• Donate
  • Subscribe
  • logo
  • logo
  • REGIONS
    • North County
    • Central County
    • South County
  • NEWS
    • Economy
    • Education
    • Emergencies & Disasters
    • Government
    • Health & Wellness
    • Housing & Homelessness
    • Outdoors
    • Podcasts
    • Politics & Elections
    • Safety, Security & Justice
    • Transportation
    • Water, Power & Waste
    • Youth Media
  • ARTS & CULTURE
    • Culture
    • Dance
    • Food
    • Music
    • Theater
    • Visual Arts
  • COLUMNISTS
    • Norberto Santana, Jr.
    • Anne Marie Panoringan
    • Paul Hodgins
    • Julie Leopo
  • INVOLVEMENT
    • Community Opinion
    • Press Releases
  • ABOUT
    • Mission & Values
    • Civic Engagement
    • Impact & Honors
    • Inside the Newsroom
    • Staff & Contact Us
    • Support & Partnerships
    • Archives
  • Donate
  • Subscribe
We have been your lifeline during the pandemic, economic fallout, wildfires, protests and the election. Support us today with a tax-deductible donation.
Orange County Election 2020

Four Candidates Run for Seats in Districts 4 and 5 in Dana Point City Council Election

JESSICA RUIZ, Voice of OC

Dana Point City Hall.

By Shanya Rod | October 31, 2020
2 Shares
Share
Tweet
Reddit2
Email

Four candidates are vying for a City Council seat each in District 4 and District 5 in Dana Point. 


Editors’ Note: This dispatch is part of the Voice of OC Youth Media program, working with student journalists to cover public policy issues across Orange County. If you would like to submit your own student media project related to Orange County civics or if you have any response to this work, contact Digital Editor Sonya Quick at [email protected].


Mike Frost and Gary Newkirk are running in District 4, the Lantern District, and Benjamin Bebee and Michael Villar are competing in District 5, Capo Beach. Frost has raised the most money of all candidates for his campaign, according to his financial disclosure statement. 

As Dana Point faces issues pertaining to homelessness and lack of tourism revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic, all candidates have expressed their campaign priorities. 

Frost has a career in business with a background in finance. He has been serving on Dana Point’s financial review committee since 2019, and served on the city’s traffic and parking sub-committee in 2013. 

According to his candidate statement of qualifications, Frost’s experience in business and financial analytics “directly relates to what [the] city needs now to move forward, including strict fiscal management, business and tourism revitalization, and encouraging the right size development in our city.”

Newkirk worked as a stockbroker, financial analyst, and photographer. He served on Dana Point’s residential building height task force in 2005 and served on the Planning Commission from 2009 to 2015, acting as the chair for one of those years. 

Newkirk’s campaign website highlights his attention to issues of zoning/high density development, parking shortages, short-term rentals, group rehabilitation homes, homelessness, the city’s projected financial shortfall, public safety, and city government transparency. 

Bebee has experience in the restaurant industry working as a general manager, and earned his resident insurance producer’s license this past year. 

Bebee expresses his passion for serving others in the community and strong sense of family values on his campaign website. He has “a sincere desire to be a good man, a man of conviction and character, who leads by example and lives the positive change he hopes to affect around him.”

Villar, a retired U.S. Marine Corps pilot, has been serving as a coach and board member of the American Youth Soccer Organization and a coach for Dana Point Youth Baseball. 

Villar’s campaign website says he “will focus on preserving the Capo community’s friendly, small town feel, preserving residential neighborhoods, enhancing beautification, public safety and cultivating economic recovery.” 

For the period of Jan. 1 through Oct. 17, Frost has fundraised nearly $20,000 for his campaign, Newkirk has taken in over $11,000, and Villar has raised over $6,000. Bebee has filed a form 470, acknowledging that he did not expect to raise or spend more than $2,000. 

Since you've made it this far,

You are obviously connected to your community and value good journalism. As an independent and local nonprofit, our news is accessible to all, regardless of what they can afford. Our newsroom centers on Orange County’s civic and cultural life, not ad-driven clickbait. Our reporters hold powerful interests accountable to protect your quality of life. But it’s not free to produce. It depends on donors like you.
Become a Supporter

DISCUSSION:

Have an opinion on this story? Join the conversation... In lieu of comments, we encourage readers to engage with us across a variety of mediums. Join the open conversation on our Facebook page. Message us via our website form or staff page. Send us a secure news tip. Share your thoughts in a community opinion piece.

ABOUT US: Mission | Editorial Policies | Contact Us | Funding | Privacy Policy

CORONAVIRUS: The latest Orange County news and information.

SUBTOPICS:
  • Countywide
  • Dana Point
  • Politics & Elections
  • Youth Media
  • Orange County Election 2020

RELATED STORIES:

  • San Juan Capistrano Moves a Step Closer to Building City’s First Skatepark After Years of Planning

    The city council approved a contract with a skatepark construction company to design the park.

  • The City Commissioner, An Often Overlooked But Influential Force in Local Government

    Such panels are composed of council-appointed residents and are largely advisory in nature. But don’t underestimate them, some say.

Orange County's Nonprofit & Nonpartisan Newsroom

 

© Copyright 2021, Voice of OC

Voice of OC is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News

Built with the Largo WordPress Theme from the Institute for Nonprofit News.

Back to top ↑