By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager
The next meeting of the Newport Beach City Council will be on Tuesday, June 10 at 4 p.m. The full agenda is available here: https://www.newportbeachca.gov/government/data-hub/agendas-minutes.
Agenda items include:
- An ordinance that would prohibit spectators from being present at street races and reckless driving exhibitions conducted on a public street, road or highway or in an off-street parking facility in Newport Beach. The ordinance would help address illegal street racing, or “sideshows,” where streets, intersections or parking lots are used for high-speed burnouts, racing and motorcycle stunts. These activities have led to a surge in complaints to the Newport Beach Police Department.
- Award of annual community programs grants. The grants are awarded to local organizations that serve or provide programming for Newport Beach residents; Newport Beach-based community and charitable events; and larger, “signature” special events. City staff evaluates applications and makes recommendations to the Council. Staff is recommending $41,000 in grants for community programs, $55,000 for community and charitable events, and $245,000 for signature events.
- Amendments to the City’s Housing Opportunity Overlay Zoning and Coastal Zoning districts to support the implementation of the state-mandated Housing Element. These changes would allow increased building heights in designated areas, such as Newport Center and the Airport Area, to accommodate residential development at densities ranging from 20 to 50 units per acre. The Council will also consider adoption of a resolution overriding a March 20 determination by the Orange County Airport Land Use Commission that the proposed amendment is inconsistent with the 2008 John Wayne Airport Environs Land Use Plan.
- Adoption of the City’s Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget. City staff is proposing a balanced budget of $532.7 million for the upcoming fiscal year, which includes $463.9 million for operating costs and $68.9 million for capital improvement projects such as infrastructure upgrades and public facility maintenance. The budget prioritizes public safety, municipal services, maintenance, and long-term fiscal stability. The budget includes a structural surplus of $12.2 million. The City’s Finance Committee has reviewed and recommended approval of the budget, which will be considered by the Council following a public hearing.
City Council Meeting Information
The Newport Beach City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of most months (the exceptions are August and December). Typically, there is a Study Session that starts at 4 p.m. Study sessions are times for the Council to take a deeper look at a specific issue, or hear a presentation, that might eventually lead to a specific and more formal action. A closed session often follows the Study Session. Closed sessions are typically to address legal, personnel, and other matters where additional confidentiality is important.
The Regular (evening) Session typically starts at 6 p.m. and often has a specific listing of different items ready for formal votes. Items on the “Consent Calendar” are heard all at once, unless a Council member has removed (aka “pulled”) an item from the Consent Calendar for specific discussion and separate vote. If an item on the agenda is recommended to be “continued,” it means that the item won’t be heard nor voted on that evening but will be pushed forward to another noticed meeting.
Public Comment is welcomed at both the Study Session and the Regular Session. The public can comment on any item on the agenda. If you want to comment on a Consent Calendar item that was not pulled from the Consent Calendar by a Council Member, you will want to do so at the time listed on the agenda – right before the Council votes on the entire Consent Calendar (it’s Roman Numeral XIII on the posted agenda). If an item is pulled, the Mayor will offer that members of the public can comment as that specific item is heard separately.
Additionally, there is a specific section of Public Comment for items not on the agenda, but on a subject of some relationship to the city government. If you cannot attend a meeting and/or want to communicate with the City Council directly, this e-mail gets to all of them: citycouncil@newportbeachca.gov. The City Manager also gets a copy of the email, because in almost all cases it’s something that the City Manager follows-up on.
The Council meets in the Council Chambers at 100 Civic Center Drive, off of Avocado between San Miguel and East Coast Highway. There is plenty of parking in the parking structure. You are always welcome to attend in person, but you can also watch on TV, Spectrum channel 30 and Cox channel 852 or stream it on your computer.
