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    Newport Beach’s new city manager has hit the ground running in her first week, studying some of the biggest issues facing the city, while also getting to know staff, residents and what makes the community unique. On Aug. 14, City Council unanimously selected Grace...

After 20 years of serving the city of Newport Beach, Friday marks the last official day of work for retiring City Manager Dave Kiff. “The honor of my lifetime,” Kiff said in an email this week. “It’s that simple.” Kiff joined city staff in 1998 as the assistant to the city...

Newport Beach will soon have a new manager, following an action by City Council this week. On Tuesday, Council unanimously selected Irvine official Grace Leung to serve as its next city manager. Leung will assume the top administrative spot on Sept. 4, replacing current City...

After a mostly lighthearted, but at times emotional, speech from soon-retiring Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff reflecting on his time with the city, the crowd reacted exactly like the audience nine years ago, when he was promoted to his current position: A standing ovation....

Newport Harbor was once again the focus of a speech from Mayor Marshall “Duffy” Duffield this week, but the recent controversy over the early retirement of the Newport Beach city manager is what made waves during the meeting. At Thursday’s board meeting of the Corona del Mar...

Newport Beach City Council held a comment opportunity during Tuesday’s study session to allow the public to express what they would like to see in the next city manager, in terms of experience, values, and related qualifications. In March, the city announced City Manager Dave...

Newport Beach City Council selected an executive search firm this week to start the hunt for a new city manager. In March, the city announced City Manager Dave Kiff’s intention to retire toward the end of year. Some unverified reports claim that several Council members pressured...

Shock, anger, and sadness dominated the public comments during Tuesday’s Newport Beach City Council meeting. Nearly two dozen residents came out this week to show their support for Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff and, at the same time, question the suspected reasons behind...

City Council and staff met this week to set goals and plan for the future of Newport Beach. About 75 people attended the annual Council planning session held Monday at Marina Park on the Balboa Peninsula. The big item of the night was the general plan update. An update to the...

Harbor Commissioners got an update this week on the city’s strategy to take over management of the approximate 1,220 onshore and offshore moorings in Newport Harbor this summer. City staff presented a program to the commission on Wednesday that would allow the city to take over...

Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff provided a wake up call on issues facing the city for a large crowd during an early morning meeting last week. The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Wake Up! Newport meeting was held Dec. 1 in the Friend’s Room at the library. Kiff...

Outsourcing lifeguards was the topic of discussion between city officials and residents during a local resident’s association meeting Thursday morning. About 36 people crowded into a meeting room for Corona del Mar Residents Association’s monthly board meeting, which featured...

After nearly two hours of public comment and discussion, the California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to continue the item regarding the removal of 60 fire rings in Newport Beach  until the Air Quality Management District meets in May. The AQMD will evaluate and consider...

Fitch Ratings this week reaffirmed its AA+ ratings on two Newport Beach bonds used to finance the Civic Center project. Fitch, along with the Moody’s rating agency, is reevaluating California cities’ debt in the wake of the bankruptcies of Stockton and San Bernardino, said City...

City Manager Dave Kiff has listed for sale the Newport Beach home that the city helped him buy when he assumed his post in 2009. And while it appears that under the deal he signed at that time he could force the city to take a loss on the property, he said this week that he wi...

Seven trees in front of City Manager Dave Kiff’s home in Newport Beach have been removed for safety reasons. Another seven trees have been left in place by city officials, who say the trees are not a danger to the public. ** Editor’s Note: Because of an editing error, the...

The City of Newport Beach has been dealing with the issue of potentially dangerous trees since the death of Haeyooon Miller on Irvine Avenue last September. Miller was killed when a large blue gum eucalyptus tree fell and crushed her car. In the unfolding controversy about what...

In the wake of the death of a motorist who was crushed by a falling tree last week, the city has removed all 104 eucalyptus trees along Irvine Avenue as a safety precaution. Irvine Avenue was closed to traffic between Westcliff and Dover on Wednesday as the trees were take...

An Orange County Grand Jury report on city employees’ compensation found no Bell-like abuses in the county, but did chide Newport Beach and Laguna Beach for their relatively large number of employees taking home six-figure compensation packages. The report seemed likely to fuel...

    With the recent retirements of both the planning director and the building director, the city is undetaking an overhaul of those two departments with an eye toward possibly merging them. City Manager David Kiff said this week that Joel Fick, Anaheim’s former deputy...