What Newport Beach is about to decide
The Newport Beach City Council has called a second special meeting on the November 3 election, for Friday, September 18, 2026 at 6:15 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 100 Civic Center Drive — the day after Thursday’s special meeting on the same item. The agenda adds a closed session on litigation. These are pending decisions from the posted agenda — nothing below has been decided yet. Every item links to the official record.
Source: official agenda (PDF) · meeting page · Written comments: cityclerk@newportbeachca.gov
✅ What actually happened (per the draft minutes): The city’s draft minutes of the September 18 special meeting (a Word document attached to Item 1 of the October 13 agenda for approval; not yet adopted) record all seven members present. After discussion of the federal deadline to mail military and overseas ballots on September 19, “a motion to direct the City Clerk not to mail the military and overseas ballots on September 19, 2026” was made by Councilmember Weigand and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Blom. “The motion failed 3–4, with Councilmember Grant, Mayor Kleiman, Councilmember Stapleton, and Councilmember Barto opposed.” The minutes then state: “The item was received and filed.” The City Attorney reported no closed-session action. A note on the sources: the city’s Legistar vote record shows the same 3-4 split (ayes Blom, Weber and Weigand) but attaches it to the wording of the staff recommendation — find the action exempt from CEQA, receive and file the status update, and provide direction to staff — and the draft minutes print the item under a different heading (“Proposed Ballot Questions for Three Citizen-Sponsored Charter Amendment Initiatives”) than the posted agenda’s Item 3. Council Brief does not resolve the discrepancy; the description above follows the minutes. The three measures on that ballot are the Public Meetings, Public Records, Oversight, and Enforcement Initiative; the Lifetime City Council Term Limits Initiative; and the District-Only Voting Initiative.
Correction (October 8, 2026): an earlier version of this section, written from the Legistar vote record, said the motion that failed 3-4 was one to find the action exempt from CEQA and “receive and file” the election status update. The city’s draft minutes describe the failed motion as one directing the City Clerk not to mail the military and overseas ballots, and say the item was received and filed. We regret the error.
🗳️ The November 3 special election, again
- The item: a “Status Update Regarding the November 3, 2026, Special Municipal Election for the Consideration by the Voters of the Public Meetings, Public Records, Oversight, and Enforcement Initiative; the Lifetime City Council Term Limits Initiative; and the District-Only Voting Initiative; as well as Providing Direction to Staff Regarding Election Contracts, Vendors, Ballot Production and Mailing, and Other Election Activities.” The wording is the same as Thursday’s item. Item 3
- What the council is asked to do: receive and file the status update, and “provide direction to the City Manager, City Clerk, City Attorney, and other City staff regarding the administration and implementation of the November 3, 2026, Special Municipal Election, including, but not limited to, providing direction concerning the continued performance, modification, or cessation of agreements, consultant and vendor services, ballot production and mailing, and other activities related to” the election. A staff report and three exhibits are linked from the official agenda; the agenda does not say why a second meeting was called. Item 3
🔒 Closed session
- Anticipated litigation: one matter under Government Code § 54956.9(d)(4), initiation of litigation. Item 1
- Existing litigation: two matters — City of Newport Beach v. Newport Beach Stewardship Association & Newport Beach Stewardship Association v. Lena Shumway et al., Orange County Superior Court Case No. 30-2026-01559183, and City of Newport Beach et al. v. Robert Page et al., Case No. 30-2026-01580961. A closed-session report follows. Item 2
🗣️ Public comment
- Public comments on the closed session are taken before it. Speakers may join by Zoom (Webinar ID 821 0439 2296) or by phone at (949) 662-3855. The only other business listed is the standing motion-for-reconsideration item.
Council Brief summaries are produced from official public records by our automated newsroom and reviewed before publication. Items are described as posted; the council may amend, continue, or remove items at the meeting. Spot an error? hello@councilbrief.com — we publish corrections.
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