Community Members:

It's easy to take beach sand for granted - until it starts to disappear. But that's exactly what happened decades ago after flood control projects in the Los Angeles, San Gabriel and Santa Ana rivers began to reduce the amount of sand and sediment naturally deposited on beaches to the south.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for the river channelization projects, has been the lead agency in charge of sand replenishment in Orange County. Every 5-7 years the Army Corps deposited sand on northern O.C. beaches, which would migrate south through current and wave action to replenish the beaches in Huntington and Newport. This approached worked well, until other federal projects took priority. The last major sand replenishment project was in 2010, and Newport Beach, along with our coastal neighbors, have been actively lobbying for the return of funding ever since.

So it was welcome news this week when the federal budget signed by President Biden included the final $15.5 million needed to fully fund the $23 million Surfside-Sunset Ocean Beach Sand Replenishment Project. Later this year, the Army Corps will place 1.75 million cubic yards of sand in the Surfside-Sunset Beach area, which will replenish Huntington and Newport beaches through natural tidal action. 

You can read more about the replenishment project in recent articles from the Orange County Register, ABC7 and Spectrum News. This is an important project for our community, the environment and all those who enjoy Newport Beach's waterways and coastline. We greatly appreciate the efforts of all those at the local, state and federal level, including Congresswoman Michelle Steel, who helped advocate for these critical funds. 

City Manager, Grace K. Leung

Camp Newport registration is in full swing and our theme this year is “BE in Newport Beach for Summer Camps.” Kids can be everything from an adventurer exploring life under the sea, to an athlete or surfer in the making, and so much more. Whatever your child wants to be, we have an outlet for them!

Families can visit the Camp Newport booths at the Spirit Run on Sunday, March 27 from 6:30 to 11 a.m. for free giveaways, interactive activities with instructors, and info about upcoming recreation summer camps. Sign up by May 5 at campnewport.com. and receive a 10% or more discount on most recreation summer camps, which are filling up quickly. Learn more about the expo and race day by visiting www.newportspiritrun.org.  

Newport Beach residents are invited to bring documents and household electronic waste for free shredding and disposal on Saturday, April 9 from 8 a.m. to noon.

The event will be at the Newport Beach Corporation Yard, 592 Superior Ave. The entrance will be on Industrial Way via right turn.

Residency will be verified; please bring identification. Residents can bring up to 10 standard file boxes for shredding and e-waste such as computer monitors and cell phones for disposal. Residents can also receive up to two 30-lb. bags of compost while supplies last. Kitchen pails for organics recycling will also be available for pickup. 

For more information visit newportbeachca.gov/shred.

The distribution of new, green-lid carts for recycling organic materials (yard waste, food waste and other biodegradable items) is underway through mid-April. Pickup of organic recycling will begin the week after the organics carts are delivered, on the same day as trash and standard recycling are collected.

For information on the state-mandated organics recycling program, please utilize the following resources: 

• Click here for a short video on how to separate and recycle organic waste.
• Visit newportbeachca.gov/recycle to find out when the organic recycling carts will arrive in your neighborhood (use the search function at the top of the page).
• Read through our Frequently Asked Questions document for answers to common questions and concerns.

The City of Newport Beach provides a comprehensive response to address homelessness through a coordinated effort by City staff, contractors, partner agencies and nonprofit groups.

This week the City's homeless outreach and response teams: 

• Helped build and arrange new furniture for a recently housed elderly woman who experienced homelessness in Newport Beach for 14 years. A representative from People Assisting the Homeless (PATH) is meeting with the woman every week to ensure she remains stable and supported.  
• Helped a formerly homeless woman lease an apartment in the Towers on 19^th in Costa Mesa.
• Secured a Huntington Beach apartment for a man who has experienced homelessness by the Balboa Pier for 20 years. He is sheltering in a motel until he moves into the new apartment. Staff met with the man to review his housing plan
• Continued to refer unsheltered people to the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter for temporary housing and services. As of this week 16 people who had been experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach are now sheltered in the facility
• Enrolled two people into services and completed housing assessments

To donate to those experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach, please visit our Good Giving Program web page. 

Our next City Council meeting is Tuesday, March 22. Items of interest are highlighted below. The entire agenda and reports can be viewed here.

A study session will begin at 4 p.m. Agenda items include:

•   Financial evaluation and discussion regarding a future inclusionary housing program. Staff and City consultants will discuss the findings of a recent evaluation of the potential financial impacts of inclusionary housing on development projects and receive Council direction. 

The regular session begins at 5:30 p.m. with the following items of note:

• The Council will consider accepting a $120,000 donation from the trust of Dorothy Arens Ressel, a resident who bequeathed the funds to be split among the City's fire, police and library departments. Under City policy, donations of more than $30,000 must be approved by the Council. 
• A public hearing on land use entitlements for the Residences at 1300 Bristol project. The development proposal calls for construction of a 193-unit apartment building atop a 346-space parking structure as part of the Newport Place planned community at Bristol Street North and Spruce Street near the John Wayne Airport. 
  The proposed project would require demolition of the existing 33,292-square-foot office building and surface parking within the nearly 2-acre site.