Collaboration

SPON is committed to collaboration with the City Council, City staff, community leaders and other advocacy group in Newport Beach.

To help guide the affairs of the City, the City Council has established committees and commissions. To keep our residents informed, SPON members attend many committee and commission meetings, particularly when issues that would have a significant impact are being discussed.

SPON members have been very involved in crafting the City’s General Plan. This is the base document that guides the City’s actions. Newport Beach’s General Plan has not been updated since 2006. The general plan is traditionally updated very 15-20 years. You will often hear, “It’s not in the General Plan”, or, “It is not consistent with the Plan.” The importance of this document should not be underestimated. It is the visionary roadmap for the future of the City.

Collaboration with community groups, homeowner associations, the City, and the County of Orange serves to further inform and educate our membership. This is accomplished through the publication of SPON Newsletters, social media and our Annual SPON Membership Meeting.

Initiatives/Achievements

City Meetings - SPON currently has a seat on the Aviation Committee and the Finance Committee. SPON members attend meetings of the Tidelands Water Quality Committee, the Planning Commission, the Arts Foundation and the Arts Commission.

General Plan Update -SPON is engaged in numerous efforts to help craft the revised Newport Beach General Plan. Several SPON members have been selected to serve on the 2023 General Plan Advisory Committee.

Housing Trust - One of the most recent accomplishments has been the collaboration between members of SPON, and hotel owners resulting in the formation of the Newport Beach Housing Trust.

No on Measure B - SPON took an “oppose” position on Measure B (directly elected mayor). This Measure would have given the mayor additional powers, and changed the governance of our City.

Televised Planning Commission Meetings - In February of 2017, the City Council recognized the value of keeping a publicly accessible video archive of Planning Commission Meetings, and voted to take over the responsibility for recording and posting these metings. This represents a critically important opportunity for residents to be kept aware of, and understand, projects that are being proposed.

Outreach - SPON maintains a robust website, posts frequently to Facebook and Instagram, and sends timely, topical electronic newsletters.