TIMES ORANGE COUNTY POLL : Few Fault Life in This Paradise of Privilege : Newport Beach residents profess love for their city despite recent civic indiscretions.

With its sun-splashed waterways and grandiose oceanfront homes, Newport Beach conjures up its own set of superlatives in a county noted worldwide for affluence and spectacular surroundings.

From the panoramic views atop Spyglass Hill to the endless-summer atmosphere down below in its yacht-packed harbor, Newport Beach is a vast playground for the multimillionaire, the rich and the just plain wealthy who make up much of its population.

In much of the nation, Orange County owes its reputation as a white, well-bred, wealthy Republican stronghold to Newport Beach, which was the home of its most popular and most famous celebrity, actor John Wayne.

But a city long accustomed to finding itself on the society and business pages has found its name linked more recently to front-page scandals that shifted attention from fashion and finance to embezzlement and sexual harassment.

Disclosures that Newport’s utility director and the school district’s chief financial officer stole millions from their employers, coupled with allegations believed by 53% in a local poll that the police chief and his closest captain sexually harassed female co-workers, have become a source of civic embarrassment for some, and introduced a new element of doubt to the citizenry’s confidence in their leaders, a Times Orange County Poll has found.

“It’s just been one sticky thing after another,” said Tony Francois, a 51-year-old retired businessman who lives on Balboa Peninsula. “I think in some form, all of this hurts the city’s credibility.”

But even with all the negative publicity, the poll found, Newport Beach residents still bask in the satisfaction that theirs is a privileged place.

The verdict is near-unanimous: 97% of the population has a favorable view of the city, praising its magnificent climate and beaches time and time again.

Six out of 10 would rather live in Newport Beach than anywhere on earth.

And the remaining four?

Well, if Newport Beach isn’t good enough to call home, many say, few other areas are apt substitutes. Some mentioned Monte Carlo, Fiji, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands and Seychelles as alternatives, skipping the remainder of the United States altogether.

“I’ve lived in seven countries and visited 102,” said Jerrel Richards, 60, who moved to the city in 1936 and has lived on Lido Isle since 1952. “Whenever I travel, when I come home and look at (Newport Beach), I think it’s one of the gems.”

Conducted by Mark Baldassare & Associates, the Times Orange County Poll contacted 600 adult residents of Newport Beach Jan. 27 through 30. The margin of error is plus or minus 4%.

City government and traffic vie for first place in a ranking of Newport’s biggest problems. Public schools get the lowest marks among a host of city services and attractions. One-third say unchecked growth and overdevelopment are big problems, while fewer than one out of 10 worry about gangs and juvenile delinquency.

Separate from those problems, but still a concern, are the recurring negative stereotypes that have dogged Newport Beach for decades and are likely never to disappear.

More than half dispute the notion that life in the community revolves around parties, fashion and high society, yet nearly eight out of 10 residents agree that Newport tends to overemphasize the material side of life and conspicuous consumption. More than half say that adults in Newport Beach are morally permissive.

“Neither of our children would dream of ever living in Newport Beach,” said Barbara Van Hoven, 60, who since 1968 has watched the transformation of Newport Beach from an area of down-to-earth families who adore beach life to a growing number of wealthy enamored with the “superficial elegance” of the city’s yachts and country clubs.

“You have no power against the power of the dollar,” she said. “The more money there is, the higher your house is going to cost, and that drives out people who don’t feel like mortgaging themselves to the hilt in order to have a fancy address.

“No matter how hard you try, you can’t convert people into being common-sense, down-to-earth folks when they’re trying to decorate their house to match how much they spent buying it,” Van Hoven said.

The emphasis on money in Newport Beach is unmistakable.

The Times Orange County Poll found that nearly six out of 10 Newport Beach residents see themselves as upper class or upper middle class, while less than three out of 10 in Orange County see themselves that way, according to the 1992 Orange County annual survey. More than one out of four Newport Beach residents say they are “more than comfortable,” yet only 15% of the county place themselves in that category.

Nowhere but in Newport Beach, perhaps, would 7% of those earning more than $100,000 annually report being “not quite comfortable.”

Only 5% of Newport Beach describes itself as lower class or lower middle class. Nearly four times that number classify themselves that way in Orange County overall.

One out of three agree that Newport Beach is a city of snobs, while nearly two-thirds believe the atmosphere is friendly. Nearly three-quarters say that the rest of the county views their home as “very desirable.”

Even Janet Hess, 36, whose overall view of the city is highly favorable, agreed that Newport can be uncomfortably elitist.

“The only thing that I dislike is that I feel like I have to get dressed up to go to the bank,” she said. “I wouldn’t even go to the movies without dressing up.”

Jeffrey Findeis, 35, who recently moved to Newport Beach from Victorville, has noticed the difference in attitude between the two cities.

“I consider myself sort of an average Joe, a regular American citizen,” Findeis said. “Conversing with people (here) I feel like a lesser person. People are rather rude down here. They feel they’re more important than anybody else.”

But Marion Jacobson, who lived in Beverly Hills before coming to Newport Beach five years ago, refutes the notion that hers is a city where wealth, style and status are all that matters.

“When you’re at a soccer game, you really can’t tell who’s who,” said Jacobson, whose 8-year-old daughter, Lauren, plays on a local team. “All you have there is a bunch of really involved parents. That’s the common denominator. What they drove up in or where they drive back to really doesn’t matter.”

There is no other place Jacobson would rather call home.

“I love the people, I love the weather and I love the way of life,” she said.

The city’s mayor says that Newport’s snobby image is often confused with its aggressive and prosperous citizenry, many of whom are business leaders.

“The people out there are sharp intellectually, they’re used to being in a position of giving commands, they’re used to being in a position of leadership,” said Mayor Clarence J. Turner.

Regardless of whether residents find the city rude or friendly, most agreed that Newport’s climate and beaches are what’s best about the area. Each was mentioned by 31% of those surveyed when asked what they liked most about Newport.

The other advantages, ranked next in order, were the city’s convenient location, lack of crime, friendly neighbors, high status and the quality of homes.

Other cities may worry about the rise of gangs and crime, the plight of the homeless, the lack of affordable housing, the AIDS crisis, the unfettered use of drugs, the epidemic of crime and other social ills as top problems.

But what truly concerns Newport Beach residents, nearly six out of 10 said in the poll, are the problems of government, traffic and growth, problems that have been supplanted by fears of job loss and crime elsewhere in Orange County.

Only 4% of Newport Beach residents list gangs and crime as a top problem, about the same amount as those who gripe about rowdiness on the beach. Nine percent think jobs and the economy are the city’s main concern, while 4% named public schools, 3% cited housing costs, and 2% said “snobby residents” are the worst problem.

Asked to rate the seriousness of four specific problems, 46% list traffic congestion as a big problem and 29% say it is somewhat of a concern. Growth and development is cited by 32% as a big problem and 28% say it is somewhat of a problem. To 23% of the population, drug and alcohol abuse is a big problem, while 34% say it is somewhat of a problem.

Only 8% see gangs and youth delinquency as a big problem. Nearly one-third say it’s a small problem and one out of four don’t think it’s a concern at all.

In almost every area, from the stores, restaurants, entertainment, parks and outdoor recreation they use to the quality of their neighbors and social life, Newport Beach residents are highly satisfied. Police protection is ranked very high by six out of 10 residents, but public schools do not fare as well, with less than one out of four saying they are very satisfied.

To nearly three-quarters of its residents, the poll found, Newport Beach is a self-contained hamlet of shopping, recreation and entertainment from which one would seldom want to venture.

Balboa Island has Marine Avenue. Balboa Peninsula has Main Street. Newport Center is the self-described “Wall Street of the West.” Seven yacht clubs dot the harbor, while four golf courses sprawl across the city. Fashion Island, with nine restaurants, 10 women’s shoe stores and five jewelry stores, is a town unto itself.

Kurt Kawohl, a 51-year-old real estate broker who moved to the Seaview gated community in 1983, used to live in Pasadena and dreamed of living one day in Newport Beach.

“In Newport Beach you feel safer than almost anywhere,” he said. “It’s a clean area . . . you don’t have a real rowdy bunch, you don’t have a bunch of alcoholics walking around on the streets or loitering or accosting you. All in all, it’s a nice group of people.”

But it is also an enclave cut off from much of the county’s problems, some residents admit.

“It’s a little bit of an oasis and a pretty protected area,” said Karen Linoff, 32, a real estate appraiser who has lived in Newport Beach all her life and now rents in Corona del Mar. “We don’t have the problems a lot of other areas do.”

Like many who live in Newport Beach, Linoff does not consider herself or her family, who live on the peninsula, wealthy in comparison to others around her.

And yet, she owns a small sailboat, her parents have a 28-foot fishing boat and they all belong to the Balboa Yacht Club.

“Of all the yacht clubs, it’s not really the glitziest,” she said. “I mean, it’s not like the Newport Harbor Yacht Club.”

In her responses to The Times Orange County Poll, Linoff was ebullient about life in Newport Beach, giving it high marks in every area except its steady growth, which Linoff believes has occurred too fast. One day, Linoff would like to move to north San Diego County, which reminds her of how Newport used to be.

But as a lifetime Newport resident, familiar with its treasures, she’s in no hurry.

Basking in Civic Pride

Nearly all residents of Newport Beach have a favorable view of their city.

Residents’ overall view of Newport Beach as a place to live: Very favorable: 75% Somewhat favorable: 22% Unfavorable: 3% *

What residents like best about living there: Climate: 31% Beach, ocean: 31% Convenient location: 10% Safe from crime: 9% Neighbors: 7% Other, don’t know: 12% Source: Times Orange County Poll

How the Poll Was Conducted

The Times Orange County Poll was conducted by Mark Baldassare & Associates. The telephone survey of 600 City of Newport Beach adult residents was conducted January 27 to 30 on weekday nights and weekend days. A computer-generated random sample of telephone numbers was used. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish as needed. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 4% at the 95% confidence level. That means it is 95% certain the results are within 4 percentage points of what they would be if every Newport Beach resident were interviewed. For subgroups, such as upper-income Newport Beach residents, the margin of error would be larger.

Life in Newport Beach: Pretty Darn Good

Three-fourths of Newport Beach residents say they take care of most of their shopping, restaurant and recreation without venturing outside the city. A profile of what they say about their quality of life:

Where residents carry out most of their leisure activities, such as shopping, going to restaurants, outdoor recreation:

Age Newport Beach Elsewhere in O.C. Outside O.C. 18-34 58% 38% 4% 35-54 78% 19% 3% 55 and older 81% 17% 2% Total 74% 23% 3%

*

Do you agree that life for Newport Beach residents revolves around parties, high fashion and society life? Agree: 41% Disagree: 53% Don’t know: 6% *

Social class categories that Newport Beach residents say apply to them compared to Orange County as a whole:

Newport Beach Orange County* Upper and upper middle-class 57% 27% Middle-class 38% 55% Lower and lower middle-class 5% 18%

* 1992 Orange County Annual Survey, UCI

*

How city residents describe their current standard of living compared to the rest of the county:

Newport Beach Orange County* More than comfortable 27% 15% Comfortable 57% 61% Not comfortable 16% 24%

* 1992 Orange County Annual Survey, UCI

*

Biggest problems facing the city today: City government: 22% Traffic: 22% Growth: 14% Jobs, economy: 9% Public schools: 4% Crime and gangs: 4% Housing costs: 3% Rowdiness on the beach: 3% Snobby residents: 2% Other: 5% Don’t know: 12% *

Where residents would want to live if they were given a choice:

By age Newport Beach Elsewhere in O.C. Outside O.C. 18-34 45% 54% 1% 35-54 55% 40% 5% 55 and older 75% 23% 2% By income Less than $50,000 56% 44% 1% $50,000 to $99,999 57% 41% 2% $100,000 or more 59% 37% 4% Total 59% 38% 3%

Source: Times Orange County Poll

Signs of Success

That Newport Beach is more affluent than the county in general is clear from a selection of census figures.

Newport Orange Beach County Median home value $500,001 $250,300 Median household income $60,374 $45,922 Median per-capita income $45,434 $19,890 Median monthly homeowner cost, including mortgage $2,001 $1,317 Median monthly rent $967 $790 Homes valued at $500,000 or more 63% 8% Household incomes/$150,000 or more 15% 4% Bachelor’s degree or more 47% 24% Median age 39.5 31.5

Source: 1990 U.S. Census