Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
Looking for a way to contribute to the community?
The City of Newport Beach is inviting residents to apply to the General Planning Advisory Committee (GPAC) to participate in a comprehensive update of the city’s general planning.
All California cities should develop a general plan that serves as a blueprint for the future, outlining policy goals and objectives to guide and shape development. The Newport Beach master plan was last comprehensively updated in 2006.
Members of the Advisory Board are the General Planning Steering Committee, a small group that ensures input from the community, reviews and guides changes to General Plan goals and policies, oversees the GPAC, and reports directly to the City Council. Responsible for making recommendations to the Board. .
We seek residents representing a variety of geographies, age groups, business interests, environmental groups and other interests. The category of delegates (approved by a legislative resolution this week) includes members of the city’s board, committees, or commissions. The board is located in Newport Beach, but is not directly connected to the City. environmental interest groups; business interest groups; and up to 14 general members.
The General Planning and Administration Committee will review the application and make recommendations to the City Council for consideration.
GPAC will meet on weekday evenings or weekdays, Monday through Thursday, at times set by the Committee, as appropriate. The meeting will be held at the Civic Center, 100 Civic Center Drive. Applicants must be Newport Beach residents and cannot hold a paid position or employment in the Newport Beach government.
For more information and to apply, visit www.newportbeachca.gov/vacancy or call the City Clerk’s Office at (949) 644-3005.
The application deadline is noon on Wednesday, September 28th.
City launches new online tool to track water use and aid drought compliance
The city has launched AquaTrax, a new online tool to help residents and business owners easily track their water usage and water allocation budgets. Customers can use this new tool to track water usage daily and by billing period and receive alerts when leaks are detected or when water usage increases. The dashboard also shows comparisons to water usage of similarly sized households.
Customers with digital meters can monitor their daily water usage and usage per billing period. Customers with traditional analog meters can view their bi-monthly water usage until the city fully upgrades their meters. Newport Beach’s transition to digital meters is on track and all customers will have digital meters by June 2023.
With the introduction of the AquaTrax tool, monitoring water usage has become easier and more convenient. As an added benefit, this data will help residents, businesses, and the city comply with state-mandated water reductions that are currently being implemented throughout California.
Newport Beach water customers can access AquaTrax using the same username and password used to pay their water bill. Water customers who have not set up online bill payment can check their water usage by visiting www.nbca.gov/wateruse.
Annual Amateur Surf Championship to be Held September 24th & 25th
The 33rd Annual City of Newport Beach Surf Championship will take place September 24th and 25th at 54th Street Beach, with Salty Crew Apparel returning as sponsors this year.
The event is an amateur competition with divisions for surfers of all ages. Divisions include Elementary, Middle School, High School, Open Boys (19+), Masters (30+), Legends (40+), Hall of Fame (50+), and Open Girls (all ages).
For more information and registration, please visit https://newportbeachca.gov/government/departments/recreation-senior-services/surf-championships.
Special event permits now available through the Virtual Connect Online portal
Special event permit applications can now be submitted through the city’s new Virtual Connect Online Permitting (CiViC) portal (https://www.newportbeachca.gov/civic).
Permits are required for all public and semi-public events, including outdoor concerts and entertainment, walks/races, street fairs, farmers markets, etc., as stated in the Newport Beach City Law. We have approved approximately 250 special event permits.
The City Recreation and Senior Services Department coordinates the review of applications and issues permits and permit conditions in coordination with various city departments. For more information on the Special Event Permit, call (949) 644-3151 or visit https://www.newportbeachca.gov/government/departments/recreation-senior-services/special-event-permit-application.
Eagles Tribute Band to Play at OASIS Sept. 23
The OASIS Senior Center will bring “feelings of peace and care” with an outdoor concert on Friday, September 23 at 5:00 pm. Eagles tribute band Desperado will perform. Bring a picnic lunch and low beach chairs. Tickets are $10 each. To purchase tickets, call (949) 644-3244 or visit the OASIS Administrative Office.
Be Well Mobile Crisis Response Update
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 by mental health professionals and paramedics and works closely with the city’s police and fire departments.
This week’s Be Well team:
- A man reunited with his family after escaping a domestic violence incident.
- One was transferred to the Crisis Stabilization Unit for treatment.
- One person transferred to Yale Navigation Center for evacuation.
- Transported 7 people to services, shelter intakes, and appointments.
homeless updates
The City of Newport Beach provides a comprehensive response to address homelessness through a concerted effort by city staff, contractors, partner agencies, and nonprofits.
This week, the city’s homeless outreach and response team will:
- continue to evacuate people. Twenty of his former homeless people in Newport Beach are now sheltering at the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.
- I met with Adult Protective Services staff, placed them in an assisted living facility, and filled out the required forms with the client.
- 1 person has registered for the service.
To donate to those experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach, visit the Good Giving Program web page (https://www.newportbeachca.gov/trending/community-issues/homelessness/how-you-can-help) Please visit
Click here to view the latest homeless dashboard. It contains key monthly and yearly data on the city’s homelessness response: https://www.newportbeachca.gov/trending/community-issues/homelessness/monthly-homeless-count.
