Congressman focuses on city, despite ‘national issues’

Chris Cox

A recent letter to the editor -- and a column by Daily Pilot Managing

Editor S.J. Cahn (“A little lesson in big-time politics,” Thursday)

-- took me to task for meeting with Muslim constituents in my Newport

Beach office, because the subject of the meeting concerned someone

from outside my district who lived in Anaheim.

It is true there were also Orange Countians from outside my

district in the meeting.

But to suggest that this means that I am excessively focused on

“national issues” because of my powerful position in Congress seems a

bit silly.

The more serious factual error in these reports is the assertion

that I have not gotten federal funds to Newport Beach (impliedly

because I am too busy on “far greater and expansive issues”).

The facts, as the Pilot itself has reported on many occasions, are

just the opposite.

I have secured federal funding totaling nearly $6 million to

restore Newport Bay.

Separately, I’ve written -- and secured congressional passage and

President Bush’s signature -- on a bill authorizing the federal

government to provide up to $25 million toward the cost of the Upper

Newport Bay restoration project.

Yet another bill I’ve written authorizes a further $20 million to

reduce the outflows of silt into Newport Bay from San Diego Creek.

I’ve secured $900,000 to help Newport Beach residents build a

reservoir cap over the Big Canyon Reservoir; $800,000 for the Newport

Beach Police Department in its efforts to integrate the city’s

criminal database with the rest of Orange County; and $1.9 million to

rebuild the Newport Beach jetties.

With all due respect to Cahn’s fictional “first-term

representative from North Carolina,” a member who has no clout in

Congress can’t do much for the folks back home.

Being in the congressional leadership has demonstrably helped us

here in Newport.

* REP. CHRIS COX’S district includes Newport Beach.