By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
Our next City Council meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 15. Items of interest are highlighted below. The entire agenda and reports can be viewed here: https://www.newportbeachca.gov/Home/Components/Calendar/Event/68230/72.
The regular meeting will begin at 4 p.m. Agenda items include:
- Approval of a naming rights donation agreement for the Newport Beach Public Library Lecture Hall. The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation has received donation commitments from Elizabeth D. Stahr ($750,000) and Louise and Roy Woolsey ($1 million). If approved, the Library Lecture Hall courtyard will be named the “Elizabeth D. Stahr Courtyard” and the building lobby will be named the “Louise and Roy Woolsey Memorial Lobby.”
- Confirmation of appointments to the General Plan Advisory Committee. The General Plan Update Steering Committee has recommended 30 residents for the General Plan Advisory Committee, which will help ensure sufficient stakeholder input, review and provide guidance to City staff and consultants, and make recommendations to the Steering Committee.
- Budget reports. The City’s Finance Department has prepared reports with information on revenues, expenditures, and estimated fund balance for the fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2021-22 and the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2022-23.
- A public hearing and consideration of the 2022 California building standards codes with local amendments, and the 2022 California fire code with local amendments. The City enforces California’s building standards and fire codes that regulate design and construction of structures to protect life and property. Every three years, the state adopts new codes and local agencies must adopt the same codes and make amendments with specific findings.
- A review of traffic-calming measures in the Mariners neighborhood. In July 2021 the City installed speed cushions on various streets in the Dover Shores and Mariners neighborhoods to help slow traffic speeds. Staff will discuss the impact of the speed cushions on traffic and concerns raised by some Mariners-area residents.
- Authorizing a $30.5-million agreement to purchase property at 1201 Dove St. for use as a future police headquarters. The Newport Beach Police Department’s current station, at 870 Santa Barbara Dr., is about 10 years from the end of its useful life and police operations have outgrown the existing facility. Under the proposal, the City would purchase and manage the Dove Street property for about 10 years before constructing a new police station headquarters. During that time the City would continue to lease office space, generating revenue to help offset the purchase price. The cost would be paid through General Fund surplus and unallocated capital project reserve funds.
City Council Meeting Information
The Newport Beach City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of most months (the exceptions are August and December).
Typically, there is a Study Session that starts at 4 p.m. Study sessions are times for the Council to take a deeper look at a specific issue, or hear a presentation, that might eventually lead to a specific and more formal action. A closed session often follows the Study Session. Closed sessions are typically to address legal, personnel, and other matters where additional confidentiality is important.
The Regular (evening) Session typically starts at 6 p.m., and often has a specific listing of different items ready for formal votes. Items on the “Consent Calendar” are heard all at once, unless a Council member has removed (aka “pulled”) an item from the Consent Calendar for specific discussion and separate vote. If an item on the agenda is recommended to be “continued,” it means that the item won’t be heard nor voted on that evening, but will be pushed forward to another noticed meeting.
Public Comment is welcomed at both the Study Session and the Regular Session. The public can comment on any item on the agenda. If you want to comment on a Consent Calendar item that was not pulled from the Consent Calendar by a Council Member, you will want to do so at the time listed on the agenda – right before the Council votes on the entire Consent Calendar (it’s Roman Numeral XIII on the posted agenda).
If an item is pulled, the Mayor will offer that members of the public can comment as that specific item is heard separately. Additionally, there is a specific section of Public Comment for items not on the agenda, but on a subject of some relationship to the city government.
If you cannot attend a meeting and/or want to communicate with the City Council directly, this e-mail gets to all of them: citycouncil@newportbeachca.gov. The City Manager also get’s a copy of the email, because in almost all cases it’s something that the City Manager follows-up on.
The Council meets in the Council Chambers at 100 Civic Center Drive, off of Avocado between San Miguel and East Coast Highway. There is plenty of parking in the parking structure. You are always welcome to attend in person, but you can also watch on TV, Spectrum channel 30 and Cox channel 852 or stream it on your computer.
This Insider’s Guide is not an attempt to summarize every item on the Agenda – just the ones that seem of specific interest to the City Manager. You are encouraged to read the full agenda if you wish.
