A CLOSER LOOK -- Newport nears its Manifest Destiny

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- The beginning of the end of the Newport Coast

annexation debate is set for Oct. 15 -- the official start of a 30-day

period when residents of the unincorporated area can protest plans to

become part of the city.

For the 2,600 or so residents in the area, silence at that point is

complicity: More than a quarter of the registered voters there must file

a protest against annexation or else it will be automatically approved.

This is likely the last step in a debate that has dragged on for

nearly 30 years, appearing on City Council agendas about 22 times.

Officials have said that, barring an unexpected landslide of opposition,

annexation of the high-priced neighborhood will be complete by the end of

the year.

Other scenarios are much less likely.

It’s possible, for instance, that more than half the residents could

file a “no” vote with the Local Agency Formation Commission. If that

happens, the annexation proposal dies.

Or, if between a quarter and a half of the area’s residents protest,

the matter will be put to the voters -- something a few people, most

notably activist Allan Beek, have wanted all along.

An unexpected vote

This summer Beek led a fight to put the annexation issue on the Nov.

20 special election ballot. In shooting down the request, city officials

coolly pointed out that the decision, in essence, was already made by a

state law that requires the city to grow to its “sphere of influence.”

But opponents of rubber-stamping the growth weren’t convinced by that

argument.

“I believe it would have been very healthy to have had some kind of

advisory voting, or polling of Newport Beach residents, because when

citizens are really asked their opinion, then they can better accept the

outcome whatever it is,” Newport Beach resident Judy Brosener said.

Worries about annexing the community into the rest of the city have

ranged from the pedestrian to the absurd. Some have said the gated

communities will hinder grass-roots political activity. Others have

worried that their addresses will change. And still others have worried

that the Newport Coast residents, by virtue of their proximity to the

closed El Toro Marine base, could shift the balance of airport politics

in the city.

To combat misinformation, Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff assembled a

question-and-answer flier to assuage fears about everything from garbage

collection to post office addresses (they won’t change, with addresses

remaining “Newport Coast, CA 92657).

For example, Kiff points out, the estimated millions in property taxes

the city expects to collect from Newport Coast homeowners in the 2002-03

fiscal year don’t add up to the cash cow some claim.

It has been estimated the area will bring about $4.79 million in tax

revenue to the city in 2002-03. But Kiff said most of those moneys will

go right back to providing services to homes in that area -- services now

being provided by the county, such as garbage collection.

“It’s not like some huge windfall to the city,” Kiff said.

A healthy bottom line

The bottom line does, however, distinguish Newport Coast from the

other two neighborhoods up for annexation: the 190 homes in Bay Knolls

and 460 homes in Santa Ana Heights. Analysts say these two areas are sure

to be money-losers for Newport Beach, with 2002-03 revenues expected to

be about $69,000 for Bay Knolls and about $74,000 for Santa Ana Heights.

Along with Newport Coast, these unincorporated neighborhoods comprise a

mini-Manifest Destiny for Newport Beach. All three areas are expected to

be annexed to the city by mid-2002.

“It’s time the city grow to its natural boundaries,” Kiff said.

FYI

For more information on the annexation or how to file a protest, visit

o7 https://www.oclafco.ca.gov/home.htmf7 or call (714) 834-2556.

* June Casagrande covers Newport Beach. She may be reached at (949)

574-4232 or by e-mail at o7 june.casagrande@latimes.comf7 .