HomeMy WebLinkAbout05 - Southern California Coastal Caucus in the US CongressITEM 5
TO: Members of the Newport Beach City Council
FROM: Dave Kiff, Assistant City Manager
SUBJECT: Resolution 2001 -_ Relating to the City's Support for the Southern
California Coastal Caucus in the US Congress
RECOMMENDED Adopt Resolution 2001 -_ urging Members of Congress who represent coastal
ACTION: regions in Southern California to form the Southern California Coastal Caucus
within the US Congress to enable our region to gain more federal resources for
shoreline protection and water quality projects.
BACKGROUND: As the Council is aware, the City of Newport Beach routinely seeks State and
Federal funds to assist the following environmental efforts:
• Sand replenishment along Newport's ocean beaches between the Santa Ana
River and the Jetty (the "Surfside- Sunset" project);
• Cost - shared feasibility studies and projects with the US Army Corps of
Engineers (the Upper Newport Bay Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study
and the Newport Bay /San Diego Creek Feasibility Study)
• Dredging of the Federal Navigational Channel in the lower bay; and
• Water Quality studies along the shoreline.
These efforts often require substantial federal assistance, since they run well into
the millions of dollars. Typically, each cost - shared study is split 65% (feds) and
35% (state -local partners). The UNB Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study, for
example, has proposed a $31 million dredging and restoration project for 2003
that will require about $12 million in local contributions. While we have the local
match today, it is imperative that the federal contribution be there as well.
As the City has become more active in the California Coastal Coalition and the
Orange County Coastal Coalition, we and our coalition partners have discovered
that our California project funding efforts are outmatched and outmaneuvered
by our East Coast counterparts, especially in New Jersey and Florida. For
example, during the period of 1995 through 1999, New Jersey alone received
more than $110 million for beach restoration projects, while California received
only $10 million for the same period.
The Coalition partners have argued that a good way to make the funding battles
more competitive would be for members of Congress from Southern California's
coastal regions to form a formal caucus to advocate for more funding for our
region. This proposed Southern California Coastal Caucus has received strong
Newport Beach City Council
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interest from our local officeholders (US Representatives Chris Cox and Dana
Rohrabacher).
In order to more formally state the City's support for the formation of the
Caucus, the Coastal Coalition partners have asked member cities to adopt
resolutions of support for the Caucus.
THIS AGENDA This Agenda Item asks the City Council to approve a resolution in support of the
ITEM: Orange County Coastal Coalitions and the California Coastal Coalitions efforts
to coalesce the Southern California coastal congressional delegation into a more
cohesive beach- and water quality- advocacy group.
ATTACHMENT: Resolution 2001 -_ Relating to the Southern California Coastal Caucus
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Resolution 2001-
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH
RELATING TO THE
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COASTAL CAUCUS
WHEREAS, the Southern California coastline is an economic, recreational and
biological treasure in need of effective federal support and funding; and
WHEREAS, our famed beaches contribute nearly $17 billion to the region's
tourism industry and are a major source of recreation for local residents; and
WHEREAS, these same beaches remain threatened by beach erosion and poor
water quality; and
WHEREAS, Congressional representatives from other states, most notably
Florida and New Jersey, have formed coastal caucuses within their delegations and
have therefore enjoyed tremendous success in directing federal funding to meet their
states' coastal needs; and
WHEREAS, these coastal caucuses have enabled New Jersey alone to receive
$111 million in federal funds for shoreline protection from 1995 to 1999 while California
received only $10 million for such purposes; and
WHEREAS, the formation of a Southern California Coastal Caucus within
Congress has been urged by the California Coastal Coalition, the Orange County
Coastal Coalition, and the Southern California Wetlands Recovery Project; now,
therefore be it
RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Newport Beach that it hereby
supports and advocates for the formation of a Southern California Coastal Caucus
within California's congressional delegation; and be it further
RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Newport Beach that it hereby
directs that this Resolution be forwarded to the offices of Representatives Christopher
Cox and Dana Rohrabacher and US Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer.
ADOPTED this 8th day of May, 2001.
GAROLD B. ADAMS
Mayor of Newport Beach