Former Newport mayor dies at 85

June Casagrande

Paul Ryckoff, a former councilman and mayor who advocated slow growth

in the 1970s, died Thursday from complications of Parkinson’s

disease. He was 85.

“He made a huge difference by guiding the city during a very

critical period of time,” said Jean Watt, another former mayor and

slow-growth advocate who served as Ryckoff’s campaign chairman.

Ryckoff was elected to the council in 1972 and served until 1980

-- a critical period for the city. It was during this time that

Newport Beach was drafting its first General Plan, which Ryckoff

helped steer toward slow-growth priorities, Watt said. The 1970s were

also a time of battles to preserve the Back Bay and to reign in

expansion of John Wayne Airport -- causes that Ryckoff was involved

in.

Ryckoff, a Balboa Island resident during his term on the council,

led the movement to limit the size of homes on the island. Under city

rules, homes could be built with a square footage double the

build-able land area. Ryckoff organized neighbors to support changing

that to one and a half times the buildable land area.

Ryckoff was born in Chicago in 1918 and attended Lake Forest

Academy and Northwestern University before entering the Coast Guard

during World War II. He moved to Southern California in 1948 and

co-founded the Canoga Corp. of Van Nuys. It was also in 1948 that he

met and married Margaret Culver.

The Ryckoffs moved to Balboa Island in 1968, where Ryckoff became

active in environmental causes such as Stop Polluting Our Newport. He

founded Harbor Travel in Lido Village and was a member of the Santa

Ana Country Club for 26 years.

Ryckoff’s 1980 reelection bid failed after pro-development forces

in the city took on the council’s slow-growth majority.

In 1986, the family moved to Corona del Mar. Ryckoff is survived

by his wife of 55 years, his son Richard of Corona Del Mar, and his

daughter Carol Biddle and his granddaughter Julianne Biddle of

Irvine.

Carol Biddle said she took comfort in his dying at home surrounded

by his family.

“He was a wonderful and caring father,” she said. “He had great

integrity, honesty, courage and strength. He was so principled. He

always lived by his principles and had a great sense of humor.”

Services have not yet been scheduled. In lieu of flowers, the

family asks that donations be made to the National Parkinson

Foundation.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She

may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at

[email protected].