Community activist confirms run for Newport Beach City Council

Community activist Nancy Scarbrough confirmed this week that she will run for the seat representing District 2 on the Newport Beach City Council next year.

Scarbrough previously ran against current Councilman Brad Avery in 2020. Avery will finish his final term on the dais in 2024, meaning that the seat in the district, which represents Newport Heights, Westcliff, Newport Shores and West Newport, will be open and ready for another local politician.

As of Thursday, Scarbrough is the only candidate to have announced her bid for the seat and the first to confirm a run for City Council in the next election cycle. Mayor Noah Blom is expected to run for reelection in District 5, which covers Balboa Island. It is unclear who will run to succeed Mayor Pro Tem Will O’Neill in District 7, which includes Newport Coast, when his term ends next year.

“The reason I announced early is there is a lot of outreach that needs to be done. I ran before during COVID-19 and outreach was very limited. So on the advice of my campaign manager, I’m starting early this year,” Scarbrough said in an interview. “From my 2020 campaign, I’ve learned a lot. I walked into that blindly, and so I had very little organized support and I plan to make that a big priority this time.

“Of course, we couldn’t get out and talk to people in person. So, I think public interaction, whether that’s at community events or knocking on doors or forums, I think those are all things that will be very important in the way I reach people.”

Scarbrough is a board member for Still Protecting Our Newport, a founding member of the formation committee for Newport Beach Housing Trust and a familiar face at City Council and Planning Commission meetings. An active community member, she moved to Newport Heights in 2005 and began participating in local politics in 2017.

The issues she said her campaign is focused on are affordable housing, public safety and the effects of state mandates that she said in some cases are diminishing the city’s ability to regulate its own zoning and land uses. She said she wants to work on creative solutions to address issues with increased traffic and e-bikes, which have remained a persistent concern for local residents.

Scarbrough said she hopes to support a new community center in her district, where she expects to see increased density because of the housing mandates.

“Other districts have services for residents, but District 2 has a single room with outdoor toilets in Cliff Drive Park. This is hardly representative of the stellar reputation that Newport Beach has in Orange County and throughout the county and the country,” Scarbrough said.

“I believe I am the best candidate for District 2,” she continued in an email Thursday. “I have been immersed in city issues for over five years, speaking up about housing and the state mandated Regional Housing Needs Assessment [numbers], participating in the review and recommendation of financial matters as a member of the City Finance Committee, participating in the planning the future of Newport Beach as a member of the General Plan Advisory Committee, monitoring issues related to John Wayne Airport activity in preparation for negotiation of the extension of the Airport Settlement Agreement. I have a well-rounded understanding of how the city operates, and I am a collaborative problem solver.”