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About 30 people attended the first General Plan Update Steering Committee meeting Wednesday in the community room at the Civic Center. An earlier meeting held Feb. 13 was a staff-led introductory overview, this week’s meeting was the first time the steering committee officially...

EDITOR’S NOTE: Indy reporter Sara Hall compiled this look back at what made headlines in the Newport Beach Independent during 2018. This week, January through June. Next week will cover the top news stories of the second half of the year. (click on the text to see original story)...

If you review the actions carefully of three of the four incumbents trying to hold onto their seats in the upcoming election, I doubt that you will want to vote for them, especially when you compare them to the top-notch candidates who have long histories of involvement in the...

With our city council elections approaching, you’ve been reading a stream of letters to the editor yearning for the old days of big, expensive, and bloated city government. The small and loud old guard lost power in 2014, and they don’t like it. There was a time when you had to...

Newport Beach City Council discussed potential changes, including some increases, for life safety services fees during a study session this week. Following a consulting company’s study and resulting recommendations, as well as review from the Finance Committee, on the fees,...

The bunnies that live at the Newport Beach City Hall (also known as the Newport Beach Bunnies) called me and asked if I would interview them so that they could give the community their perspective on all the controversy that is taking place about them. I did not want to weigh in...

The California Coastal Commission met in Newport Beach this week, prompting a discussion with a commissioner of important topics from one local group and several demonstrations outside the civic center, both in support and protest of specific issues, from others. About two dozen...

Two months ago, I wrote about the new city hall building that, according to a report in the OC Register, was “furnished with high-end furniture and fixtures, including 204 leather Herman Miller chairs designed by modernist designers Charles and Ray Eames, at a cost of $1,073...

Several candidates filed papers recently for the open city council seats in the upcoming 2014 election. Joseph Stapleton for district one, Michael Toerge for district six, and Timothy Brown and Roy Englebrecht both vying for district four. Council members Mike Henn (district...

A staff report released Tuesday is recommending the city council select RD Olson Development and their proposal for a boutique hotel on the old city hall site. The council is scheduled to review the three proposals for the 3300 Newport Blvd. location and choose one duri...

Ok why do I refer to it as the Taj-ma-city-hall? The Taj Mahal, in India, is a mausoleum built in the 1600s by Shah Jahan for his 3rd wife Mumaz Mahal who died in childbirth. It is considered the ultimate example of opulence of that time period and has since become synonymous...

Editor’s Note: This story is part one of two With the grand opening of the new civic center and park on Saturday, residents are wondering what will become of the old city hall site. City Council heard three proposals last week during the afternoon study session on April 23 about...

With a nearly packed house in the chambers at the new city hall, Newport Beach City Council heard proposals Tuesday regarding what to do with the old city hall site. During the council’s afternoon study session, three proposals were on the table for the property at 3300 Newport...

By Sara Hall and Amy Senk | NB Indy and Corona del Mar Today After years of planning, decisions, and construction, city hall opened for business this week at its new location. “We’re very excited to open for business again,” said city manager Dave Kiff in an email. “We feel very...

BAD DOG AND THE DUKE Passage of time has turned two city halls in our region into recognizable landmarks: Los Angeles and Pasadena. It will be interesting to see if the new Newport Beach City Hall has that kind of staying power. Of course the new building is not without its...

Last week the City Council Fathers, sitting high in their Taj-Ma-City-Hall seats, took the first step to enter into the development business for the old city hall site. The Fathers could be in the hotel business by the end of the year. As the new Taj-Ma-City-Hall is gradually...

The Newport Beach City Council’s first meeting in their brand new chambers included tears, laughter, and a few technical kinks. The meeting kicked off about 30 minutes late, delayed because the special meeting about residential dock fees in the old council chambers ran into...

Last week was a busy one for citizens who spoke up and attended city meetings and study sessions. I attended two study sessions and one forum. The study sessions were about the best use of the City Hall site and a proposed raise on rent in the marina, termed the “dock tax” by the...

The Newport Beach City Council on Tuesday decided to go ahead with a study of the viability of a hotel in the soon-to-be “old” City Hall location. Housing options will also be examined, and whether the parking included with that idea would be public or for residents only will be...