HomeMy WebLinkAbout00 - Insider's GuideJanuary 24, 2017
Insider's Guide
From: Kiff, Dave
Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2017 3:23 PM
Subject: Insider's Guide - Tuesday, January 24, 2017
The Guide is late today, coming to you on a rainy Sunday. I hope you're home and dry and reading a book or watching
the games today (or something good on Netflix).
The Newport Beach City Council's next meeting is this coming Tuesday, January 24, 2017 starting at 7:00 p.m. More
detailed Council meeting information is at the end of the Guide. I don't summarize every item on the agenda, so make
sure you look at the City Clerk's agenda page to read the whole agenda if you'd like.
There is no Study Session, so the Regular Session begins at 7:00 p.m. Here's what caught my attention from the
agenda:
• Our bi-monthly update on water conservation activities. Which seems very ironic in light of the recent days'
storms. I was asked a question recently by a local resident "doesn't this mean the drought is over?" Well, not
quite. There are great amounts of snow in the Sierra, well -above average storage in many, many, reservoirs, and the
soil is well -soaked. What would trigger an end to the drought is all of that plus at least two things: (a) A formal
declaration by the Governor that it's over; and (b) great improvement in groundwater storage in the Central Valley
as well as the rest of Southern California. When we get enough regular rain to refill the aquifers across the state and
below us (recall that Newport Beach gets about 65-70% of our drinking water from the aquifer that is beneath
Huntington Beach, Fountain Valley, and much of central Orange County), then water regulators are more
comfortable declaring an end to the drought. From what I've heard, it would take a few years of more than average
rainfall to do that. Lastly on this point, many officials think that we'll always be in some sort of conservation mode
or mandate, even a light one — because of our geography, changes in climate that mean less retained snowpack into
spring, changes in population, and more.
• Representatives of the Harbor Commission will come in to the Council to outline their objectives for 2017. These
include making the harbor a more welcoming destination for visitors, as well as improving communication and
peace among the many varieties of Harbor users — from SUP-ers to kayakers and more.
• The Board of Library Trustees is interested in seeing if members of the community would support a new lecture
facility that would allow more people to attend various library events, including the Distinguished Speakers Lecture
Series. As such, they've asked the Council to grant them a one-time waiver to see if the Trustees can go out and
raise private donations for the lecture facility.
• At his first meeting as mayor back in December 2016, Mayor Muldoon said that he'd like the Council to revisit — and
support —the filming of Planning Commission meetings for later webstreaming on the City's website. That request
is on the agenda Tuesday.
• In November 2016, the Planning Commission approved a request by the Village Inn (at Marine and Park on Balboa
Island) to add a 200 -square foot outdoor dining area along Marine Avenue, in the public right-of-way. Bike racks for
about 20 bikes would be removed, and replaced with "bike corrals" on certain blocks of Marine Avenue. The
Planning Commission's approval included conditions limiting the outdoor seating to 16, as well as limiting interior
live entertainment to four musicians or singers (versus five). The Village Inn would also be required to get one of
the City's relatively new "Operators Licenses," which gives the Police Chief the authority to help control issues at
certain late-night locations when issues arise. A resident near the Inn appealed the Planning Commission's approval
to the City Council. I would guess that this formal public hearing will take up the lion's share of the Tuesday
meeting's discussion time. Please read the staff report if you are following this issue (it's Item #15 on the
agenda).
In the category of random notes:
• Help us be eyes and ears - if you see trees downed (or leaning) in the coming hours and days, don't hesitate to call
the PD's non -emergency line — that's 949-644-3717. We think we lost anywhere from 75-100 trees in Friday's rain
and wind, and that's a lot to keep up with in terms of safe removal. Always sad to see them go, but thankfully we
didn't hear of any reported injuries to persons. I am always thankful that we have enough resources to do more
regular trim cycles for city trees so that most of them can weather storms like these.
• We still have no news yet from the OC Registrar of Voters as to the Registrar's signature count on the Museum
House referendum petitions.
As always, thanks for reading. I'm sorry it was late this week. Please forward this Guide to family, friends and members
of your HOA if you represent one. I always like hearing from you, too, so please don't hesitate to ask a question or
offer a comment.
Sincerely,
Dave Kiff
City Manager
dkiff@newportbeachca.gov
949-644-3001
City Council Meeting Information: The Newport Beach City Council meets on the 2nd and 4t" Tuesdays of most months
(the exceptions are August and December). Typically, there is a Study Session that starts at 4:00 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 7:00 p.m., and often has a specific listing of 20-40 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. Please know that I get a copy of that e-mail, too, because in almost all cases
it's something that the City Manager follows -up on. It's my head -start.
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 behind City Hall. You are always welcome to attend in
person, but you can also watch on TV (Channels 3/31) 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 Dave. I encourage you to read the full agenda if you wish.
2