Council moves along annexation path

Noaki Schwartz

NEWPORT BEACH -- The City Council on Monday voted unanimously to take

another major step in what Deputy City Manager Dave Kiff calls “the

city’s largest annexation.”

The annexation would include Bay Knolls, Newport Coast and Santa Ana

Heights. Many residents from Santa Ana Heights were present at the

meeting publicly announcing their support for the plan.

The 5-0 vote will send an annexation application for review by the Local

Agency Formation Commission, the state-created body that governs

annexations and the incorporation of cities.

“[City staff] believes it’s in the best interests of the city,” Kiff

said.

However, not all of the Heights is within Newport’s sphere of influence,

and based on the way the state commission has outlined where communities

would go in the future, the Heights could be split between Newport Beach

and Costa Mesa.

At a recent community meeting, residents from both the eastern and

western portions of the community announced their overwhelming support to

be part of Newport Beach rather than Costa Mesa. Those community members

expressed these intentions to the city council.

“Costa Mesa is a very friendly sister-city,” responded councilwoman Norma

Glover. “Just because we’re looking at annexations doesn’t mean all the

parties can come to the table.”Although the council has no power to pull

all of the Heights into the city’s fold, Mayor Dennis O’Neil said that if

the residents were successful in lobbying the state commission to become

part of Newport Beach, the council would give it serious consideration.