By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
As we have seen in numerous regional and national incidents, effective communication between safety agencies and the public is critical during a crisis or emergency.
To improve these capabilities in Newport Beach, our Police Department has launched a new public notification system called Newport Notified. The new system will be used to alert subscribers about emergencies and other community safety issues such as traffic and crime advisories.
The system allows the Police Department to notify subscribers through their choice of text, email, and voicemail.
Newport Notified will be used for emergency notifications related to incidents such as power outages, fires, evacuations, tsunamis, and others hazards where public safety is at risk. It will also alert subscribers to major traffic accidents, neighborhood crimes and other community safety updates. Subscribers do not have to live or work in Newport Beach; visitors and those with family in the city are also invited to sign up.
This new system will replace Nixle, our current notification system. Current Nixle subscribers will need to subscribe to Newport Notified to continue to receive alerts. In about two months, the Police Department will no longer send alerts through Nixle.
I encourage you to sign up for Newport Notified at this link and help spread the word to your friends and neighbors: https://newportbeach.genasys.com/portal/en.
For more information on the new system and FAQs, please visit www.nbpd.org/notified.
Presidents’ Day Holiday Closures
Newport Beach City Hall and most City facilities will be closed in observance of Presidents’ Day on Monday, February 19.
There will be no street sweeping on Monday, February 19. For the remainder of the week, street sweeping will be on its regular schedule.
Trash and recycling collection will remain on its regular schedule, Monday through Friday. Please set your carts curbside on your regular collection day.
Police Dept. Celebrates Promotions, New Hires
The Newport Beach Police Department held a ceremony on February 12 to welcome new employees and celebrate the achievements and advancements of its current members. The event underscored the department’s ongoing commitment to excellence, community service and professional growth.
The recent promotions celebrated were Gary Clemente, to police lieutenant; Dennis Maisano, to police sergeant; Nick Ott, to senior animal control officer; and Matthew Kerman, to senior community services officer.
The newly sworn-in officers are Chad Robbins, Dominic Tedesco, Daniel Diaz and Zachary Duehring (lateral police officers); Miles Person, crime scene investigator; Shyler Chappell and Sara Stewart (dispatchers); Nathaniel Bonifay and Melissa Diego (community services officers).
Vote Today! Online Poll for Next Civic Center Sculptures Now Open
The City of Newport Beach Arts Commission invites residents to vote on the final selection of sculptures for Phase IX of the rotating exhibition in Civic Center Park.
A public poll facilitated by Arts Orange County will be available online through Monday, March 11. The top 10 selected sculptures, along with three to five alternates, will be recommended to the Newport Beach City Council for installation. Selected sculptures will be featured for two years.
The online poll can be accessed at https://www.sparkoc.com/nb_sculpture_poll/.
For more information, please call 949-717-3802 or email [email protected].
City Responds to Rainstorm Impacts
The City’s Public Works Department removed six fallen City trees, cleared about 50 tons of debris from the shoreline, and responded to a small mudslide that occurred during the recent rainstorms.
City crews quickly removed the six fallen trees and several windblown branches that landed in public rights-of-way. Fortunately, no property damage was reported.
The relatively small number of fallen trees — from a total of about 35,000 under City jurisdiction — can be credited to the City’s preventative maintenance program that includes regular trimming and inspections.
On the beaches, crews cleared large amounts of sand that blew onto the Oceanfront Boardwalk and street ends, from Adams to Orange, from the high winds.
The high tides that accompanied the storm system brought an abundance of debris and litter from the Santa Ana River jetty. City crews spent the week removing an estimated 50 tons (15 dump trucks) of debris from the shoreline. Volunteers from the Trellis Community Impact team assisted with the storm cleanup.
The City also responded to a small mudslide that occurred on an oversaturated hillside in the Spyglass community. City staff responded promptly to remove dirt and landscape debris that was partially blocking a roadway.
Register Now for the April 19 Youth Track Meet
Registration is now open for the 2024 Youth Track Meet of Champions on Friday, April 19 at Newport Harbor High School, 600 Irvine Ave.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to make memories with friends and a chance to compete for gold. Early bird registration ends on March 8. For more information and to register, please click here: https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/cnbreg/activity/search?onlineSiteId=0&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&activity_select_param=2&activity_category_ids=40&viewMode=list.
Balboa Island Bridge Nightly Closures to Continue through Feb. 29
The Balboa Island bridge nightly closures will continue through February 29 for construction activity.
The bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays, through February 29. To reduce impacts on the community and businesses, the bridge will remain open on Friday and Saturday nights.
As with previous closures, the Balboa Island Ferry will be operating throughout the bridge closures to facilitate access for residents and visitors.
Emergency vehicles have full access to the island as necessary.
The closures are related to utility undergrounding work being performed on the island (Underground Utilities Assessment District No. 124 Phase 0). Crews will be digging trenches and installing conduits across Marine Avenue.
For questions, please contact Michael Sinacori in the City’s Public Works Department at (949) 644-3342 or [email protected].
Non-Profits Encouraged to Apply for CDBG Grants by Feb. 23
The City is accepting applications from non-profit organizations seeking to provide eligible programs and services to the public, including fair housing services, under the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
The City receives funding each year from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is distributed to local non-profit programs that benefit local residents who have low- and moderate-incomes, defined as households earning less than 80 percent of the median income in Orange County.
Applications will be accepted until 2 p.m. on Friday, February 23. For more information and to apply, visit the City’s website at https://www.newportbeachca.gov/government/departments/community-development-/community-development-block-grant-cdbg/cdbg-notice-of-funding-availability.
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 with mental health specialists and works closely with the City’s police and fire departments.
This week, the Be Well team:
- Transported three people to homeless services providers.
- Collaborated with the Newport Beach Police Department to place a person in medical treatment.
- Completed a medical application with a client seeking healthcare.
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.
Homelessness Update:
This week, the City’s homeless outreach and response teams:
- Connected a person to his mental health case manager in another county.
- Enrolled three new clients and connected them to services and resources.
- Continued to shelter people. Twenty-five people who had been experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach are sheltered in the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.
Click here to view the latest homeless dashboard, which includes key monthly and yearly data on the City’s homeless response: https://www.newportbeachca.gov/trending/community-issues/homelessness/monthly-homeless-count.
Click here for information on the City’s Good Giving program: https://www.newportbeachca.gov/trending/community-issues/homelessness/how-you-can-help.
