Newport Beach residents are set to vote on two separate ballots this year to determine the future of their city, and more money than ever is pouring in from developers, unions and other special interests to help shape people’s opinions on the issues ahead of Election Day.
It’s a situation city leaders have never faced before, with city council members and one ballot initiative on the general midterms ballot, while three other ballot initiatives are being sent to voters on a second ballot after a judge ordered the city to host a special election after they delayed putting the initiatives up for a vote via a lengthy court battle.
That’s led to an explosion of spending on local elections, with a Voice of OC review finding over $2 million donated to political campaigns and political action committees this year alone, all aimed at city council candidates and the slate of ballot measures across both ballots.
What’s on the Ballots?
Four of the city’s seven council seats are up for election this year, covering city districts 1, 3, 4 and 6.
While council members are nominated based on voting districts they live in throughout the city, every voter gets to cast a vote on every council member who’s made it to the ballot.
Voters are also set to vote on an initiative that could shrink how much housing is approved in the city moving forward on that general ballot, dubbed Measure H.
On the second ballot, voters will be asked about three other ballot initiatives aimed at increasing the city’s transparency, implementing strict term limits, and shifting to a system of district voting where only the voters in the district get to vote on a city council candidate who also resides in that district.
The election for the second ballot will be managed by the city rather than the county registrar of voters because city officials submitted the initiatives too late to qualify for the general election and were ordered by a judge to move forward with the election instead of delaying them to a special election next year or the general election in 2028.
Who Are the Biggest Spenders?
Nearly $1.3 million of the money in Newport Beach politics this year is coming from one man – Ken Picerne, a local developer who financed the signature gathering for all four ballot initiatives across the two ballots.
He’s invested all his cash in a political action committee dubbed “Coalition for Responsible Housing: Yes on Measures H, P, Q, R, with support from Southern California Opportunity Group, LLC,” to which he is the only donor according to disclosures.
The Orange County Republican Party has spent nearly $30,000 as of Oct. 11 opposing Measure H according to disclosures, which would limit the amount of new housing zoned for in Newport Beach.
The county party is also currently headed up by Will O’Neill, a former Newport Beach mayor.
A new committee opened earlier this month dubbed the Alliance for Prosperity Political Action Committee has spent nearly $42,000 opposing Measure H as well, but has not disclosed any of its donors through disclosures on the city website.
The city’s police and firefighter unions are also spending heavily to support incumbent city council members in the race for reelection.
The Newport Beach Firefighters Association has spent around $138,000 altogether advertising Mayor Lauren Kleinman and Councilmembers Joe Stapleton and Erik Weigand’s reelection campaigns as of Oct. 9.
The Newport Beach Police Association has spent around $60,000 combined on the same three candidates according to their last disclosures from Oct. 7.
Another committee dubbed California Leadership Today, which is primarily funded by local developer John Saunders and a company dubbed ICN Media according to disclosures, also spent just under $15,000 apiece on advertising supporting Kleinman and Weigand.
They also spent an additional $4,000 on online ads opposing Andrew Gerken, Kleinman’s opponent.
The Lincoln Club, a conservative donor group very active in Orange County politics, also spent another $14,000 opposing Gerken’s candidacy.
In addition to their spending on Measure H, the Alliance for Prosperity Committee’s anonymous donors also spent around $26,000 opposing Gerken and over $10,000 opposing Walter Stahr, who’s running against Weigand.
How Much are the Candidates Fundraising?
In District 1, Councilman Stapleton has fundraised over $75,000 from a series of local donors including developers and business executives, and has over $190,000 in the bank as of Sept. 19, while his opponent Tina Babajanians has disclosed zero donations.
In District 3, Councilman Weigand has fundraised nearly $78,000 himself this year according to disclosures, and is facing two challengers, Walter Stahr and Tim Stoaks.
Stoaks has only disclosed $2,700 worth of donations, but Stahr has fundraised over $147,000 this year and loaned himself $65,000 of his own money to put into the campaign for a total of $215,000 according to disclosures.
In District 6, Mayor Kleinman has disclosed nearly $100,000 worth of fundraising this year, and she’s running for reelection against Andrew Gerken, who’s fundraised over $109,000 and invested another $21,000 of his own money into the race according to disclosures.
However, Kleinman has a lot more money on hand than Gerken heading into the election, with over $150,000 in her accounts from previous campaigning against Gerken’s nearly $45,000.
Councilwoman Robyn Grant is running unopposed for reelection in District 4.
Noah Biesiada is a Voice of OC reporter. Contact him at nbiesiada@voiceofoc.org.
