Voice of OC is delighted to welcome its newest Board Member, Newport Beach resident Tim Stoaks.
For more than 30 years Stoaks has taken an interest in local government.
“My first experience with County Government was when I was appointed by the OC Board of Supervisors to serve on the Santa Ana Heights Redevelopment Agency Project Advisory Committee (SHAPAC) in 2003. We advised the county of how to spend the over $40 million dollars of RDA funding on improvements to the project area” he says.
During that time, the county annexed many unincorporated areas to Newport Beach.
Stoaks was instrumental in this process, as well as overseeing funding for a new Newport Beach fire station, undergrounding of utility poles on the equestrian trails, and saving a parcel slated for a parking lot- which is now a community park for the area.
“During that time, we had to deal with two layers of government, County and City, and became familiar with the typical governmental red tape and their inefficiencies,” he stated.
Stoaks went on to join such civic organizations as AirFair, SPON, and Line in the Sand – dealing with the Quality of life impacts of John Wayne Airport and the issues of high-density development in his area.
Stoaks an animal lover, was instrumental in founding the Public / Private partnerships with the city of NB a non-profit. The Friends of Newport Beach Animal Shelter, which he currently serves as President.
In 2018 Stoaks even made a resident’s grassroots bid for Newport Beach City Council, making history as the only candidate to lead votes for 19 days before losing to incumbent Mayor Marshall Duffield by 36 votes.
As a new member of the Voice of OC Board of Directors, Stoaks says he’ll focus on fundraising to grow Voice of OC’s reporting in the Newport Beach/Costa Mesa area.
Stoaks understands the important role a non-partisan news agency has in informing people about local issues. “People need the facts so they see the need to get involved with their community, and this is exactly Voice of OC’s mission,” he says.
“I’ve been a big fan of Voice of OC since it started and I hope I can help it continue to expand the civic and arts news for Orange County, and make it the go to source for local news.”
Stoaks says his first order of business is to grow Voice of OC’s Ambassadors Program of donors who contribute annually $1000 or more to sustain Voice of OC. This ongoing support is critical to Voice’s ability to add more reporters and more coverage.
According to Board Member, and retired journalist Barbara Venezia, “Tim Stoaks is a lot like Voice of OC – not afraid to roll up his sleeves and ask his friends to support causes that make government more accountable, and transparent.”
“I am so pleased he is joining us on the Board of Directors,” said Venezia. I know he will be a strong advocate for nonprofit and nonpartisan journalism.”