INSIDE SCOOP

-- Compiled by the Daily Pilot staff

Groucho Marx’s old adage that he wouldn’t want to join any club that

would have him as a member is ringing true in unincorporated areas

bordering Newport Beach. Newport Coast residents on Friday turned their

noses up at a sweet deal to become part of the city -- one that would

have put $18 million directly into their pockets over the coming years in

the form of tax relief.

Santa Ana Heights residents, on the other hand, should be green with

envy. Homeowners in the part of Santa Ana Heights slated to become part

of Costa Mesa say Newport Beach is the place to be. They’re fighting as

hard to get into city boundaries as Newport Coast residents have fought

to stay out.

Bye, bye banners

The Coast, it appears, has a ghost. Weeks after Halloween, city

officials are still haunted by the mysterious disappearance of some

informational banners.

In a last-ditch effort to make sure Newport Coast residents had all

the facts on annexation, city staff hung several banners in the community

referring residents to a Web site.

The site, o7 https://www.newportcoast.orgf7 , is packed with facts to

assuage residents’ fears about becoming part of Newport Beach --

everything from taxes to mailing addresses. But, alas, a few days after

the banners were put up, some spirit made them disappear.