Joe Stapleton, Erik Weigand and Lauren Kleiman have maintained their leads since the close of polls Tuesday and appear poised for second terms on the Newport Beach City Council.
Councilmember Robyn Grant already secured her return with no challenger in District 4.
Tina Babajanians jumped into the District 1 race, attempting to unseat incumbent Stapleton, but he continued to lead with nearly 70% of the vote as of Thursday night’s update of ballot counting in Orange County.
In District 3, incumbent Weigand faced challenges from Walter Stahr and Tim Stoaks, but on Thursday he comfortably led his two opponents with 59% of the vote.
And incumbent Kleiman remained ahead on Thursday, with almost 56% of the vote in District 6, over challenger Andrew Gerken.
At the same time, Measure H, a resident-sponsored initiative dealing with housing development, appears headed for failure with more than 67% of voters opposed.
Stapleton attributed his success to him showing up and communicating actively with residents.
“We broke the record in fundraising and knocked on a lot of doors and talked to the people,” he said. “I think people enjoyed that.”
Along with thanking residents for giving him more time on the council, he also thanked his family, volunteers, “and everyone who believed in the promise to keep Newport, Newport.”
He said he will now focus on finishing Fire Station 1, delivering a passive park at Lower Castaways, continuing to pay down the city’s pension liability, protecting the airport settlement agreement, and restoring the city’s beaches.
“I’m grateful for the trust the community has placed in me,” he said.
Weigand said he is also honored by the response he got from voters.
“I’m honored that Newport Beach voters looked past the noise to recognize the hard work that me and my colleagues have delivered over the past four years,” he said. “I’m committed to ensuring Newport Beach remains safe and free from overreaching state policies that threaten our local control.”
Weigand acknowledged there will be challenges ahead but promised to work hard for the community while delivering results.
Kleiman credited her success with running on her record.
“I have worked tirelessly to protect the safety and quality of life we covet in Newport Beach,” she said. “I am grateful for the confidence of the voters and the support of residents, business owners, police and firefighters.”
Mostly, she said, she is looking forward to putting the “needless division and negativity of this election cycle” behind and focusing on preparing and protecting the community from continued El Niño impacts predicted to hit the Orange County coastline hard on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Newport Beach councilmembers represent seven geographic districts, but all voters elect them. All three incumbents first joined the council in 2022.
Also on the ballot for voters in Newport Beach was Measure H.
Sponsored by the Newport Beach Stewardship Association, the measure proposed reducing the number of units the city includes in its state-mandated housing element by 65%.
The housing plan the City Council adopted in July 2024, and the state later approved, envisions 8,174 new housing units in Newport Beach. The city isn’t expected to build those units, just to have zoning and planning in place for their development.
Sponsors of the initiative say the number should be reduced to 2,900 units to meet the state’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation across the five areas where city officials have proposed developments would best go.
Three council members penned arguments against the measure ahead of the election, saying it was asking voters to discard “years of professional planning and public input in favor of a ballot-box rewrite” and could put the city at odds with the state.
Another three measures sponsored by the Newport Beach Stewardship Association had been ordered by an Orange County Superior Court judge to appear before voters as part of a special city election to also be held on Tuesday at the same time, but administered separately, as the general election. But the city announced in late October that it lacked the necessary voter information from the Orange County Registrar of Voters and the state to proceed with a viable election.
City Manager Seimone Jurjis said Thursday that a new court date has not been set.
The OC Registrar of Voters will update results of vote counting in Orange County daily, except on weekends, at 5 p.m. until the process is complete.