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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)...

How did our common understanding of what is right and wrong in terms of the conduct of public officials change so drastically in the last four years? Before 2014, a council member would have been shamed by accepting a donation from a known felon and compelled to return it. Now,...

Balboa Island and Balboa Peninsula owe deep gratitude to this City Council for fighting the Federal Government the past two years. The Federal Emergency Management Agency changed its flood maps to include all of Balboa Island and much more of the Peninsula. This would have...

During this election season there has been a lot of talk about replacing Team Newport—a group of candidates who ran as a slate during the Newport Beach City Council election in 2014. While some of those “team” members usually vote together, Diane Dixon studies the issues; she has...

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...

As a former member of the Newport Beach City Council, I have a unique perspective on this year’s election. During my first two years, I was privileged to serve with dedicated public servants who put the city first and worked in a spirit of collegiality to accomplish important...

Newport Beach City Council candidates had a busy week of forums, one more casual, discussion-like, another small, neighborhood-focused, and another moderated by local students who will be voting for the first time in November. They discussed a range of topics, including which...

I am disappointed to hear that City Councilman Scott Peotter and our Mayor Duffy Duffield are willing to attend a fundraiser at the home of Bob McCaffrey.  McCaffery referred to Joy Brenner as a “drooling dog.” Brenner is running against Peotter for a seat on the City...

The Newport Beach City Council has been on vacation for nearly a month, but like a TV series finale, they left us with a few cliffhangers. On July 30, the council issued a statement designed to embarrass Jeff Herdman, but failed to reveal the three councilmembers who advanced the...

Words cannot express the disgust I felt, as a woman and Newport Beach resident, reading Bob McCaffrey’s letter last week (NB Indy, Aug. 24) in which he compared council candidate Joy Brenner and community activists Susan Skinner and Lynn Swain to drooling dogs. All three women...

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...

The first Newport Beach City Council candidate forum of the year featured a range of topics, both agreement and disagreement between candidates, and a few jokes and jabs. About 100 people attended the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce hosted a forum to “Meet the Candidates” on...

On Friday, August 17, the real opponents of the ballot measure being advanced by Team Newport will go to court to displace the phony arguments filed by Team Newport supporter Bob Rush. This ballot measure demonstrates how Duffy Duffield and Scott Peotter are using an amendment to...

Several Newport Beach residents joined together to file a lawsuit last week that claims the argument opposing a measure on the November ballot is misleading, the author is actually a supporter and that it’s just a ruse. Former Mayors Mike Henn, Rush Hill, and Keith Curry, along...

An item asking Newport Beach voters if they would like to amend the city charter to require a public vote before taking on costly lease financing for major projects will be added to the ballot in November following a City Council decision this week. Council voted 6-1 on Tuesday...

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 unanimously agreed Tuesday to waive the attorney-client privilege relating to two emails between City Attorney Aaron Harp and Councilman Jeff Herdman. The emails referred to the lawsuit local attorney Phil Greer filed against the city in April alleging...

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...

Details about what let to the early retirement announcement of Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff were revealed Tuesday during the City Council meeting and left many residents more confused and upset than before. The city released a statement on March 25 explaining that Kiff...

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...