ISSUE OF THE WEEK -- paul r. gerst

Recently, three events in Newport Beach point to a sense of

disenfranchisement that seems to pervade our community and quite possibly

even our national psyche.

First, the Newport Beach City Council rescinded our protection against

unmitigated traffic expansion (Traffic Phasing Ordinance).

This forced a group of residents to get the Greenlight initiative on the

ballot. The initiative is designed to reestablish the rights of the

Newport Beach voters to have a meaningful voice in how their city will

grow.

Secondly, residents in the Harbor View area were shocked to discover a

massive, 41-foot-high concrete wall had sprung up in a view-sensitive

area where 32 feet was the limit prescribed by the Newport Beach zoning

code. The variation was permitted by the city with the bare minimum of

legal notice required.

Thirdly, at a recent meeting with Homer Bludau, Newport Beach’s city

manager, most of the 16 community leaders attending accused city

government of being grossly nonresponsive to their needs. It is sobering

that well-educated and politically sophisticated community leaders should

share the perception of their disenfranchisement by the city.

The Residential Advocacy Council and the Community Assn. Alliance have

proposed that the city fund an ombudsman and a modest staff whose sole

responsibility would be to give to the council members the reactions and

preferences of the residents on the various issues with residential

impact.With one or two exceptions, the council refused to consider the

Ombudsman Concept. The “party line” is that the city’s Environmental

Quality Committee does that for the council. Two members of the committee

were among the 16 leaders bemoaning their disenfranchisement: They

pointed out that some council members think so little of their committee

that months have gone by without those council members bothering to make

their committee appointments. More than one of the city’s appointees do

not even live in Newport Beach! Obviously, the committee, reconstituted

to appease the homeowners associations, does not work, and cannot work,

because of the lack of a dedicated staff with an exclusive responsibility

to the residential community.

Insiders at “Fort Newport” (a.k.a. city hall) allege that officeholders

are so sensitive to every wisp of public opinion that there’s no need for

an established feedback system.

Thank goodness for our neighbors who agree to serve on the city council.

Still, we all need to help them reflect the views of their constituency.

Why is our city council unwilling to entertain an organized feedback

system from the disenfranchised residential community? Isn’t it time for

a proven idea?

* PAUL R. GERST, a 30-year resident of Newport Beach, is vice president

of the Bluffs Homeowners Assn. and vice chair of the Community Assn.

Alliance.