Mathis Winkler
NEWPORT BEACH -- During her 25 years in city government, Asst. City
Manager Sharon Wood hasn't seen a letter quite like the one the city
received from California's attorney general a few weeks ago.
In the three-page document -- clearly a form letter since it refers to
the city as "your jurisdiction" and never as "Newport Beach" -- Atty.
General Bill Lockyer, or his chief assistant, Richard M. Frank, expressed
concern over the city's sluggishness in updating its general plan.
"We urge you to prepare and adopt [an update] ... as soon as
practicable," the letter reads. "We also request that you provide us an
update of your progress toward completing, and/or your plans to prepare,
a comprehensive general plan update, including a schedule for this
activity."
What follows are lots of numbers for government code sections and
legal precedents through which cities and counties have been taken to
court for falling behind in their general plan updates. (o7 Families
Unafraid to Uphold Rural El Dorado County et al. v. Board of Supervisors
of El Dorado County, et al. f7 clearly being the one with the most
imaginative title.)
"What the Atty. General is saying is that if you haven't done [an
update in a long time,] there could be internal inconsistencies and we
could be in an uncomfortable position," said Wood, adding that the
general plan's housing element was the only one that required by law an
update every five years.
"It's just a gentle reminder to move forward with an amendment on all
elements," said Councilman Tod Ridgeway. "Some we have updated, but the
land use and circulation elements we have not updated."
It comes, in some ways, belatedly. Together with council colleagues
Norma Glover and Gary Adams, Ridgeway was ready to participate in a
general plan update committee, scheduled to meet for the first time Oct.
9. Other committee members include planning commissioners and
representatives from the environmental quality advisory, economic
development, aviation and harbor committees.
"Our first charge is to map out the process and agree on an approach
to the update," said Adams, who will chair the committee. After coming up
with a plan to update the plan, the group would get involved in a
"community visioning process."
"How we would do that is really up to the committee," he said.
Glover, who said that she pushed for a "long overdue" update ever
since City Manager Homer Bludau began work in May 1999, already had some
ideas to involve residents in the work.
