Save Newport Real News in Newport Beach
At the last council meeting two weeks ago, this item was continued due to time constraints. This week, it’s back on the agenda– but only for one day.
Today is the first and FINAL chance you will get to talk about the flashing crosswalk issue. What is normally a two-week process has been compressed into just one day.
The city council is set to hear about the issue today at the study session at 4pm, and then it will be rubberstamped without any further discussion at the 7pm meeting on the consent calendar.
IF YOU WANT BLINKING/FLASHING CROSSWALKS, THE TIME TO TALK IS TODAY AT 4PM OR 7pm AT 100 Civic Center Dr, 92660
If you think that “bulb outs” or other suggested items are progress but that they aren’t good enough, then please, consider this: When you speak at council, if you thank them for “progress” but not for getting things where they need to be– they will stop there. They will proclaim that they were thanked by the community for their work, and end their studies. If they do a half-job, we should not be congratulating them for doing a half-job, we should be demanding that they do a full job. Would you thank an employee for doing a half-job?
With the cost of blinking crosswalks being somewhere between $5k and $20k (depending on volume), this expense completely disappears when considering:
– Paying more than 3x the appraised value for the Blockbuster building, paying $10.5m to lose two parking spots,
– Selling Balboa Theater for $1.1m when they had standing offers for $1.6 and $1.7m
– Buying the old McDonalds for over $4m when it sold last year for less than $2m
– Installing a $270k road sign on Balboa Peninsula which nobody wanted
Please, come and speak at the city council meeting. I am sadly on an un-rescheduleable work project so I will not be able to attend, but I have already made my position resoundingly clear with the entire group of councilmembers.
