Newport Beach to put housing plan ballot measure before voters next November
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Newport Beach voters will have an opportunity to reject a state-approved housing plan passed by the City Council in favor of an alternative that calls for fewer units to be built in the coastal city.
A petition for what supporters are calling the “Responsible Housing Initiative” successfully gathered enough signatures to qualify for an election.
The City Council, which passed the housing plan last year, was given three options at its regular meeting Tuesday: adopt the initiative outright, schedule a special election or put the question before voters during the general election next November.
Councilmember Robyn Grant acknowledged the thousands of Newport Beach residents who signed the petition but also defended the housing plan the council passed under the weight of state mandates.
“After extensive legal analysis and public outreach…this council approved an updated general plan to bring Newport Beach into compliance and avoid serious penalties,” she said. “Given the ballot initiative, Newport Beach residents will ultimately decide whether they agree with this measured approach to safely moving forward with the mandates.”
The Coalition for Responsible Housing filed nearly 9,000 signatures for a proposed ballot initiative in Newport Beach that would give voter approval over a state-required housing plan. Proponents argue that the measure would restore the Greenlight Initiative law’s authority.
Grant did not favor scheduling the vote by calling for a special election in February, in light of fact that doing so could cost the city more than $1 million.
Scheduling the initiative for a vote next November during the general election proved a far cheaper option, with costs expected to be below $150,000.
The Coalition for Responsible Housing, which comprises Newport Beach Stewardship Assn. and Still Protecting Our Newport (SPON) members, had hoped the initiative they backed would have appeared on the June 2026 primary ballot.
Newport Beach City Atty. Aaron Harp said Tuesday the June primary wasn’t an option, per the city’s charter and election code.
“The reason the council punted the vote to November is to give developers a year to get their permits and get started,” Charles Klobe, SPON’s president, opined to the Daily Pilot. “If a project gets permitted and gets started it’s not going to get stopped.”
The coalition has criticized the housing plan passed by councilmembers as a giveaway to developers under the guise of complying with state mandates. It allows for 8,174 new housing units to be built through rezoning and development standards, a threshold the ballot measure seeks to curb.
If passed, the measure would amend the plan to allow for 2,900 new units while counting housing development already in the pipeline toward the state’s mandated 4,845-unit allocation.
Residents involved in the effort have long contended the city’s Greenlight Initiative, passed in 2000, legally obligated the council to put the housing plan before a citywide referendum.
Two groups, including SPON, responded by challenging Newport Beach in court, but an Orange County Superior Court judge ruled in June the city did not violate its charter.
While the Newport Beach Stewardship Assn. is appealing the judge’s ruling, the coalition opted for a ballot initiative to amend the housing plan.
“A housing expansion of this magnitude will significantly impact traffic, public safety and our overall life quality in the city,” Curt Fleming, a Newport Beach resident told councilmembers. “The Responsible Housing Initiative supports and facilitates the city’s efforts to meet local housing needs and state law requirements, while also ensuring that voter preferences take priority over the interest of housing developers.”
Councilmember Noah Blom claimed he learned from speaking with canvassers for the ballot initiative that they were paid by Ken Picerne, who he described as “one of the largest developers” in Newport Beach.
“Why is the person that has the most apartments under construction funding a voter initiative to stop anyone else from building anything?” he asked. “That doesn’t seem like it’s something that’s all about affordable or equitable [housing] or for the working class.”
Blom volunteered to write a statement opposed to the ballot measure on voter guides. Councilmembers Sara Weber and Michelle Barto also volunteered.
“If we could, we would secede Newport from the state of California, because we manage it a lot better than the rest of the state,” Blom said.
“Is that a motion?” Mayor Joe Stapleton quipped.
It wasn’t. But councilmembers did unanimously approve the initiative to appear on the November 2026 general election ballot.
Klobe looks forward to making the case for the measure with Newport Beach voters in the months ahead, alongside critical council races.
“We’re going to be looking for candidates who support the initiative,” he said. “We feel strongly that the citizens support a less aggressive development proposal by the city than what the City Council gave away.”
