Mixed outcome for city’s goals

June Casagrande

Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch used to walk around the city

asking people, “How am I doing?” City Manager Homer Bludau takes it

one step further. Instead of asking how he and his staff are doing,

he’ll show you.

Tuesday night Bludau continued his now-annual tradition of

following up on a series of staff priorities set out at the beginning

of the fiscal year. Last year, he laid out a dozen goals for the city

to accomplish within the fiscal year, which ended June 30.

The self-issued report card was a mixed bag, with six clear

successes and six other items that are in varying stages of

completion.

The No. 1 priority laid out last year was to secure the extension

of the John Wayne Settlement Agreement, which limits expansion and

flight increases at the airport. That priority, Bludau proudly

proclaimed, is in the bag. The final ink was put on the deal in

January.

“It was a very successful process,” Bludau said, seconding

Councilman Tod Ridgeway’s praise for former council members Norma

Glover and Dennis O’Neil.

The No. 2 priority, completing public outreach for the General

Plan update process, was also declared a success.

But No. 3 didn’t go as planned. Staff’s third-highest priority set

forth last year was to get a draft of the city’s Local Coastal Plan

to the California Coastal Commission by the end of the fiscal year.

But staff now say this will take more than twice as long as they

originally expected.

“Our goal timeframe proved far too optimistic,” Bludau said.

Among staff’s clear successes were developing a plan to deal with

strict water-quality standards, coming up with a process to design

the new Mariners library, annexing Santa Ana Heights and Bay Knolls,

and stepping up disaster training for staff.

Projects lagging behind include creating a traffic signal

management system, a goal staff says should be fulfilled by January

2004; finding a site for a new fire station to serve Santa Ana

Heights and other parts of the city; renewing the city’s agreements

with its cable providers in a way that ensures better service, which

should be finished by April; and starting work on the Big Canyon

Reservoir cover, a job that is behind schedule but proceeding

nonetheless.

Mayor Steve Bromberg praised staff’s work, but Bludau emphasized

ways that staff might work harder.

“I wish I could say all 12 were accomplished,” Bludau said. “But

overall I’m pretty pleased.”

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].