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Home My WebLink About00 - League of Women Observation ReportL LEAGUE of WOMEN VOTERS OF ORANGE COA51 Newport Beach City Council of July 22, 2025 General Meeting Information Did the meeting start on time? Yes Were all members present? No Councilwoman Michelle Barto was absent. Did the members appear to have done their homework? Yes Were members courteous to each other and the public? No During public comment, Miles Patricola suggested the Council should stand up for their constituents who donated to President Trump's campaign. He described President Trump as a con artist, who lied, misled, and manipulated the wealthy donors on Newport Beach. "The President has harmed veterans, weakened disaster response, defunded consumer protections, and set the stage for millions of citizens to lose Medicaid." The City Attorney and Mayor repeatedly interrupted him, claiming that the national topic was not within the council's jurisdiction. In the Video, Miles' microphone has been turned off. Miles Patricola's comment: https://voutu.be/G6ulcfrWeuM?t=2861 Brown Act Was the agenda sent/posted 72 hours before this meeting? Yes Did items clearly describe what was discussed? No During public comment Regarding Item #18 FY 2024-25 Annual District Discretionary Grant Report and the Grants and Donations Report for the Quarter Ending June 30, 2025 Jim Mosher pointed out that the annual report on donations made by the council indicates that the donations are made by individual councilmembers instead of by the council, which he believes is against the City Charter. Also, the report on half of the donations does not explain the public benefit, but just says donation. Jim Mosher's comment: https://Voutu.be/G6ulcfrWeuM?t=2217 Regarding item #22 Resolution No. 2025-51: Community Development Block Grant — 2025-29 Consolidated Plan, 2025-26 Annual Action Plan, and Citizen Participation Plan Amendment Program History Since July 1, 1989, the City has received a total direct allocation of approximately $16.4 million in CDBG funds from HUD, with annual allocations ranging from a low of $319,676 in 2017 to a high of $1,333,178 in 2020 with the additional allocation of COVID-19 relief funds. The 2025-26 formula grant allocation is $402,015. Jim Mosher pointed out some inadequacies in the report. https://voutu.be/G6ulcfrWeuM?t=3895 Was there adequate opportunity for public input? Yes Was there the appearance that some action items were discussed in closed rather than open session? Yes Public comment about the Closed Session agenda. Jim Mosher questioned the lack of announcing what the city litigation is about and with whom on the first item in the agenda, and the second item should provide more context for which the litigation has occurred. Jim Mosher's comments: https://youtu.be/G6ulcfrWeuM?t=5847 After the closed session, no report was made on their discussion. Was background information available to the public? Yes LWV Action Item Were any issues on the agenda relevant to any LWVC positions or programs? No Do you recommend local League action on any of these items? No Do you have other concerns or comments? Yes The City Manager's agreement to hire Seimone Jurjis, without posting the City Manager's open position, was questioned again by Jim Mosher and Adams Leverenz, and Councilman Blom response to public comment was to support Mr. Jurjis because of his assistance during a very difficult period with all the mandates that the State has placed on cities and to the importance of maintaining continuity. https://youtu.be/G6ulcfrWeuM?t=5146 In the Consent Calendar If a resident challenges property fees, charges, and assessments, the legal argument must be quoted. This appears to require hiring a lawyer to appeal such fees. Re short-term rentals, 22 units are required to qualify. Adam Leverenz pointed out that "mom and pop" home rentals would therefore not qualify. He charged that the city appears to be catering to big business over the residents. The cap set for short-term rentals is 1550, which has been reached, so the city has 665 applicants on the waiting list. Was there discussion on homelessness or affordable housing? Yes In Consent Calendar, 20. Homeless Outreach Services Update was given. In January 2024, the homeless census for Newport Beach was 71, and by November 2024, there was an 84% drop to 11 individuals. Adam Leverenz pointed out in public comments that what was not mentioned is that the reduction was due to the camping ordinance, which pushed many of the homeless to adjacent communities. 25. Ordinance No. 2025-17: Third Amendment to Development Agreement No. DA2012003 for the Uptown Newport Planned Community located at 4321 Jamboree Road. This extension will result in a delay in building 102 units for the very low-income households. The applicant, on behalf of TowerJazz, proposes amending Section 4.5 (Light Industrial Land Uses) of the DA to extend the closure date for TowerJazz facility by 3.5 years, from March 12, 2027, to September 12, 2030 (Attachment No. B). Development Agreement (DA2012-003) 2013, in exchange for vesting rights, the DA included several public benefits, including the payment of public benefit fees, park land dedication and improvements, park maintenance, publicly accessible open space, and construction of 102 housing units affordable to very low-income households. The term of the DA is 15 years, with two five-year extensions.