Community Members: 

With the City's General Plan Housing Element now certified by the state of California (see article below), the City Council will turn its attention next week to the Circulation Element. A Council study session on the topic will be on Tuesday, October 11 at 4 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 100 Civic Center Dr. 

Newport Beach's General Plan Circulation Element, last updated in 2006, serves a blueprint for the long-term development of transit systems and establishes a citywide vision for transportation and mobility. It works in concert with the Land Use and Housing elements to help ensure alignment between future development projects and transportation systems. 

The draft Circulation Element update incorporates recent state mandates while reflecting a community vision on transportation issues such as electric vehicles and climate change, rideshare services, public transportation, bicycle plans and electric bikes, telecommuting, roadway safety, and parking management. The document does not set out to solve specific transportation challenges in the City (that will happen, where appropriate, through more targeted analysis and Council approval) but sets a framework for how these issues will be addressed in the future. 

You can read the draft Circulation Element here and watch a recent video discussion with City Traffic Engineer Tony Brine here. For questions or comments, please email GPUpdate@newportbeachca.gov or contact Tony Brine at 949-644-3329 or by email. Members of the public are invited to attend the Council study session on October 11 and provide comment, or watch the session live on NBTV. 

City Manager, Grace K. Leung

Residents Invited to Fire Service Day Oct. 9 

The Newport Beach Fire Department and Newport Beach Firefighters’ Association invite residents to the annual Fire Service Day on Sunday, October 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will be at the Santa Ana Heights Fire Station, 20401 SW Acacia St., Newport Beach. 

Fire Service Day will include station tours, a live rescue demonstration, auto extrication, live structure fire, along with fire, paramedic, and lifeguard apparatus displays. Visitors can also meet the department's new peer support dog, @torathefiredog. 

Renew Newport’s inaugural “Love Newport Beach Volunteer Day” is set to launch on Saturday, October 15 with the support of more than 25 businesses, nonprofit and faith-based organizations.

Volunteers will be matched with more than 30 projects throughout the City that offer a variety of ways for individuals and families to participate.

Participants can sign up to volunteer at http://www.renewnewport.com.

The event will begin at 8 a.m. at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive, where volunteers will gather for breakfast and a kick-off celebration. Walk-up volunteers will be welcomed on the day of the event, but early registration is encouraged to secure a top project choice.

The volunteer projects will take place from 9 a.m. to noon. For the remainder of the day, several Newport Beach restaurants are offering discounts for volunteers wearing the event T-shirts.

The volunteer day is part of a larger “Renew Newport” initiative being led by Newport Beach Mayor Kevin Muldoon and Trellis International to engage various sectors of the community in citywide beautification and improvement projects. The public-private partnership is aimed at improving collaboration and developing relationships to improve neighborhoods, schools, and beaches throughout the City on an ongoing basis. 

The state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has certified the City's Housing Element update.

City staff and its consultant team worked with the Housing Element Update Advisory Committee, Planning Commission, City Council, and the community for more than two years to prepare the update. The process included about 50 public meetings, workshops, study sessions and hearings, and seven draft iterations.

On October 5, the City received formal notification from HCD that the Housing Element update has been certified. HCD’s letter is available here for review.

Following certification, the City will now begin to implement the Housing Element’s policy program. If you have any questions or to learn more, please contact City staff at GPUpdate@newportbeachca.gov.

The City greatly appreciates the community’s participation and input throughout the challenging update process.

NBPD Grant to Help Deter Unsafe Driver Behavior, Increase Road Safety 

The Newport Beach Police Department has been awarded a $350,000 grant that will be used to increase patrols throughout the community and provide traffic safety programs to help reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on roadways.  

The grant will provide additional programs and resources, including:  

• DUI checkpoints and patrols focused on stopping suspected impaired drivers.
• High visibility distracted driving enforcement operations targeting drivers in violation of California’s hands-free cell phone law.
• Enforcement operations focused on the most dangerous driver behaviors that put the safety of people biking or walking at risk.
• Enforcement operations focused on top violations that cause crashes: speeding, failure to yield, stop sign and/or red-light running, and improper turning or lane changes.
• Community presentations on traffic safety issues such as distracted driving, impaired driving, speeding, bicycle and pedestrian safety.
• Collaborative enforcement efforts with neighboring agencies.
• Officer training and/or recertification: Standard Field Sobriety Test (SFST), Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement (ARIDE) and Drug Recognition Expert (DRE).

The grant program will run through September 2023. The grant was awarded by the California Office of Traffic Safety with funding through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 

The Be Well mobile crisis response team operates in Newport Beach 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to mental and behavioral health crises. The mobile unit is staffed with mental health specialists and EMTs, and works closely with the City’s police and fire departments.

This week the Be Well team:

• Transported two people to a crisis stabilization unit for treatment.
• Transported four people to services, shelter intakes, and appointments.
• Engaged with employees during the City’s Health Fair.
• Presented an overview of services to the Recreation and Senior Services department.
• Participated in a mental health workshop for students hosted by Newport Harbor High School and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.

On the Agenda: City Council Meeting for Oct. 11

Our next City Council meeting is Tuesday, October 11. 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:

• A review of the General Plan Circulation Element update, including proposed new goals and policies to comply with state mandates and reflect the community’s vision on trending transportation matters.

The regular session begins at 5 p.m.  Agenda items include:

• A resolution that would amend and retitle City Council Policy B-9 to address City dedication plaques. The City of Newport Beach has a long-held custom of placing a plaque in City-owned buildings and facilities at the time of their dedication or rededication. The proposed amendments to the Council policy would provide more consistency by outlining guidelines for the content and layout of future plaques.