and posting it on the boards placed around the courtyard.
On November 17, staff will be giving out free mini-pies to Newport Beach seniors from 8 to 11 a.m. to show our appreciation for our community’s continuous support.
Facility rentals have resumed, with recent banquets held for the Newport Mesa Unified School District, dance recitals, and a variety of celebrations.
Beginning December 1, Age-Well Services will resume serving lunch Mondays through Fridays in the Event Center. Meals on Wheels continues to serve homebound seniors with 1,785 meals delivered in October.
OASIS also hosts weekly vaccine clinics on most Fridays, in partnership with the Orange County Health Care Agency. To date, 411 people have received their vaccination or boosters at OASIS. Vaccinations can be scheduled through the County’s Othena smartphone app.
If you or a family member are an older adult who is not yet part of the OASIS community, please consider joining. You can contact the center at (949) 644-3244, by email at OASISCenter@newportbeachca.gov on the web at http://www.newportbeachca.gov/oasis.
OASIS is at 801 Narcissus Ave. in Corona del Mar.
COVID-19 Cases in Newport Beach
As of November 12, the total cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in Newport Beach was 5,190, an increase of 39 cases from November 4. The total number of cases in Orange County as of November 12 was 307,988, an increase of 1,714 cases from November 4. The number of recovered COVID-19 patients countywide as of November 12 was 296,078. These figures are provided to Orange County by the California Department of Public Health.
City Technology Innovation Recognized By O.C. Business Council
The City of Newport Beach received an honorable mention November 4 from the Orange County Business Council’s “Turning Red Tape into Red Carpet Award” program. The award is given to local public agencies that are reducing “red tape” by streamlining processes, eliminating burdensome regulations, and supporting Orange County’s overall economic growth.
The City of Newport Beach received an honorable mention in the “Incorporating Innovative Technology” category for its GIS Dashboards interactive mapping/data application that enables residents to view numerous City- related activities such as construction projects, recent police/fire response calls, air traffic and noise, and short-term lodging rentals.
The technology helps residents track over 3,000 active building permits, 230 planning applications and over 1,500 short-term lodging rentals, as well as real-time John Wayne Airport flight information.
The project centralized all the City’s activity data into one location to allow users to more easily interact with “themed” data dashboards to obtain information quickly. The project is led by Senior GIS Analyst Ryan Stadlman in collaboration with multiple City departments.
The Dashboards can be accessed at: https://www.newportbeachca.gov/government/departments/city-manager/information-technology/dashboards.
Treasury Report
The September 2021 Treasury Report is available on the City’s website at: www.newportbeachca.gov/treasury.
As of September, the City’s portfolio totaled just over $308 million. Approximately $40.8 million of the portfolio was invested in very liquid investments available for day-to-day operations and major construction expenditures.
The short-term portfolio ($252.5 million) had a weighted average effective maturity of 1.86 years. The trailing twelve months’ total return was 0.15 percent. Our benchmark for the same period, the ICE BofA 1-3 Year Treasury index, returned 0.03 percent. The income return on the portfolio, a better measure of income earned from the portfolio, was 1.64 percent.
Homelessness Update
- 16 people who had been experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach are now sheltered in the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.
- City Net, the City’s contract homeless services agency, assisted several clients who are in the process of obtaining Emergency Housing Vouchers. Emergency Housing Vouchers are funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and allow people to pay affordable rent based on their fixed incomes. Nine people experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach have been awarded vouchers. The voucher program is administered by the Orange County Housing Authority. City Net is assisting Newport Beach clients with completing the necessary paperwork, obtaining bank statements, touring potential rental apartments, and more.
- City Net helped place a client who was staying by the Balboa Pier into the Yale Navigation Center in Santa Ana. The Yale center provides shelter for as many as 425 people experiencing homelessness and provides case managers who locate appropriate housing, assist with job searches, and provide other on-site services.
- City Net enrolled a client into their services and placed him at the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.
- City Net ordered identifying documents (including a photo ID, birth certificate, and Social Security card) for several people enrolled in their services.
- City Net completed a housing assessment with a person staying by the Newport Pier.
To donate to those experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach, please visit our Good Giving Program web page at https://newportbeachca.gov/trending/community-issues/homelessness/how-you-can-help.
