Sounding Off: Some curious new math

There’s a new math in town, and the Newport Beach City Council is using it. So listen up, kids! Hint: 2 and 2 equal zero! A big bone of contention at last week’s council meeting was the planned access road to Sunset Ridge Park. Many speakers decried the road and its justifications, sensing a departure from the General Plan that sets open space as the voter-preferred use of Banning Ranch. Some citizens requested that, because of the obvious (to them) linkage, Sunset Ridge Park and Banning Ranch be included in the same environmental impact report. Several council members, however, repeatedly asserted there was zero connection between the park and the ranch.

When taken together, at least four facts stand out as evidence of the camel’s nose under the Banning Ranch development tent. The new math details out this way: two road-related facts plus two missing documents equals zero connection. See what you think? The road-related facts are: The oil-company owners of Banning Ranch (Newport Banning Ranch LLC) will give an easement to the city at no cost — hmmm, oil companies giving something away? — across about seven acres of their land so the city can build the road; and this road will not go directly to the park, but will head off in the direction of Banning Ranch interior for 0.16 miles before doubling back toward Coast Highway 0.1 mile to reach the park.

The park access road is planned to sit where a primary arterial highway would exist (that is, Bluff Road on the Master Plan of Arterial Highways) to give access to a future Banning Ranch development.

The two missing documents are: a “willing seller” letter the oil companies declined to write for the city to the Orange County Transportation Authority; and the formal agreement between the city and Newport Banning Ranch LLC that was not available to the public for detailed inspection in the usual way over the Internet or attached to the printed staff report.

Absent the letter, the city was bounced from the competition for Measure M funds that it had hoped to use to help buy Banning Ranch in order to keep it as open space. Public confidence in American institutions has been shaken by the likes of Enron, Bernie Madoff and the recent meltdown in the financial sector. Consequently, public officials should be especially careful nowadays about further undermining the people’s trust. I regret that my confidence in this council was shaken when things didn’t appear to add up about Banning Ranch and Sunset Ridge Park.

TOM EGAN lives in Costa Mesa.