Newport Beach cancels court-ordered election on three initiatives

Newport Beach officials announced Friday that a court-ordered Nov. 3 special election on three city governance initiatives would not proceed, citing missing ballot-printing authorization, security materials and voter information, according to Voice of OC. The regular general election remains unaffected.

The cancellation means Newport Beach voters will not consider proposals on city hall transparency, council term limits and district elections in the scheduled special election. It follows a judge’s finding that city leaders abused their discretion to delay the initiatives, Voice of OC reported.

According to Voice of OC, disputes and delays over qualifying the initiatives caused the city to miss the deadline for placing them on the general-election ballot. Orange County Registrar of Voters Bob Page declined to add the late measures.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Julianne Bancroft then ordered Newport Beach to conduct a separate election on the same day. Bancroft found that the city’s legal challenges could amount to obstruction and that city leaders had abused their discretion to delay the measures, the publication reported. City leaders repeatedly sought court action to cancel the special election.

In a Friday news release, city spokesperson Georgia Rios said the ballot printer lacked authorization from the California Secretary of State and the watermark and color tint needed for ballot security, according to Voice of OC. The city also said it had not received confidential voter information it needed from the county registrar.

City officials said election professionals determined the special election could not proceed. Page had said that helping administer it would take resources away from his responsibility for the countywide general election, Voice of OC reported.

Local developer Ken Picerne financed signature collection and advertising for all three initiatives, according to the publication. The proposals concerned transparency at city hall, limits on council members’ terms and a move to district elections.

The regular Nov. 3 ballot still includes four city council races and Measure H, according to Voice of OC. The publication describes Measure H as reducing the amount of new housing coming to Newport Beach.