Community Members:

Public safety is the highest priority for our community and City government. We devote considerable resources to maintaining the highest levels of service in our police and fire departments. That said, the City is always looking for ways to improve public safety, whether it's through new technology, training, or updating our practices, policies and procedures.

In October 2022 the City Council established an Ad Hoc Residential Crime and Burglary Advisory Committee to study ways to further reduce residential crime and burglaries in Newport Beach. On Tuesday, July 11, the City Council will review and discuss the committee's recommendations.  

The committee was tasked with reviewing and making recommendations to the Council in the following areas: public education; the addition, modification or elimination of programs, policies and procedures related to residential crimes; non-profit and community programs that may provide assistance; and other matters as directed by the Council.  

I'd like to thank all the members of the public who participated in this important effort, and in particular the committee members themselves: Chair William Hartford, Vice Chair Lee Pearl and Member Amy Waunch. The committee spent many months and many hours reviewing our programs, policies and procedures, public outreach, funding, and more, as the recommendations were being developed. Following direction from the City Council at Tuesday's meeting, staff will analyze funding and resource requirements for the recommendations the Council would like to pursue.

Public safety is a community effort, and we greatly appreciate the community's ongoing involvement in helping make Newport Beach as safe as possible. 

City Manager, Grace K. Leung

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 works closely with the City’s police and fire departments.

This week, the Be Well team:

• Transported a person to a crisis stabilization facility for treatment.
• Transported a person home to their family after rendering First Aid and resolving a mental crisis.
• Transported two people to Share Our Selves for food and services.
• Educated tourists and residents on the Be Well OC services and campus.

TO REACH BE WELL: The mobile crisis team is dispatched through the Newport Beach Police Department. To request service, dial 911 or call the Police Department's non-emergency line at 949-644-3717. 

The next City Council meeting is Tuesday, July 11.  Items of interest are highlighted below.  The entire agenda and reports can be viewed here.

There is no Study Session or Closed Session. The regular meeting will begin at 4 p.m. Agenda items include:

• A $3.9 million contract award to Brea-based Jilk Heavy Construction, Inc., for construction of the Newport Bay Trash Interceptor. The Trash Interceptor is a floating trash and debris collection system that will be located in the San Diego Creek between the Jamboree Road Bridge and MacArthur Boulevard Bridge, upstream from the Upper Newport Bay nature preserve. The system is expected to reduce the amount of waste reaching the Upper Newport Bay by 80 percent (from an estimated 100 to 300 tons a year) and supplement other efforts already in place – such as trash booms, storm drain collection systems and floating skimmers – to prevent trash from entering sensitive aquatic environments such as the bay, harbor and ocean.
• Ad Hoc Residential Crime and Burglary Advisory Committee recommendations. The Council will discuss the committee's recommendations and provide direction to City staff.
• Consideration of a $3 million contribution to a permanent supportive housing project for formerly homeless individuals. Newport Beach has been invited to participate in a $45 million project proposed by the nonprofit group American Family Housing to convert the 120-room Travelodge North Motel property at 1400 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, into a 78-unit permanent supportive housing project.