Our back to basics approach has led to increases in our already amazing quality of life here in Newport Beach. We have replaced the nearly 60-year-old Corona del Mar Fire Station and significantly upgraded the adjoining branch library. And we have approved the plans for fully replacing the Lido Fire Station that was built in 1953.
We have upgraded our parks all over the City. The largest project will take place at Grant Howald Park with full turf replacement, a new and improved playground, and significant streetscape improvements. But chances are that if you take young children to parks from Coastal Peak down to Channel Island, and everything in between, you have seen park beautification.
Newport Beach has its own water and sewer agency, which requires us to deliver clean water and take away waste from over 497 miles of pipes. The budgets for these services come from an “enterprise fund,” which means that we cannot take in more money than we expect to spend, and all the money has to go toward the water/sewer functions. When I joined the City Council, both of these funds were headed toward deficits because rates had been left alone. We have stabilized our water and sewer funds to ensure that we can take care of seriously aging infrastructure (like the 80-year-old pipes on Balboa Island and Lido Island and badly-needed replacements in Newport Heights).
And we remain committed to our senior citizens throughout our community. When I knocked on thousands of doors in 2016, I noticed that a number of our seniors enjoyed aging in place. But many were on fixed incomes that made basic upkeep difficult. When I joined the City Council, we expanded our Senior Housing Assistance Repair Program to make sure our seniors are living safely.
