Newport no help in annexation

June Casagrande

SANTA ANA HEIGHTS -- City officials threw yet another wet blanket on

Santa Ana Country Club’s long-smouldering hope to become part of Newport

Beach on Friday.

In a meeting Friday, Newport Beach city officials laid out to country

club head Paul Watkins the annexation process and what it means for the

club.

“The club isn’t in our sphere of influence,” City Manager Homer Bludau

explained, referring to county guidelines that use logical geographic

borders to decide on annexations. “That leaves it very iffy.”

The country club had no comment on the annexation issue, a spokesman

said Friday.

Newport Beach has applied to the county’s Local Agency Formation

Commission to annex Santa Ana Heights and Bay Knolls. Costa Mesa has

applied to annex West Santa Ana Heights, which stands between the country

club and Newport Beach. Some residents of West Santa Ana Heights have

vowed to fight annexation to Costa Mesa, saying that, for various

reasons, they would prefer a Newport Beach address. If West Santa Ana

Heights is annexed to Costa Mesa, it would mean that the country club

would not border Newport Beach.

“We respect Costa Mesa’s right to annex West Santa Ana Heights and

also the Country Club,” Bludau said. “It’s up to LAFCO.”