Newport Beach candidates Brad Avery and Noah Blom are leading the polls in the first set of election results.
In District 2, Avery has won about 60% of the vote so far with candidate Nancy Scarbrough behind with about 40% of the vote.
Avery said it feels good to have a pretty good lead early on on election night but said it’s not over yet.
“First reporting is showing me in the lead and we’re waiting for the next report to get more comfort. Obviously it’s showing early voting and so there’s more to the story,” Avery said.
Scarbrough has not responded to a request for comment from Voice of OC.
In District 5, Blom has won about 58% of the vote. Incumbent Jeff Herdman is trailing with about 42% of the vote.
Blom said he is confident that he will maintain the lead for the rest of the night.
“I would say our campaign is extremely excited and very happy,” he said. “We’d like to pay tribute to Chris Emami, my campaign manager who passed away about four weeks ago. We dedicate this win to him.”
In District 7, current Mayor Will O’Neill ran unopposed.
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Credit: Local Races by Mizzou Journalism
The Newport Beach Police Assn., and the Newport Beach Firefighters Assn., have endorsed O’Neill and Blom. The Democratic Party of Orange County has not endorsed anyone running in Newport Beach. The Republican Party of Orange County has endorsed O’Neill.
Around 47% of registered voters in the city are Republicans, about 26% are Democrats and 22% are no party preference voters, according to county data.
The first round of results reflect all votes received by election officials up until Monday evening. Election day ballots will be reported later this evening.
The current council has been pushing back against state mandated housing goals that would have the city zone for close to 5,000 new homes — a mark that city officials and council candidates have said is unattainable.
Another issue in the city are short-term rentals.
Some Newport Beach residents have had it with the city’s large short-term rental market — which they complain attracts a young, noisy party loving crowd that takes up parking slots and overflows residents’ trash cans.
This year the council has tightened its grip on short-term rentals in the city.
Property owners have used their homes for decades for income, many renting out to families looking to get away for a couple of days and implementing rules of their own to ensure guests are considerate of their neighbors.
Blom does not support a cap on short-term rentals in the city while Herdman does.
Candidates are running on these issues as well as addressing noise, pollution and quality of life issues surrounding John Wayne Airport.
Hosam Elattar is a Voice of OC Reporting Fellow. Contact him at helattar@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @ElattarHosam.