ON THE AGENDA Here are a few...

ON THE AGENDA

Here are a few items the council will consider tonight.

SMOKING ON THE BEACH

The City Council will return to an issue that’s proved a burning

debate in beachside cities: Banning smoking on the sand.

In Newport, the discussion dates back to November, when members of

the environmental group Earth Resource Foundation first asked for the

ban. Since then, Newport Harbor High students also have called on the

council to throw figurative water on would-be smokers.

The city does have the power to enact a ban, according to city

staff members. Pros to a ban would be the promotion of a healthier,

nonsmoking lifestyle and a reduction in trash. The cons are the

difficulty in enforcing the law and the possibility that smokers

would move to other places to light up, such as parking lots and

alleys.

WHAT TO EXPECT

The City Councilmen have three options: Tell staff to put together

an ordinance, send the issue to the Parks, Beaches and Recreation

Commission for more discussion or have staff members gather more

information and report back later.

MARINER’S MILE WALKWAY

Plans to build a public walkway along the harbor in Mariner’s Mile

have hit a snag: lack of space.

While a study of the idea has proven it’s possible, the problem is

that because a number of the buildings along Coast Highway are built

right out to the water, part of the walkway would have to be

constructed even farther toward the harbor -- where docks now are.

And most of those docks, staff members report, already are as far out

into the harbor as the federal government allows.

WHAT TO EXPECT

A plea for a little federal help. Staff members are encouraging

the council to ask the government to reestablish the “pierhead line”

farther into the harbor. The first step, being asked for tonight, is

to provide $15,000 to Cash & Associates Engineering and Architecture,

which has been studying the issue, to investigate the idea more.

LOCAL COASTAL PROGRAM

The document that would govern development along Newport Beach’s

waterfront, it’s been in the works for longer than most council

items. It could have effects on how the city handles eelgrass, Lido

Marina Village, coastal bluffs and even Banning Ranch.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Staff members are recommending approval and submission to the

state Coastal Commission.

AIR SOFT RIFLES

The use of “air soft” rifles, which shoot pellets, has been

growing, and it may be able to come to an end. The council will

consider an ordinance adding the guns, which look much like real

guns, to a list of weapons that can only be used with the permission

of the city’s police chief.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Given concern about the guns being misidentified as real and

someone getting hurt, it’s likely that the pellet guns will go the

way of revolvers and pistols, but not squirt guns.

-- Compiled by S.J. Cahn