NEWPORT BEACH CITY COUNCIL WRAP-UP

WHAT HAPPENED:

City Council members agreed to gather evidence concerning the Buzz

restaurant and a possible revocation of its permits.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The council appointed a hearing officer, who will conduct a meeting on

the issue and make recommendations to council members. The city’s

planning commissioners had revoked the restaurant’s use permit in

November after deciding it had fundamentally changed and no longer met

the conditions of the permit. Buzz officials appealed the decision to the

council, which sent the issue back to the Planning Commission in February

after the restaurant owners said they would submit new plans for the

business. Because city officials still have not received the plans, they

proposed the appointment of a hearing officer. A date for the hearing has

not been set.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“We think this will work. Hopefully this will be resolved very

quickly.” --Barry Hammond, who represents Buzz owners

Vote: 6 / 0IN FAVOR

WHAT HAPPENED:

Council members outlawed motorized scooters on Balboa Peninsula’s

Ocean Front boardwalk.

WHAT IT MEANS:

While motorized scooters are now banned from the area, people may

still ride bikes, skateboards and roller skates, but can’t “engage in any

activity on the boardwalk which creates an unreasonable risk of injury to

any person,” the ordinance states. Council members asked city officials

to include scooters without motors in that category as well.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“Every kid at Newport Elementary School has a Razor [scooter without a

motor].” -- Councilman Tod Ridgeway

Vote: 6 / 0IN FAVOR T

WHAT HAPPENED:

Council members voted to close some streets on the Fourth of July.

WHAT IT MEANS:

City officials recommended the closure to get a better handle on

holiday crowds. The affected streets are Seashore Drive between 32nd and

Prospect street, eastbound Balboa Boulevard between 32nd Street and West

Coast Highway, and the southbound lanes of Newport Boulevard between Via

Lido and Balboa Boulevard.

Vote: 6 / 0IN FAVOR

WHAT HAPPENED:

Council members split the Public Works Department into two parts.

WHAT IT MEANS:

Steve Badum will take over as public works director in July and

oversee 33 employees. Eldon Davidson, now the utilities services manager,

will become the utilities director and oversee 51 employees who work in

the city’s electrical, oil and gas, water and waste water divisions. City

Manager Homer Bludau suggested the split to give Badum a chance to

concentrate on such projects as the Bonita Canyon Sports Park and the

Balboa Village improvement project. Don Webb, who has run the Public

Works Department for decades, will retire next month.

Vote: 6 / 0IN FAVOR

WHAT HAPPENED:

Council members held their first public hearing on the city’s budget

for fiscal year 2001-02 and agreed to have the budget prepared for

adoption on June 26.

WHAT IT MEANS:

After three study sessions to discuss the budgets for each city

department, as well as the city’s capital improvement program for the

coming year, council members are now set to approve the budget at their

June 26 meeting. At that time, they’ll also vote on items listed on a

checklist to determine if they want to include them in the document or

not. City officials will prepare the list in the coming weeks. The new

fiscal year will start July 1.

Vote: 6 / 0

IN FAVOR

WHAT HAPPENED:

Council members adopted a new harbor and bay element as part of the

city’s general plan.

WHAT IT MEANS:

The document will serve as a road map for issues concerning the city’s

harbor and bay areas. Preserving the diverse uses of the bay, harbor and

shoreline, maintaining and improving public access to the harbor and

waterfront areas, and improving water quality are among the goals of the

proposed element.

WHAT THEY SAID:

“I really think this is a terrific document.” -- Ridgeway

Vote: 6 / 0

IN FAVOR

SOUNDING OFF

“The change in the noise ordinance is viewed by some as an aid to the

constant complainer who has a lot of both money and time. This

professional complainer is being given directions as to what to complain

about. I feel I know firsthand how much the City Council enjoys a

constant complainer.” -- Jim Hildreth, a resident who opposed changes to

the city’s noise ordinance. Council members approved the changes.

NEXT MEETING

WHAT: Newport Beach City Council

WHEN: 7 p.m. June 25

WHERE: Newport Beach City Hall, 3300 Newport Blvd.