HomeMy WebLinkAbout00 - League of Women Voters Reportl
LEAGUE of WOMEN VOTERS
vtw OF ORANGE COAST
Newport Beach City Council of
March 10, 2026
General Meeting Information
Did the meeting start on time? Yes
Were all members present? Yes
Did the members appear to have done their homework? Yes
Were members courteous to each other and the public? Yes
Brown Act
Was the agenda sent/posted 72 hours before this meeting? Yes
Did items clearly describe what was discussed? Yes
Was there adequate opportunity for public input? Yes
Was there the appearance that some action items were discussed in closed rather than open
session? No
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
Study Session: New Police Headquarters Reconstruction
The presentation described reasons for replacement, 4 possible locations, and the cost.
The presentation seemed to propose that of the four locations, the best location would
be in the lower third of the Civic Center Park. During the public comment, 36 people
spoke against the location being at the Civic Center Park. Of the 36 people, seven
people also spoke of the three -person ad hoc committee, Council members, Blom,
Barto, and Weber, making decisions without enough public input. Four people spoke in
support of the Civic Center Park location. Former Councilman Tony Petros reminded
the council of the process of establishing the Civic Center without a police station, and
the reason the park area could not be built on. https://youtu.be/nzalypbwOIU?t=4968.
Former Councilman Keith Curry spoke on the problems he sees in the
assessment. https://youtu.be/nzalvpbwOIU?t=6417 Arthur Yelsey suggested offering
the Range Rover dealer next to the Santa Barbara site to trade locations with the Dove
site near the airport. https://voutu.be/nzalvpbwOIU?t=6825.
Councilwoman Grant spoke in favor of keeping options open and looking for another
area in the center of Newport Beach, besides the Civic Center park, acknowledging the
public's comments. https://voutu.be/nzalvpbwOIU?t=8210
The other councilmembers kept reminding people that this was the beginning of the
process, and the Study Session was done to solicit public input. Yet after a long
discussion, the council voted 6 to 1 to continue further evaluation of a new police
facility in Civic Center Park, including selection and hiring of a consultant team to
undertake the design, development, preparation of final concept design, and EIR, and
solicit further input from the community and Arts Commission.
Consent Calendar item pulled for discussion:
5. Resolution No. 2026-18: Amending the Selection Process and Various
Responsibilities of the Finance Committee.
Former Council Member Keith Curry spoke against the changes proposed to the
Finance Committee and explained how the Finance Committee could assist with the
potential problems around the Police station location issue. He pointed out that
Councilman Blom's point is to sell the valuable Santa Barbara site to fund the new
police station. https://voutu.be/nzalvpbwOIU?t=12272
Councilwoman Grant and Public comments by Jim Mosher and Adam Leverenz
explained concerns about the resolution. https://voutu.be/nzalypbwOIU?t=13225
The Resolution was passed by a vote of 6 to 1, with Councilwoman Grant voting against
it.
Was there discussion on homelessness or affordable housing? No