Quite a post for Newport’s mayor

It’s easy to imagine the call Newport Beach Mayor Steve Bromberg

received: “Steve,” comes the heavy Austrian accent, “I need your

help.”

Perhaps nothing so dramatic or cinematic happened, but that

doesn’t lessen the importance of the city’s mayor being appointed to

a statewide water policy task force by Gov.-elect Arnold

Schwarzenegger. The Water Policy Advisory Task Force, a group of

local and regional water-quality advocates, has been charged with

drafting a comprehensive statewide water plan for the new

administration.

First off, the appointment is important for Newport Beach (and all

of Orange County) because it gives the city a voice on matters of

critical importance to residents. From the Back Bay, through the

harbor to the ocean, the cleanliness of water here is vital to the

economy and to quality of life. One need only look at the economic

and general social turmoil that occurred when Huntington Beach’s

sands were off-limits during the summer of 1999.

Bob Caustin, founder of Defend the Bay, rightly summed up what

Bromberg’s appointment means for the city:

“He will be influencing state policy to protect Newport Bay, for

its future,” Caustin said. “The problem has been in the past that we

haven’t had enough of that type of proactive involvement and we get

left out when new rules are created. ... You have to reach beyond

Orange County to protect our bay and the ocean.”

Bromberg now will have that chance. And he already is doing right

by the city, bringing up at the group’s first meeting the importance

of recreational water quality.

The appointment also would seem to bode well for Bromberg, putting

him into the influential circles peopled by the likes of Marian

Bergeson and Paul Folino. While there is no telling what plans

Bromberg has -- he hasn’t even said he’s running for reelection --

rubbing shoulders with California bigwigs can only increase his

stature across the state. It also comes as a fine reward for his hard

work on water-quality and other issues.

And it’s not bad for one of Balboa Island’s Keystone Kops.