Rehab Centers and Nimby's - another thought

There is no doubt that Connected has properly identified many of the citizens of Newport Beach as "Nimby's", though I would suggest that Greenlight is a far better proof of this than the issue of the Sober Living homes. By and large, the community of Newport Beach has been livid in its response to this problem, even when people live in areas not as affected as the peninsula. But where I think Connected loses me a bit, is in not distinguishing between those who say, "let them put those 110 homes in someone else's neighborhood" (a true NIMBY attitude, and offensive to the core), versus those that simply are not as loud as others ("I don't like it, I am opposed to it everywhere, but the Peninsula seems to be doing a fine job fighting it on their own"). That hardly seems like a NIMBY line of reasoning. Indeed, the doctrine of moral proximity (we are most morally culpable to deal with things most proximate to us) is a very logical thing to appeal to in this case. I have been very, very impressed with my own neighborhood of Newport Heights on this issue. Despite only having 1 of the egregious issues in our own backyard (at Clay and Orange), we have been very involved with the issue, largely present and vocal at council meetings, behind petition efforts, and partnered with our friends on the peninsula and to a lesser degree on Lido Isle. This issue has not gotten as bad as it has because "the non-Peninsula communities of Newport didn't care".

But the other issue I would love for Connected to address is this. Beyond the NIMBY concern he writes about, is it possible many non-Peninsula residents (CDM, Lido, Heights, Dover Shores, Newport Coast, etc.), DO care about this, DO NOT believe what has happened is right, BUT find the conspiratorial and cloak-and-dagger approach of some of the leading participants odd at best, and insidious at worst? That seems like a very good conversation to have.

Solutions are not hard to find when we work at them. NIMBY's should be called out. But we need to identify the accurately, and not paint with too broad of a brush when it can be avoided. My two cents ...

David L. Bahnsen
Newport Heights