The Political Landscape:
Rep. calls for $6M in federal dredging funds
She and other officials met with Newport Beach councilwoman and city manger about the project earlier this month.
Published March 24, 2010
The Daily Pilot
By Brianna Bailey and Mona Shadia
Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Garden Grove) has put in a request for $6 million in federal funding to clean up Newport Harbor, Councilwoman Leslie Daigle said Wednesday.
“We’ve all seen from the debates in Washington, that it’s a volatile year, and we appreciate the support,” Daigle said. “Newport Bay is a significant countywide resource that is an integral part of the network of harbors in California.”
Sanchez submitted the appropriations request to the congressional energy and water development committee. The project also would have to have a backer in the Senate to get funding.
Daigle hopes to have word next week if the project finds support in the Senate.
Daigle and Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff traveled to Washington, D.C., earlier this month to request funding for the project. There they met with Sanchez, along with Sens. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, as well as U.S. Reps. John Campbell (R-Newport Beach), Ed Royce (R-Orange) and Ken Calvert (R-Riverside).
The money would pay for the first year of what is expected to be a multiyear, $15-million cleanup project.
Congress isn’t expected to approve any appropriations until after the November election.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates that about 1.2 million cubic yards of sediment need to be dredged from Newport Harbor.
If Congress approves funding for the project, work would probably begin in early 2011, Daigle said.
A second phase would begin in early 2012, if more federal money is forthcoming.
FAIR CEO WANTS SECURITY SYSTEM AFTER VANDALISM AT HOME
Orange County Fair Chairwoman Kristina Dodge plans to ask the board today for $3,000 to install a security system at the home of Steve Beazley, the fairgrounds’ president and chief executive.
Beazley has experienced four incidents of vandalism and defamation since July, according to a staff report.
The first involved the distribution of fliers in his neighborhood that accused him of being a convicted perpetrator of criminal acts against children and women.
Other incidents included hitting his home with several eggs and leaking a “noxious liquid” that left an odor that permeated his and neighbors’ homes.
Costa Mesa Police Lt. Bryan Glass confirmed that his department responded to two incidents in August and January involving fliers.
The staff report also states that the incidents have negatively affected Beazley’s wife and two children. But, the staff report doesn’t appear to give a direct correlation between the vandalism and defamation incidents, and Beazley’s position as the fairgrounds’ president and chief executive.
Calls to Dodge on Wednesday were not returned. Board member David Padilla said he will wait for Dodge’s full presentation before taking a position.
The board will meet 10 a.m. today at the fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive in Costa Mesa.
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