5 candidates up for Newport Beach City Council in November

Five people are running for three open seats on the Newport Beach City Council this fall, with all three incumbents in the mix.

Voters in the coastal Orange County city of more than 85,000 people will cast their ballots on Nov. 3.

Newport council members represent districts but are voted in at-large. Here are the candidates:

District 2

(includes Newport Heights/Cliffhaven and West Newport):

Brad Avery (incumbent): Avery is the director of Orange Coast College’s School of Sailing and Seamanship and this year’s mayor pro tem. A near-lifelong Newport resident and sailor, he previously served on the city Water Quality and Tidelands Committee, Homeless Task Force and Harbor Commission.

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Costa Mesa mayor, council seat vacancies attract 15 contenders who’ll face off in November

Costa Mesa City Clerk Brenda Green confirmed Tuesday five candidates had filed papers to run for a two-year mayoral term, while another 10 were qualified to run for three open district seats.

Aug. 12, 2020

Nancy Scarbrough: Scarbrough is a board member of the local development and environmental watchdog group Still Protecting Our Newport (SPON).

District 5

(includes Balboa Island):

Jeff Herdman (incumbent): Herdman is a retired teacher and school administrator. He grew up in Los Angeles and Newport, specifically Balboa Island, where he still lives. He previously served on the 2012 Newport Beach City Charter Revision Committee, the original Tidelands Management Committee, and the Civil Service Board, and currently sits on the Water Quality and Tidelands Committee and Aviation Committee.

Noah Blom: Blom is a restaurateur behind the local Arc concepts, Arc Food & Libations in Costa Mesa and Arc Butcher & Baker in Newport.

District 7

(includes Newport Coast):

Will O’Neill (incumbent): O’Neill, an attorney and the current mayor, is unopposed in his bid for a second term. He chairs the city Finance Committee and formerly led the Homeless Task Force.

All five 2020 candidates will appear in an interactive virtual forum hosted by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 9 a.m. The forum is free but registration is required. To sign up, head to www.newportbeach.com.

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