Mailbag: Newport City Council action on utility project disappoints

The Newport Beach City Council went a long way toward sowing the seeds of distrust for local government on May 24, when it voted into action the second step of the utilities’ undergrounding process. This took place despite the fact that the petition process failed to gain little more than 50% of the signatures needed.

The goal previously established by the city, and reiterated when the undergrounding process started, was that 60% of the property owners in a specific neighborhood — in this case, District 114 — was needed to initiate Step 2. This step consists of a costly study paid for by all Newport Beach taxpayers to determine the costs of undergrounding utilities for the specific area.

Despite the large crowd of residents who showed up to speak against undergrounding, the council dismissed their concerns and voted swiftly to break their own guidelines, accepting a 50% threshold rather than 60%. This was as if the large group of residents who showed up two meetings in a row to plead with the council had not even spoken.

From the onset of the undergrounding petition process in Newport Heights, lack of transparency, miscommunication and dissension were evident. Many residents reported signing papers they did not understand and later had to jump through hoops to get their signatures rescinded. In AD 114, this dragged on for over a year.

What was perhaps the coup de grace for demonstrating the indifference of the council toward the opponents of undergrounding, whose speakers greatly outnumbered those of the proponents at both meetings, was the fact that Mayor Diane Dixon announced at the very last minute that speakers would be limited to two minutes rather than the usual three.

Many of the speakers were understandably rattled. Several speakers expressed their dissatisfaction, and even outrage, over this surprise change. So much for government that is fiscally responsible and the power of the people to make their government work for them.

Lynn Lorenz and Portia Weiss
Newport Beach

..

John Wayne deserves city honor

In 1979 I was the valet car parker at Matteo’s restaurant in Corona del Mar. John Wayne and his friends were regular customers. They would have dinner, and when the restaurant cleared they would begin their card game. The Duke had his bottle of Conmemorativo tequila close at hand while telling great jokes and stories.

Wayne had a custom Pontiac Safari station wagon with a holder for his cowboy hat. Upon departure his car was ready with me waiting with his hat on my head. He would always patiently wait for me to do my impersonation of him.

I finished, as always, and he gave me a very generous tip and said, “Rudy, next time I see you I will bring you your own cowboy hat.”

Wow, John Wayne giving me the valet one of his own hats! So, I waited and waited. One of his friends finally gave me the bad cancer news. I never saw him again. A sign of a true great man is when he treats the lowest guy on the totem pole with respect. Love that guy!

Rudy Svrcek
Newport Beach