Newport Coast annexation garners little opposition

June Casagrande

NEWPORT COAST -- A trickle of protest against annexing this exclusive

community into Newport Beach has officials optimistic that, by Friday’s

deadline, the city will have expanded its borders.

“I hope we’ll have something to celebrate on Friday,” said Mayor Gary

Adams, who has taken an active role in promoting annexation among Newport

Coast residents.

As of Tuesday, only 50 people had registered an objection to annexing

the area of about 2,600 homes.

A 30-day window of opportunity for Newport Coast residents to shoot

down annexation ends Friday. During this “protest period,” residents who

remain silent are counted as supporters of annexation. If more than half

of the area’s 3,407 registered voters file an objection with the Orange

County Local Agency Formation Commission, annexation is stopped for at

least a year. If more than 25% protest, the issue will be put to a vote

among the community’s residents.

The annexation issue has loomed about 30 years since it was determined

in the 1970s that Newport Beach should ultimately annex the

unincorporated areas within its sphere of influence. The Local Agency

Formation Commission approved the proposal Sept. 12, leaving the protest

period as the final hurdle before annexation becomes official on Jan. 1.

“It should be a pretty seamless transition,” said Bob Aldrich, project

manager for the commission. On that date, he said, Coast residents will

begin receiving police and fire services from Newport Beach. There will

be no change in how they pay their taxes, Aldrich said.

Officials have been working to promote annexation among residents,

offering, among other things, an $18-million tax incentive that they say

is unprecedented nationwide.

“We feel like we have made an overwhelming case for the benefits to

the Newport Coast . . . to become a part of the city,” City Manager Homer

Bludau said.

The city would pay $1.2 million a year for 15 years to homeowners for

a tax they now pay to the county for infrastructure installed when their

community was being built, such as the widening of Coast Highway.

The money will come from $25 million the city would be paid by the

Irvine Ranch Water District after the annexation. The other $7 million

could be used for a community center if the residents want one.

Critics have argued that, despite this upfront cost, the property

taxes on the pricey homes amount to huge long-term financial gains to the

city. Some want to hold out for a better deal. But unless protest surges

as the deadline approaches, this is the deal they’re going to get.

FYI

Registered voters who are residents of Newport Coast and who wish to

protest annexation can get forms and information at o7

https://www.oclafco.ca.gov/home.htmf7 or by calling (714) 834-2556. More

information is also available at o7 https://www.newportcoast.orgf7 or

by calling the city manager’s office at (949) 644-3000.