By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
It’s easy to take beach sand for granted – until it starts to disappear. But that’s exactly what happened decades ago after flood control projects in the Los Angeles, San Gabriel and Santa Ana rivers began to reduce the amount of sand and sediment naturally deposited on beaches to the south.
The Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for the river channelization projects, has been the lead agency in charge of sand replenishment in Orange County. Every five to seven years the Army Corps deposited sand on northern O.C. beaches, which would migrate south through current and wave action to replenish the beaches in Huntington and Newport.
This approached worked well, until other federal projects took priority. The last major sand replenishment project was in 2010, and Newport Beach, along with our coastal neighbors, have been actively lobbying for the return of funding ever since.
So it was welcome news this week when the federal budget signed by President Biden included the final $15.5 million needed to fully fund the $23 million Surfside-Sunset Ocean Beach Sand Replenishment Project.
Later this year, the Army Corps will place 1.75 million cubic yards of sand in the Surfside-Sunset Beach area, which will replenish Huntington and Newport beaches through natural tidal action.
This is an important project for our community, the environment and all those who enjoy Newport Beach’s waterways and coastline. We greatly appreciate the efforts of all those at the local, state and federal level, including Congresswoman Michelle Steel, who helped advocate for these critical funds.
Marina Park Sailing & Boating Program Awarded State Grant for Safety Education
For the second consecutive year, the California Dept. of Boating and Waterways has recognized the City’s Sailing and Boating program at Marina Park with a grant award. The grant is awarded to community boating programs throughout the state to promote safe boating education.
The Marina Park program offers low-cost sailing classes, as well as paddle and sailboat rentals, to the public. Last year’s grant funded the purchase of two safety boats for the boating program. This year’s award will allow the program to maintain and refurbish its fleet and update safety equipment.
Anyone interested in getting on the water can take a sailing class or paddle at Marina Park. For more information: (949) 270-8160.
Camp Newport
Camp Newport registration is in full swing and our theme this year is “BE in Newport Beach for Summer Camps.” Kids can be everything from an adventurer exploring life under the sea, to an athlete or surfer in the making, and so much more. Whatever your child wants to be, we have an outlet for them!
Families can visit the Camp Newport booths at the Spirit Run on Sunday, March 27 from 6:30 to 11 a.m. for free giveaways, interactive activities with instructors, and info about upcoming recreation summer camps.
Sign up by May 5 at www.campnewport.com. and receive a 10 percent or more discount on most recreation summer camps, which are filling up quickly. Learn more about the expo and race day by visiting www.newportspiritrun.org.
Free Compost Giveaway, Document Shredding, E-Waste Disposal April 9
Newport Beach residents are invited to bring documents and household electronic waste for free shredding and disposal on Saturday, April 9 from 8 a.m. to noon.
The event will be at the Newport Beach Corporation Yard, 592 Superior Ave. The entrance will be on Industrial Way via right turn.
Residency will be verified; please bring identification. Residents can bring up to 10 standard file boxes for shredding and e-waste such as computer monitors and cell phones for disposal. Residents can also receive up to two 30-lb. bags of compost while supplies last. Kitchen pails for organics recycling will also be available for pickup.
For more information visit www.newportbeachca.gov/shred.
Cart Distribution Continues in Organics Recycling Rollout
The distribution of new, green-lid carts for recycling organic materials (yard waste, food waste and other biodegradable items) is underway through mid-April. Pickup of organic recycling will begin the week after the organics carts are delivered, on the same day as trash and standard recycling are collected.
For information on the state-mandated organics recycling program, please utilize the following resources:
Click here for a short video on how to separate and recycle organic waste: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn6jWR2RK6Q&t=50s.
Visit www.newportbeachca.gov/recycle to find out when the organic recycling carts will arrive in your neighborhood (use the search function at the top of the page).
Read through our Frequently Asked Questions document for answers to common questions and concerns at https://newportbeachca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/70926/637793182513400000?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.
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.
Last week the City’s homeless outreach and response teams:
- Helped build and arrange new furniture for a recently housed elderly woman who experienced homelessness in Newport Beach for 14 years. A representative from People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) is meeting with the woman every week to ensure she remains stable and supported.
- Helped a formerly homeless woman lease an apartment in the Towers on 19th in Costa Mesa.
- Secured a Huntington Beach apartment for a man who has experienced homelessness by the Balboa Pier for 20 years. He is sheltering in a motel until he moves into the new apartment. Staff met with the man to review his housing plan
- Continued to refer unsheltered people to the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter for temporary housing and services. As of this week 16 people who had been experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach are now sheltered in the facility
- Enrolled two people into services and completed housing assessments
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?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery.
Be Well Update
The new Be Well mobile crisis response team is now operating 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:
- De-escalated a domestic incident and transported an elderly resident to a psychiatric facility.
- Brought one person to a crisis stabilization unit for mental health care after expressing suicidal intentions with police officers
- Transported two people to the Be Well campus in Orange for sober living treatment and five people to the County of Orange Cold Weather Emergency Shelter in Santa Ana.
- Transported two people to the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter for intake appointments and an elderly woman to a motel.
- Transported one person to a mental health appointment and another to a psychiatric facility.
- Conducted 20 outreach interactions with residents and people experiencing homelessness
