By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
At its June 10 meeting, the Newport Beach City Council adopted a balanced Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget that reflects our City’s continued strong financial position and commitment to long-term fiscal responsibility.
The approved budget prioritizes public safety and maintains core services while investing in future needs. General Fund revenue projections remain strong, and through disciplined financial planning, the City is projecting a structural surplus of $12.2 million in the General Fund.
Key highlights of the adopted budget include:
- A balanced, $332 million General Fund budget. The City’s revenues (primarily from property, sales and hotel/short-term rental taxes) are projected to meet and exceed expenditures, continuing a trend of prudent fiscal management.
- Continued paydown of outstanding pension liability. Newport Beach has adopted an aggressive strategy to pay down its unfunded pension liability. The budget allocates $40 million toward this effort — $6.4 million more than the minimum required payment to CalPERS. This accelerated paydown strategy is expected to eliminate the City’s pension liability by FY 2032-33.
- Increased capital funding. An additional $5 million will be transferred from the General Fund to a facilities fund to support capital improvement projects that maintain and enhance City infrastructure.
- Preservation of AAA Credit Rating. The City’s budget approach helps ensure continued financial stability and favorable borrowing rates if needed.
The City Council’s approval follows a public review process, including a May 29 Finance Committee meeting where the proposed budget was recommended for approval.
The City budget reflects shared priorities: a commitment to strong public safety and fiscal discipline; investment in essential infrastructure; and financial strategies that benefit Newport Beach residents today and in the future.
New Safe Beach Day Website
As we welcome the summer season and prepare for the busy beach days ahead, I’m pleased to share an online resource recently introduced by our Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division. This new digital tool is designed to make beach visits safer and more enjoyable.
The Safe Beach Day website (https://safebeachday.com) now includes real-time data and safety updates for Newport Beach’s three beachfront divisions: West Newport, Balboa Peninsula, and Corona del Mar.
This tool is available to the public, and can provide current data and real-time updates on:
- Live beach conditions, including surf height, water temperature, and tide levels.
- Hazard alerts such as rip currents, jellyfish, and other safety advisories.
- Weather conditions, including wind speeds and UV index.
- Interactive maps for each beach area, helping visitors locate open towers and navigate the coastline.
Additionally, the site includes a statistical report of the City’s beach activity and highlights our Lifeguard Division’s background, accomplishments, and insights into the critical services provided to the community.
We encourage all beachgoers to take advantage of this resource as part of a well-informed and safety-conscious visit to our coastline.
Four Public Restrooms Reopened Following Refurbishment
The public restrooms at Irvine Terrace Park, 38th Street Park, Balboa Ferry, and Washington Street are now open to the public following temporary closures for refurbishment.
Construction upgrades included new roofing systems, plumbing fixtures, partitions, automatic locking doors and gates, floors, and accessibility improvements.
These improvements provide better safety and service to the public and extend the useful life of the facilities.
NBFD Hosts Australian Fire Prevention Officials
The Newport Beach Fire Department (NBFD) Fire Prevention Division hosted representatives from the Fire Protection Association Australia (FPAA) during a June 9 visit, marking a meaningful exchange of international fire safety expertise.
The visit served as a valuable opportunity to share best practices and foster cross-continental collaboration in addressing the growing challenges of wildfire threats and public safety.
The NBFD thanks the FPAA representatives for visiting and looks forward to continued dialogue and collaboration with international partners in fire safety.
Fire Chief Boyles Serves as Grand Marshal of Balboa Island Parade
The Newport Beach Fire Department (NBFD) was honored to participate in the 30th Annual Balboa Island Parade on Sunday, June 1. This year’s theme was “Celebrating Our First Responders.”
NBFD Fire Chief Jeff Boyles served as the grand marshal, riding in a vintage 1966 fire engine with family members. Boyles was joined by other fire engines, marine safety vehicles, and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers who proudly represented the department and celebrated the connection between our first responders and the community.
Mosquito Prevention Encouraged as Summer Season Kicks Off
The Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District (OCMVCD) is encouraging residents to help prevent the spread of mosquitos and reduce health risks as the mosquito season gets underway.
This week, June 15-21, is National Mosquito Awareness Week, which heralds the start of the summer mosquito season.
Orange County is home to the Culex erythrothorax variety, also known as tule mosquitoes, which bite at dusk and dawn and can spread West Nile virus, Western equine encephalitis, and St. Louis encephalitis. In addition, the invasive Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (a.k.a. “the ankle biters”) can spread dengue fever, yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika.
Residents should follow these steps to prevent mosquitoes:
- Eliminate all sources of standing water, including water in flowerpots, old tires, buckets, pet dishes, and trash cans.
- Install screens on doors and windows and keep them in good repair.
- Repair leaky faucets and broken sprinklers that can create standing water.
- Clean rain gutters.
- Report neglected swimming pools.
- Follow label instructions to apply insect repellent containing an EPA-registered active ingredient such as DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR3535.
- Wear long sleeves and pants, especially while outside during dawn and dusk, when the mosquitoes that can spread West Nile virus are most active.
Residents can request a free mosquito inspection by calling (714) 971-2421 or visiting www.ocvector.org.
