Beek launches anti-annexation campaign

Deepa Bharath

NEWPORT BEACH -- The Newport Coast annexation issue has been on the

City Council agenda about 22 times over the past two years, officials

say.

But community activist Allan Beek says he still wants to know what the

voters really think about the city’s proposal to annex the wealthy

neighborhood south of the city, home to about 2,600 people.

“People need to get a chance to vote on the issue,” he said Wednesday.

The council “has considered it a done deal and avoided it all along.”

This week, Beek circulated fliers in the community asking the public

to call Mayor Gary Adams to ask him to hold a special meeting before

Friday to put the issue on the Nov. 20 ballot.

Among Beek’s concerns are whether the added neighborhoods would

support plans for an airport at the closed El Toro Marine Air Base and if

they would be accessible to grass-roots campaigns, such as the one he

helped orchestrate last year in support of the city’s slow-growth

Greenlight initiative.

City officials counter that putting the 30-year-old issue to a vote

would have a “chilling effect” on the annexation.

And City Manager Homer Bludau said Newport Coast residents are already

part of the fabric of the city.

“Their children go to our schools,” he said. “They use our facilities,

our beaches, parks and libraries. Over the years, several Newport Beach

residents have moved over to Newport Coast.”

In September, council members unanimously approved plans to annex

Newport Coast, Santa Ana Heights and Bay Knolls. Annexation of the latter

two areas has been pushed back to mid-2002, but Newport Coast could

become part of the city by Jan. 1.

The city filed its application to annex all three communities in

March. City staff expects a hearing before the Local Agency Formation

Commission about the Newport Coast portion of the application in

September.

Residents who live in the unincorporated territory must still vote on

the plan later this year after the commission makes a decision on Newport

Beach’s application.

Beek made his opinion on the issue public in April when he told

council members that the annexation would drastically change the

character of Newport Beach.

Beek said he believes annexation would hurt the city because Newport

Coast voters will “dilute our votes,” they are likely to be against an

airport in El Toro and their gated communities would hamper door-to-door

campaigns, the lifeline of any grass-roots movement.

“We absolutely can’t communicate with them,” he said.

Not so, says Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff.

“That’s what homeowners associations are for,” he said. “They are

easily approachable, and their meetings are open to anybody who wants to

talk to them.”

Kiff added that Newport Coast residents have often approached him on

city issues and have shown him that they are genuinely concerned about

what goes on in Newport Beach.

Council members said they found Beek’s flier offensive and

misinformed.

“I ran on a platform of pro-annexation,” Councilman Tod Ridgeway said.

“I have never heard any objections voiced so far, maybe just one. There

were plenty of opportunities for people to oppose the annexation, but

nobody did.”

Adams said he believes it would be a bad idea to put the issue up for

a vote.

“This issue has been in the public eye for more than 20 years,” he

said. “I’m surprised all of a sudden it’s a new issue stirred up with a

lot of sensational rhetoric and misinformation to advance [Beek’s] own

agenda.”

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 deepa.bharath@latimes.comf7 .