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Community Members:
Following this Labor Day weekend, which marked the official end of the summer season, I would like to recognize the men and women who help ensure the safety of residents and visitors on our beaches: our City lifeguard team.
In the summer 2025 peak season (June 7 through Labor Day), our City lifeguards:
- Performed 44,531 preventive actions, warning swimmers about dangerous ocean conditions or unsafe behaviors.
- Made 3,047 ocean rescues (an increase of about 300 from summer 2024).
- Administered first aid 884 times.
- Provided medical aid (usually requiring hospital care) 177 times.
- Treated 347 stingray wounds.
- Provided other types of public assistance 639 times.
- Assisted boaters 171 times.
In all, over the course of the summer, their work amounted to about 77,000 contacts with the public.
Of course, our lifeguards are more than rescuers; they are community ambassadors, role models, and educators. Through ocean safety programs, most notably the Junior Lifeguard Program, they have empowered generations with the knowledge and skills needed to enjoy the ocean responsibly. This summer, 1,444 young people were able to experience the Junior Lifeguard Program.
Thank you to all our City lifeguards, including the management team led by Fire Chief Jeff Boyles and Chief Lifeguard Brian O'Rourke, as well as the many seasonal lifeguards who are critical to the success of our beach safety efforts.
City Manager, Grace K. Leung
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 Residents Invited to Share Feedback on Draft General Plan Elements
Three newly drafted elements of the 2050 Newport Beach General Plan are now available for public review: Harbor, Bay, and Beaches; Natural Resources; and Recreation.
The draft documents were created with significant public input, background analysis, and guidance from the 24-member General Plan Advisory Committee over the past three years.
Now, the City invites community members to review the draft General Plan elements and comment by Monday, November 17. Let us know what resonates, what’s missing, and what matters most to you.
The drafts are available on the City's Newport, Together website.
- The Harbor, Bay and Beaches Element covers Newport Bay, Newport Harbor, and beaches, including uses, public access, coastal resources, economic value, and more.
- The Natural Resources Element focuses on conserving, protecting and using natural resources. It includes clean energy alternatives, planning for sea-level rise, wildlife and habitat connectivity, and more.
- The Recreation Element addresses parks and recreation facilities, recreation programs, shared facilities, coastal recreation, public access, and marine recreation.
Five additional General Plan elements will be released in Fall 2025. Following a public review period, all comments received will be reviewed and considered by the project team before General Plan elements are finalized and considered by the City Council.
In addition, the City will host two open houses in October to review the General Plan elements and gather input from the community.
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One lane of the Marine Avenue Bridge, the roadway connection to Balboa Island, will be closed for maintenance work nightly, beginning at about 10 p.m. on Sunday, September 7 through Wednesday, September 10.
The work will not require full closures of the bridge. Traffic control measures, including flaggers, will ensure continued vehicle access to and from Balboa Island during the lane closures.
 
Construction on a project to place utility lines underground in central Balboa Island (Underground Utility Assessment District No. 124) is set to be completed ahead of schedule.
Nine of 14 alleys have been completed and the City's contractor is set to finish the remaining work by the end of the year. The original completion date was Spring 2026.
Some temporary traffic detours and street/alley closures will be necessary during the final phases of construction.
Beginning on Monday, September 8, the 200-block alleys between Marine Avenue and Amethyst Avenue will be closed for construction. Balboa Avenue will be closed for the next six weeks for construction and the operation of a dewatering system. The contractor will open the eastbound lane on Balboa Avenue during weekends, but the westbound lane will remain closed during this construction period.
Traffic control will be in place to detour vehicles and pedestrians around the construction zone.
The City appreciates the patience of Balboa Island residents and businesses. For questions please call the City's Public Works Department at (949) 644-3311.
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Registration is now open for the 36th annual City of Newport Beach Surf Championships which will be held on September 20 and 21 at the 54th/56th Street beach.
Salty Crew will return as this year’s sponsor.
The event is an amateur competition featuring divisions for surfers of all ages. Divisions include elementary school, middle school, high school, open men's (19+ years), Masters (30+ years), Legends (40+ years), Hall of Fame (50+ years) and Open Girls (all ages).
The deadline to pre-register is September 17 ($33 per entry). Day of registration ($38 per entry) will be limited based on available space.
Click here to register.
Watch a video of last year's event here.
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 This week, the City’s homeless outreach and response teams:
- Reconnected a person to permanent senior housing in another state after treatment at a skilled nursing facility.
- Enrolled three people into services.
- Continued to shelter people. Twenty people who had been experiencing homelessness in Newport Beach are sheltered in the Costa Mesa Bridge Shelter.
Click here to view the latest homeless dashboard, which includes key monthly and yearly data on the City's homeless response.
Click here for information on the City's Good Giving program.
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The next meeting of the Newport Beach City Council will be on Tuesday, September 9 at 4 p.m. The full agenda is available here.
Agenda items include:
- Adoption of the 2025 California Building Standards Codes with local amendments, the 2025 California Fire Code with local amendments, and the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface with local amendments. Following a public hearing, the City Council will consider the updated codes to align with the 2025 California Building Standards, which take effect statewide on January 1, 2026. These codes, updated every three years by the State, set minimum safety and design requirements for construction. The proposed amendments are designed to address local geographic, topographic and climatic conditions.
- A decision on whether to override a determination by the Orange County Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC), related to the proposed Snug Harbor Surf Park project. The proposed project would redevelop part of the privately owned Newport Beach Golf Course into a recreation facility with surf lagoons, a clubhouse, and related amenities. ALUC recently determined that the project was inconsistent with the John Wayne Airport Land Use Plan. Overriding ALUC’s finding would allow the City of Newport Beach to continue reviewing the project while formally notifying ALUC and the State of the decision. This action would not approve the Snug Harbor project, but would allow for further review and future consideration by the City Council.
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Appointment of five new members to the City's Aviation Committee. Earlier this year, the City Council updated the committee’s structure and invited Newport Beach residents to apply. A Council Ad Hoc committee reviewed all applications and conducted interviews based on the qualifications and expertise of the applicants. Of 23 applicants, 10 finalists were nominated and five will be selected by the City Council to serve on the committee. The appointments will begin July 1, 2025, with two members serving initial two-year terms and up to three members serving four-year terms. The Aviation Committee advises the City on airport-related issues affecting Newport Beach.
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