West Santa Ana Heights may join Newport Beach

June Casagrande

East Santa Ana Heights and Bay Knolls have cleared the biggest

hurdle to becoming part of Newport Beach, and now West Santa Ana

Heights, which was slated to join Costa Mesa, also has a chance of

joining Newport.

But the Santa Ana Country Club and a few other pockets of

unincorporated county lands on Monday were dealt a blow in their bid

to don a Newport Beach address.

The Local Agency Formation Commission voted on a series of

requests from areas slated to be annexed to Newport Beach and Costa

Mesa. Least surprising was the commission’s vote to make East Santa

Ana Heights part of Newport Beach.

A protest period from Oct. 17 to Dec. 2 will give residents who

oppose annexation a chance to put the brakes on it. While a seeming

majority in East Santa Ana Heights supports annexation, there are

dissenters.

“It’s another layer of government over us,” said Greg Carroll, an

active opponent of annexation. “I’m concerned about what Newport

Beach has in mind for the redevelopment money.”

City officials earlier this year had proposed using a portion of

the residents’ redevelopment funds to build a fire station that would

serve not just Santa Ana Heights, but other areas already part of

Newport Beach. Residents successfully argued that it was unfair for

them to shoulder the whole cost. City officials also wanted to build

the station on a portion of the land where residents planned to build

a community center -- an idea that was also retracted after residents

cried foul.

Santa Ana Country Club and the adjacent residential and commercial

area south of Mesa Drive, who together asked to become part of

Newport Beach, got no for an answer.

But West Santa Ana Heights residents got a heartening answer to a

request they filed. The commission agreed to reconsider the area’s

“sphere of influence” designation. Residents there will have six

months to convince Newport Beach officials to take them in. If they

do, the commission will change the area’s label from being within

Costa Mesa’s sphere of influence to being in the Newport Beach

sphere.

“We are one community, we should stay as one,” said Russell

Niewiarowski, a resident of West Santa Ana Heights who has been

active in trying to join Newport.

This logic was an important factor in the commission’s decision,

said Bob Aldrich, assistant executive officer of the commission.

“They are both part of Santa Ana Heights’ redevelopment project

area, both part of the Santa Ana Heights specific plan,” Aldrich

said. “We did feel that their sphere amendment application merits

additional study.”

Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau said the city will begin

to look into the question of whether or not to embrace West Santa Ana

Heights, particularly in terms of how much it will cost to provide

services to the area.

During the upcoming protest period, if more than 25% of registered

voters in any of the areas file written protests, the matter will go

to a vote. If more than 50% protest, annexation is stopped. East

Santa Ana Heights has 627 registered voters; Bay Knolls has 263; and

the residential area south of Mesa Drive has 398. Instructions on how

to protest will be posted on the commission’s Web site,

www.orange.lafco.ca.gov.