Community Members:

As of mid-day Friday, August 18, Hurricane Hilary has intensified and is now a Category 4 hurricane heading toward the Southern California region with an expected landfall on Sunday, August 20. While the storm will likely weaken before it hits land, the City of Newport Beach is preparing for a significant storm event, with the high level of precaution we would typically take during the winter.

This week, the City’s Public Works and Utility department crews began implementing winter storm precautions, including rebuilding the Balboa Pier area sand berm, installing additional sand berms from B Street to the Wedge, checking and cleaning storm drain systems, and providing residents with free sandbags.

Fortunately, the ocean tides are expected to be relatively low on Sunday, which should allow for more efficient drainage in low-lying areas of the Peninsula and Balboa Island. City crews will be deployed to pump out any flooded areas as needed. However, some localized flooding should be expected if there are heavy rains.

Wheel loaders -- heavy equipment used to move large amounts of sand -- are staged at the Balboa Pier and Santa Ana River jetty area to build additional berms or raise existing ones. The City’s tree contractor team is on standby to address any fallen trees or significant broken limbs. In addition, the City’s inflatable dam, which helps reduce wave impact on the shore, is ready to be deployed in the ocean.

In addition to these precautionary efforts, our Police, Fire, Lifeguard and Harbor Department personnel will be on high alert and ready to address any events or issues that may arise from heavy rains or high wind conditions. We are prepared to activate the City’s Emergency Operation Center and utilize our emergency messaging systems as needed.  

An important word of caution to beachgoers: Know your limits. Consider this a severe weather event with unpredictable ocean conditions, including rip currents and heavy surf. Swimmers, surfers and bodyboarders are advised to check in with lifeguards and use extreme caution in the water. In the event of lightning or thunder, exit the water and beach immediately. Balboa Peninsula Trolley service will be cancelled on Sunday.  

Hilary’s impacts may very well degrade as the storm moves north, with reduced impacts by the time it reaches Newport Beach. However, the City is prepared and ready to manage a heavy storm if the hurricane hits our area at a significant strength.

For the most current storm tracking information for Hurricane Hilary, visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website.

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 the Be Well sobering station for treatment.
• Transported an unhoused person to a substance use treatment facility after resolving a mental health crisis.
• Transported a person to a mental health treatment facility.
• Transported a person to a safe location after resolving a mental health crisis.
• Collaborated with the Newport Beach Fire Department for a medical transport after resolving a mental health crisis.
• 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. 

On the Agenda: August 22 City Council Meeting

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

City Council members will meet as the Newport Beach Public Facilities Corporation at 4 p.m. This is a procedural annual meeting related to existing debt; no new debt is being issued. 

A Study Session will immediately follow the Public Facilities Corporation meeting. Agenda items include:

• A water and wastewater rate study. The Utilities Department is leading an effort to review the rates associated with the water and wastewater enterprise funds. The last evaluation of water and wastewater rates was conducted in 2019.

The regular City Council meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. Agenda items include:

• A special event permit request by Volleyball Newport Beach Inc. to host a charity
  volleyball tournament on a public beach. The item would permit the use of temporary volleyball courts and allow for alcoholic beverages. Volleyball Newport Beach is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote and support youth volleyball.
• A $1.6 million contract award to replace the grass soccer field and softball infield at Arroyo Park with synthetic turf and add an energy efficient LED lighting system. The artificial turf is expected to expand field use by about 30% by eliminating downtime due to wet conditions and grass maintenance, and save about $60,000 a year in water and maintenance. LED lighting will reduce annual lighting costs by 50-75%.
• Agreement for the temporary assignment of a fire engine from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to the City. Cal OES has purchased fire
  apparatus and equipment to respond to incidents as outlined in the California Fire
  Service and Rescue Emergency Mutual Aid Plan.
• A 5-year, $692,500 agreement with Newport Bay Conservancy for the Fostering Interest in Nature (FiiN) program. FiiN is an overnight environmental education program for low-income fifth-grade students in Orange County, held throughout the Upper Newport Bay. The Conservancy has been the primary operator of the FiiN program since it started in 2019. The program is funded by the City and in-lieu mitigation fees from construction of the Lido House Hotel. 
• A contract amendment with Mind OC for the Be Well OC Mobile Crisis Response Team Program. The amendment would extend the contract term to June 30, 2024, and increase the amount by $956,775. In working with Newport Beach's unhoused population, the City has found that many experience some form of mental illness or crisis, and additional expertise is needed to adequately respond to these types of calls for service. The proposed amendment would expand services to further assist the City with its homeless outreach program and helping individuals to exit the street.