City Hall gets love vibe

June Casagrande

NEWPORT BEACH -- City Hall was home to a love fest on Friday.

Punctuated with punch and brownies, City Council members welcomed their

new county supervisor with open arms.

“We applaud and support all your fine work on El Toro,” City

Councilman Dennis O’Neil told Orange County Supervisor Jim Silva, whose

district was recently redrawn to include Newport Beach.

“I’m really pleased that now, officially, you’ll be representing

Newport Beach,” City Councilman Gary Proctor added. “We have a burning

need to keep you in this position.”

And Mayor Gary Adams said, “We really are excited that you’re now our

representative.” Councilwoman Norma Glover expressed hope the city would

enjoy Silva’s “continued leadership.”

There was nary a whisper of Wilson -- the already forgotten ex whose

new district lines effectively ditched Newport Beach: Tom Wilson.

Between the backslaps and the blushing supervisor’s “thank yous” were

stretches of substance, like when Councilman Steve Bromberg asked about

the billion-dollar debt still outstanding from the county’s bankruptcy.

“Is there a chance the state could come in and raise our property

taxes?” Bromberg asked.

Yes, council members learned. It is a possibility.

Hi-ho, Silva, away: The supervisor is part of a statewide association

of governments that is working to put on a ballot a constitutional

amendment to preemptively stop such a move by the state.

And El Toro wasn’t the only issue on which the council’s love took

wing. By mere virtue of geography, it seems, Silva’s a godsend. As a

Huntington Beach homeowner, Glover pointed out, Silva knows what it’s

like to live in a beach community with the problem of urban runoff.

Quickly rattling off a list of more tangible water-quality

credentials, such as his seat on the sanitation district board, Silva

concurred that he’s in the same boat on storm drains.

“I see the way that stuff ends up on our beaches,” Silva concurred.