City splits annexation requests

Mathis Winkler

NEWPORT BEACH -- Residents in Santa Ana Heights and Bay Knolls will

have to wait longer than folks in Newport Coast to become part of the

city.

This week, City Council members unanimously agreed to split the

annexation applications for the three areas.

The break came because officials for the county agency overseeing

annexations want to consider applications by Newport Beach and Costa Mesa

for the two unincorporated territories between the two cities at the same

time.

Newport Beach city officials have said the costs for providing

municipal services in Newport Coast will be substantial. Completed papers

for the transfer of property taxes from county to city coffers must be

filed with the state agency responsible for the transfer by December.

If that doesn’t happen, the city must wait 18 rather than six months

from the annexation date before it gets any money. Under the worst-case

scenario, the city would have to front $5.25 million to cover services.

“It’s really in our interest to get things done by December,” said

Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff.

While the two cities’ applications don’t overlap -- Costa Mesa seeks

to annex several unincorporated islands along its eastern border -- West

Santa Ana Heights residents are vehemently opposed to belonging to Costa

Mesa and want to be annexed by Newport Beach instead.

Newport Beach officials filed their application March 20 and have said

they wouldn’t oppose a decision by the Orange County Local Agency

Formation Commission to consider the western and eastern parts of Santa

Ana Heights as one community. But they didn’t include the western portion

in the application because it lies within Costa Mesa’s sphere of

influence.

Costa Mesa City Council members approved their application April 2,

but city officials haven’t yet filed the document with the commission.

Newport Coast’s annexation also still hinges on approval from the

community’s residents. Although neighborhood leaders have endorsed the

plan, support from residents might not reach the same level of almost

unanimous approval annexation gets in Santa Ana Height and Bay Knolls.

In addition, the state Legislature still must approve a new law that

would keep in place a local coastal program after Newport Beach annexes

the area.

The program allows local government agencies to issue permits for

developments in California’s coastal zone. The city lacks such a program

and, without the bill’s protection, the construction of an additional 825

homes in Newport Coast could face legal challenges.

The splitting of the three applications will cost Newport Beach

roughly $18,000, because each filing costs about $9,000.