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HomeMy WebLinkAbout00 - Insider's GuideMay 8, 2018 Insider's Guide Subject: Newport Beach Insider's Guide - Council Meeting of Tuesday, May 8, 2018 A good Saturday afternoon to you. Here is a summary of what's on the agenda of the next City Council meeting (set for Tuesday, May 8t"). In the below e-mail, I try to summarize items that caught my attention. I don't summarize the whole agenda, though. To see that, please click here. It's the time of year when we spend more time on the public review of the proposed Fiscal Year 2018-19 City Budget (and Capital Improvement Program), so for at least a few meetings, the Council's Study Session will start early, this time at 3:00 p.m. The Regular Session starts at 7:00 p.m. More information about where the Council meets and public comment opportunities are at the bottom of this email. The Study Session items are: Two items from the Harbor Commission, one that would start them looking further at various aspects of the Charter boat industry, and another that would be a feedback session for the Council as to some of the directions they may head regarding Stand -Up Paddleboarding activities. One of our first major budget discussions of the season, where we'll highlight key areas of potential change in the coming budget year. We'll talk a bit about the organization of the Harbor Operations division, a possible merger of our field operations division (aka MOD) with Public Works, and more. Budget study sessions are chances for the Council and public to get a good understanding of the City Manager's proposed budget and be able to recommend changes to it before adoption in June. Finally, there is a chance for the public to offer thoughts and comments about the qualities they'd like to see in the next city manager. Yes, you can and should suggest "writing brevity." The Regular Session at 7:00 p.m. has these items worthy of note: • One item that's a little complex comes from our Community Development Department, and involves how some residential projects can be exempt from the requirement that the project applicant seek a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) while others are subject to a CDP. Today (generally), many residential projects do not need a CDP if the floor area is 1.5 times (or less) than the lot's buildable area. This proposed change would say that many residential projects do not need a CDP if the floor area proposed is 2.0 times (or less) the lot's buildable area. Importantly, the action does not change the buildable area of any lot. It just negates the need for an additional step — the CDP — in many cases. • Given that some racing activities in the Harbor can mean that some boats exceed posted speed limits (generally 5 nautical miles per hour), one item would ask the Council for permission to speak with other relevant agencies (like CA Department of Boating and Waterways) to maybe allow exceedances of the limit for races and similar events. • Our Zoning Code allows things like craft beer breweries in our industrial zones, but it does not allow those same breweries to have on-site tasting rooms. A proposed change would allow tasting rooms (".... this room tastes earthy, with elements of cherrywood, latex paint, and StainMaster carpeting...") under certain conditions, and again only in industrial zones associated with a brewery. • Two items from the City Attorney's office — one provides a response to Ms. Lauri Preedge relating to the Brown Act, and one more relating to whether or not a record is released from attorney-client privilege. A few notes for your calendar: Another Finance Committee meeting is coming up — that's Thursday, May 10 at 3:00 p.m. here at City Hall (Crystal Cove Conference Room). We'll keep talking about the budget 'til we're tired, so anyone is welcome to join us. Applications for any Boards, Committees, or Commissions are due on Wednesday, May 9th. For more information, click here. As I close this afternoon, I'll note that this a week where we said goodbye to two longstanding members of our staff. One was Mike Pisani, a director of our Municipal Operations Department. Mike had been with the City 33 years, and started as a summer employee working on our trash trucks. He made his way up to director of the department that oversees beach maintenance, facilities, fleet maintenance, the trash contract, parks maintenance, and more. Mike was known well for being a stable, calm guy who generally knew exactly how to solve a problem. His department is a big part of why Newport Beach looks as nice as it does. Like how fast we'd get cleaned up after a day like July 4. The second person is Assistant Fire Chief Rob Williams, who is the director of our ocean lifeguard programs. Rob has about the same tenure as Mike, and also leaves a legacy of service to our residents and to millions of visitors who come to our beaches. Rob led a crew of over a dozen full-time lifeguards, hundreds more seasonal guards, and oversaw our amazing Junior Guards program that so many residents benefit from. I'll miss both Mike and Rob very much, and wish them both good health and good times in retirement. Thank you for reading. 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 4th 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 Time Warner / Spectrum 3 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 Dave. I encourage you to read the full agenda if you wish.