Category: newport beach

Newport Beach Considers Building Junior Lifeguard Headquarters Despite Funding Shortfall

Newport Beach will consider raising its junior lifeguard program tuition to build a $4.9 million headquarters near the Balboa Pier during its March 9 meeting. The current junior lifeguard facility consists of a 2,160-square-foot trailer system that lacks a restroom, locker room, and running water. In order to fund a replacement of the facility, the summer junior lifeguard program would…


Orange County Board Candidates Weigh In on Unfunded Pensions

Several candidates running in the upcoming March 9 special election for a seat on the Orange County Board of Supervisors say that reducing unfunded public employee pension liabilities should be a top priority for cities throughout the county. John Moorlach, Kevin Muldoon, and Janet Rappaport all agree that unfunded public pensions in the county, where…


Orange County’s Restricted Businesses Unlikely to Reopen Until Late March

Indoor gyms and theaters will likely reopen in Orange County later this month, if the region’s COVID-19 metrics continue their downward trend. Right now, Orange County falls under the state-mandated purple tier, meaning some of its non-essential businesses, fitness facilities and theatres must remain closed. Restaurants can remain open to facilitate takeout orders, or serve…


Newport Beach Police Chief Recounts ‘More Crooks on the Street’

Newport Beach’s top cop says that while crime remains low in the coastal city, police have seen an upswing in thefts. “We had frankly more crooks on the street,” Police Chief Jon Lewis said during a Feb. 18 Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce meeting. “They were taking advantage of these opportunities here.” The department saw an…


Newport Beach Mayor Calls Homeless Shelter ‘Phenomenally Expensive,’ But Necessary 

Newport Beach is finalizing a deal with Costa Mesa for 29 beds in a homeless shelter that will cost the city $2.6 million for the first year, and $1 million each following year. “It’s phenomenally expensive, and something we have to do,” Newport Beach Mayor Brad Avery said during a Feb. 10 public Zoom meeting. “I say to people, what is the alternative?…


Newport Beach Mayor Says Meeting State-Mandated Housing Quota Will Be Difficult

The mayor of Newport Beach said his city will face a challenge to add the required number of new units mandated by the state in an effort to create affordable housing in Orange County. Per California’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) mandate, Newport Beach needs to meet the state’s quota of 4,834 new high-density and…


Newport Beach Chews Over High-End Apartment Complex Near John Wayne Airport

Newport Beach City Council will consider approving a plan to construct 312 mostly upscale apartments above a three-level parking structure Jan. 26. The Residences at 4400 Von Karman Project is a proposed 13-acre project site that would include apartment units atop an 825-space parking garage. If approved, the site would also boast a separate 284-space above ground parking structure, a one-acre public park, and the…


Orange County-Based Food Chain Plans to Hire 15,000 New Workers

NEWPORT BEACH (CNS)—Chipotle Mexican Grill will host a “Coast To Coast Career Day” on Jan. 15, with plans to hire 15,000 new workers for its restaurants across the United States, the Newport Beach-based company announced today. Although the pandemic has resulted in lost business for many companies, Chipotle officials said their model has allowed them…


Orange County Residents Gather to Support Trump as Congress Counts Electoral Votes

Two rallies in support of President Donald Trump in Orange County, California, happening at the same time as the large-scale demonstration in Washington, D.C., were relatively peaceful compared to the eventual takeover of the U.S. Capitol Building later in the day Jan. 6.  In Huntington Beach, nearly 100 people at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and Main Street waving U.S. and Trump flags, and signs…


Lawyer Charged With Vandalizing Boat, Assaulting Police in Newport Harbor

An attorney from Northern California has been charged with spray-painting a boat at Newport Harbor on the Southern California coast—causing an estimated $50,000 in damage—and then getting into a scuffle with the police officers sent to arrest him. Kristoffer Steven Mayfield, 43, had allegedly spray-painted a sailboat inside and out, and was hurling objects into…