HomeMy WebLinkAbout00 - Insider's GuideJanuary 22, 2019
Insider's Guide
From: Biddle, Jennifer
Subject: Insider"s Guide - January 18, 2019
Date: Friday, January 18, 2019 4:36:58 PM
Forwarded on behalf of City Manager Grace Leung...
Happy Friday! It's nice to get a break from a week of rain, though it was much needed. With
this week's storms, we are slightly above average for the season in total rainfall - good news
for our groundwater basin. I also appreciate the hard work of our utilities and public works
staff managing our storm drains and tide valves efficiently and addressing issues promptly
through the multiple storms.
I hope everyone's 2019 is off to a good start. Our next City Council meeting is Tuesday,
January 22. The following are items that may be of interest. As always, this is not a summary
of the entire agenda, which can be viewed here.
We will have a Study Session beginning at 4:30 p.m. to discuss several items. The Orange
County Business Council will recognize our multiple entries for the Turning Red Tape into Red
Carpet Award Program, highlighting several programs and efforts by the Community
Development Department. There will be an update on the City's short-term lodging program
and discussion on potential improvements to the program. The Coastal Commission has
issued guidance on addressing the impact of sea level rise and staff will be discussing the
impacts for the height of residential and commercial development. There will also be
discussion on impact of waves on the coast as projected by FEMA. Finally, economist Dr. Chris
Thornberg will provide a high-level economic outlook and local revenue forecast for the
City. The forecast will inform our revenue projections for the FY 2019/20 Budget, now under
development.
The Regular Session begins at 7:00 p.m. and the following are items of note:
• Two labor contracts are on the consent calendar: the Adoption of a Memorandum of
Understanding with the Newport Beach Employees League Association and review
of the Tentative Agreement with Newport Beach Police Management Association.
Both agreements follow extensive negotiations and are for three-year terms.
• Also on the consent calendar is the creation of a Steering Committee for the General
Plan Update. The General Plan Update process and timeline was discussed extensively
at the last City Council meeting during a Study Session. As discussed at the Study
Session, the Steering Committee will be composed of 5 residents and the Mayor as an
ex officio member. The application submittal period will be 1 week after notice in a
newspaper and an ad-hoc committee formed by the Mayor will review applications.
The Mayor makes the final determination of appointees, to be confirmed by the City
Council at a future City Council meeting.
• Two items on the last City Council meeting were continued to this meeting due to a
newspaper distribution issue that impacted noticing requirements. Under Public
Hearing, the City Council will consider Harbor Fees updates related to management of
Harbor operations. Recommended updates were reviewed by the Harbor Commission
and Finance Committee and are now before City Council for approval. With the
establishment of a new program to regulate and permit sidewalk vending, a sidewalk
vending permit application fee needs to be set to recover the cost of City staff time to
process the application. Because this is a new program, the fee is based on estimated
time and will be adjusted in the future following actual experience. The Sidewalk
Vending Program became effective January 1, 2019.
• Phase 2a of the Big Canyon Coastal Habitat Restoration and Adaption Project is
ready to begin. This phase includes restoration of historic riparian habitat over the
11.3 -acre site by removing non-native vegetation and replanting native species,
creating a mosaic of native and sustainable habitats as well as stabilizing the creek and
floodplain with erosion control measures. Action requested at this meeting is to adopt
a mitigated negative declaration and mitigation monitoring and reporting program in
accordance with CEQA and approve the Phase 2a design. If approved, grant funding
will be pursued for construction and implementation.
• A proposed vendor has been selected for the Advanced Meter Infrastructure Project,
which would install new "smart water meters" in the City. The new technology
provides automation and improved customer service and response. Due to the
magnitude of this project, staff is recommending an initial "proof of performance"
phase of the project. This allows us to fully test the products, connectivity, customer
interface, and obtain feedback from staff and customers. 250 of the new meters
would be installed in this phase. After the results of this phase, staff will bring back the
full implementation for City Council consideration including costs, timing, benefits and
funding.
As a reminder, public comment is welcome at the City Council meeting. The public can
comment on any item on the agenda. If you cannot attend the meeting and/or want to
communicate with the City Council directly on an item, the following e-mail address gets to all
of them: City Council.
The Week in Review was provided last week. In case you missed it, we do post them on the
City's website; the latest edition can be found here.
Thank you for reading. Feedback is appreciated so please don't hesitate to ask a question or
offer a comment.
Grace K. Leung
City Manager
City of Newport Beach
100 Civic Center Drive, Bay 2E
Newport Beach, CA 92660
gIeu ng(@ new port beach ca. gov
P: 949-644-3001 F: 949-644-3020