Community Members:

I'm very pleased to announce that Joe Cartwright, a 21-year veteran of the Newport Beach Police Department, has been appointed as the City's next Chief of Police. 

Cartwright has held a variety of field and command-level positions in just over two decades with the department, serving most recently as acting chief since late December, following the retirement of his predecessor, Jon Lewis.

Chief Cartwright brings a tremendous breadth and depth of public safety leadership experience to this position. He is a proven leader with a passion for providing the best possible police services to the Newport Beach community.

Cartwright will officially step into the new role next month when he will become the 11th Chief of Police in NBPD history. He leads a staff of 233 employees, who serve in five divisions and a variety of specialized units.

Cartwright began his law enforcement career with the Los Angeles Police Department in 1999 and joined the NBPD in 2002. He holds degrees in criminal justice and organizational management and is a graduate of several advanced law enforcement training courses.

A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Cartwright serves as the chairman of the board of directors for the Newport Beach 1st Battalion, 1st Marines Foundation, which provides support and relief for service members and their families.

Please join me in welcoming Chief Cartwright to his new position!

City Manager, Grace K. Leung

Join us on April 22 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Newport Beach Corporation Yard, 592 Superior Ave., for an Earth Day event brought to you by the City of Newport Beach and CR&R.

The event will feature free document shredding, e-waste disposal, and a compost giveaway. Residents can bring up to 10 standard file boxes of documents for shredding and can receive up to five, 30-lb. bags of compost while supplies last. Please note that residency will be verified, so don't forget to bring identification.

Our shredder can accommodate most materials including bank and financial statements, credit card statements or pre-approved credit card offers, old IRS tax forms, checks or bills, old credit cards and plastic/paper membership cards, junk mail, and documents bound with staples or paper clips. Please note that x-rays or larger plastic items such as binders cannot be accepted.

Acceptable items for e-waste disposal include computers, computer monitors, keyboards, televisions, flat panels, other monitors, printers, DVD players, cell phones, and other small electronic devices. Medical waste, batteries and other household hazardous waste will not be accepted.

For more information, please contact our Public Works Department at 949-718-3055.

The Be Well mobile crisis response team operates in Newport Beach 12 hours a day, 7 days a week to respond to mental and behavioral health crises. The mobile unit is staffed with mental health specialists and works closely with the City’s police and fire departments.

This week, the Be Well team:

• Transported two people to a crisis stabilization unit for treatment.
• Transported a person to the Be Well sobering station for treatment and enrollment into a residential detox program.
• Assisted a family with locating and coordinating an intake into a substance use disorder treatment facility for their loved one.
• Assisted a stranded couple with obtaining gas gift cards for their return trip home to Ohio.
• Provided mental health and wellness resources to several families.
• Transported seven people to services, shelter intakes, and appointments.

The next City Council meeting is Tuesday, March 28. Items of interest are highlighted below. The entire agenda and reports can be viewed here.

A study session will begin at 4 p.m.

• A presentation on the Fire Department's recognition of the Newport Beach Ocean Lifeguards Centennial.
• Capital Improvement Program (CIP) early look. Staff will present new infrastructure projects under consideration for the fiscal year 2023-24 CIP for City Council review and discussion. 

The regular meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. Agenda items include:

• Declaration of local emergency. The Council will consider a resolution proclaiming a local emergency due to ongoing winter storms and storm-related damage, including high surf, coastal flooding, and land saturation. City staff is recommending that the Council proclaim a local emergency in accordance with Chapter 2.20 (Emergency Services) of the Newport Beach Municipal Code, which will allow the City to apply for state and federal financial assistance.
• The 2022 annual General Plan and Housing Element progress reports. The Council will review the reports and consider authorizing and submitting them to the state, as required each year.