Costa Mesa backs creating river conservancy
Deirdre Newman
City leaders narrowly voted to support an assembly bill that would
establish the Santa Ana River Conservancy.
The entire watershed would cover an area of about 2,700 square
miles in parts of Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties,
including a portion of Fairview Park.
On Monday, the council voted 3 to 2 to support the bill, with
Mayor Gary Monahan and Councilman Allan Mansoor dissenting.
The bill is now in the state Senate Committee on Natural Resources
and Wildlife. If it passes, it could open up channels of grant
funding for Fairview Park.
The close vote reflected divergent views in the community as to
whether supporting the bill means relinquishing local control.
“I think we don’t have control now -- we’re downstream,” resident
Rich Gillock said. “We have to cooperate and do this as a cooperative
effort.”The Santa Ana River is the largest stream system in Southern
California. The river has endured intense development and needs
restoration, conservation and enhancement along its entire route,
states the bill, authored by Assemblyman Lou Correa (D-Santa Ana).
Under state law, conservancies can acquire, manage, direct the
management of and conserve public lands in the state. The bill would
also establish the Santa Ana River Conservancy Fund, but the
conservancy would not be able to exercise its funding authority until
the legislature or a bond act allocates the necessary funds. The
conservancy would also not have the power of eminent domain.
The price tag for the Fairview Park Master Plan, adopted in 1997,
is $9 million. Several projects have already been completed, but the
city only has $700,000 in grant funds and general funds set aside for
the rest of the plan.
Councilwoman Libby Cowan said she viewed the bill as a way to gain
funds to complete the remaining park projects.
The governing board of the conservancy would be comprised of 13
members, including one from the Orange County Board of Supervisors.
Mansoor said he felt that Costa Mesa’s interests would be outnumbered
in the decision-making process.
Part of the bill refers to local control, saying the conservancy
must “conform to all relevant general and specific plans and zoning
regulations of local agencies within the territory of the
conservancy.” But council members had different interpretation of the
language.
Mansoor said the bill’s language in terms of local authority is
conflicting.
“One part says the cities have control over their property, then
other parts say [the conservancy] can sue, and other parts go into
all the details of the authority the [conservancy] has,” Mansoor said
Tuesday morning. “It appears to contradict itself in that nature as
to who really has the final say in those areas.”
Councilman Mike Scheafer said he understood the fears about local
control being usurped, but believed the language would allow Costa
Mesa to retain local control.
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.