Newport Beach voters have rejected Measure H, a local ballot initiative that sought to significantly reduce the city’s planned housing allocations, as Voice of OC reported. Early election returns updated at 1:36 a.m. Wednesday showed 67.36% of voters opposing the measure, with 32.64% voting in favor.
Out of 27,022 total votes counted by that time, 18,201 ballots were cast against the measure, while 8,821 ballots were cast in support of the proposed changes.
The citizen-sponsored initiative sought to alter the city's housing plan by cutting the overall number of required units while adjusting the income allocations assigned to future development. Specifically, Measure H aimed to slash the city’s overall zoned capacity down to 2,900 units. Under the proposed measure, 2,160 of those units would have been allocated for extremely low-income to low-income households, alongside 740 units designated for moderate-income housing.
By contrast, the city’s existing housing plan currently accounts for 4,845 total units. That existing city structure breaks down into 1,456 units set aside for very low-income households, 930 units for low-income households, 1,050 units for moderate-income households, and 1,409 units intended for above moderate-income housing development. A no vote on the ballot maintains this current plan, while a yes vote supported the proposed reductions.
Every eight years, the state of California calculates and assigns a specific count of housing units that each local municipality must accommodate within its planning documents to combat the statewide housing shortage. Cities that fail to comply with these housing mandates risk facing state regulatory intervention and legal penalties.
The campaign behind Measure H was primarily financed by local developer Ken Picerne. Supporters of the measure, including former Newport Beach Mayor Marshall Duffield and the community organization Still Protecting Our Newport, argued that lowering the city's planned housing totals was necessary to prevent unwanted overdevelopment and mitigate local traffic congestion.
Conversely, opponents of the ballot measure warned that reducing the city's planned totals would place Newport Beach directly out of compliance with state regulations. Opponents including Newport Beach City Councilmembers Noah Blom, Michelle Barto, and Sara Weber argued that passing the measure would trigger an outright denial of the city’s housing plan by state regulators. They noted that such a denial would expose Newport Beach to costly state penalties similar to those experienced by neighboring Orange County jurisdictions, such as Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa.
Because the early vote tallies show a clear majority voting against Measure H, Newport Beach's current housing plan allocating 4,845 units across four income tiers remains in effect.
