On Tuesday, the Newport Beach City Council...

On Tuesday, the Newport Beach City Council will consider a proposal

that could alter dramatically what services City Hall provides and

what areas the city governs.

The plan, if approved, would create a “Sphere Issues Committee” to

discuss with the County Board of Supervisors whether there are county

services or areas in and around Newport Beach where the city should

play a larger, more sustained role.

The four main areas the committee would look at are:

1. Santa Ana Heights. The city already annexed East Santa Ana

Heights earlier this year and is looking into bringing the rest of

the area inside city limits. Discussions between the committee and

county officials would focus on how best to proceed with the

annexation as well as other management issues related to the area.

2. Coyote Canyon Landfill. The closed landfill became part of

Newport Beach at the beginning of 2002 when the city incorporated

Newport Coast. Issues that could be discussed include ensuring the

landfill does not cause any health problems in nearby residents or

safety problems in the environment, particularly the Upper Newport

Bay.

3. County tidelands. Discussion here would cover obvious areas

such as the tidelands in the Back Bay and around Harbor Island but

also programs in county tidelands such as the Sea Scout Base and the

Newport Aquatic Center. It would also focus on how the county and

city provide fire and police service in the harbor.

4. John Wayne Airport. It could be the big one. Any discussions of

the airport’s future come in a climate almost assuredly lacking El

Toro as a secondary option. City leaders admit that taking over

administration of the airport is a long-term possibility, although

the clearest goal is to have more control over the next round of

settlement agreement talks, set for 2015.