Newport Beach considering dropping bill support

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- City officials said Thursday that they are leaning

toward asking Sen. Ross Johnson (R-Irvine) to drop a bill that a number

of environmentalists believe would clip regional water boards’ authority

to penalize polluters who discharge harmful runoff.

Asst. City Manager David Kiff, who worked on the proposed Senate Bill

816, said it was “intended to try to keep cities farther from the coast

well informed.”

The bill would essentially take away a regional board’s power to issue

a cease-and-desist order in cases of pollution from “non-point” sources

or multiple sources as opposed to a single, specific source.

The advantage of that legislation, said Kiff, is to give cities the

time to educate its residents before they are punished.

“Changing behaviors takes time,” he said. “The people who pollute in

most cases are not the large industries but you and me. Most of the

education is common-sense stuff like picking up after your pet, but even

that takes time.”

According to the proposed legislation, regional water boards can still

issue cease-and-desist orders in cases of “point” pollution -- when a

single source is involved.

But environmental groups say that is not good enough to prevent

damage.

“This bill is a snooze alarm,” said Bob Caustin, founder and president

of the environmental group Defend the Bay.

“It exonerates polluters, gives them the time to sleep as they

continue to pollute and not be responsible,” he said.

Caustin pointed out that cities that polluted Aliso Creek did not act

until the San Diego Regional Board issued a cease-and-desist order.

“Until that happened, they knew they were in violation, but did

nothing about it,” he said.

Kiff said the Coastal Coalition, a group of coastal cities of which

Newport Beach is a member, will decide next month whether to request

Johnson to drop the bill.

“I have been getting a lot of responses in opposition,” he said. “And

I don’t want the senator to carry a bill that no one likes.”

Johnson has also said he would drop the bill if a “consensus cannot be

reached,” said his spokeswoman, Susie Swatt.

“We know there are some concerns,” she said. “We’re working to see if

amendments can be put into the bill that would eliminate those concerns.”