Political Landscape: Lincoln Club supports Dixon in council bid
The Lincoln Club of Orange County has thrown its support behind businesswoman Diane Dixon‘s bid for the Newport Beach City Council, according to a news release.
She is running to replace Councilman Mike Henn in the District 1 council seat after he is termed out. The contest for the Balboa Peninsula-area post also includes Michael Glenn, who owns a technology company. Harbor Commissioner Joe Stapleton recently withdrew.
With that nod, Dixon becomes the first and only Newport Beach council candidate to earn the conservative organization’s endorsement so far this year, according to the release.
“Diane Dixon is an experienced, articulate and savvy woman,” Kerry Reynolds said in a statement from the club. “She knows that what works best for all Americans is a government that supports the dreams and aspirations of its citizens and doesn’t get in their way with large government control and onerous taxation and regulation.”
Dixon, who is the sister of Costa Mesa Councilwoman Wendy Leece, said in the release that she is delighted and honored to have earned the club’s support.
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Curry picks up endorsements
Newport Beach City Councilman Keith Curry has gathered endorsements from state Assembly members who support his bid to become one of their colleagues.
Assemblywomen Kristin Olsen (R-Modesto), who was recently chosen to be the next Assembly minority leader, and Melissa Melendez (R-Lake Elsinore) both have endorsed the former Newport mayor.
“I’m proud to have the support of these Assembly leaders,” Curry said in a news release. “I look forward to being part of the Republican Assembly Caucus team working with them for economic growth and prosperity for California.”
Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) also endorsed Curry, according to a separate news release.
Curry, Royce said in the release, “is a proven leader” who “will fight to protect Prop. 13 and ... is committed to reforming state spending.”
Curry earned a spot in the November runoff for the 74th Assembly District, narrowly edging out Huntington Beach Mayor Matt Harper as the top vote-getter in the June primary.
Assemblyman Allan Mansoor (R-Costa Mesa) currently represents the district but is making a run for Orange County supervisor. The Assembly district includes Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna Woods, Laguna Beach and portions of Huntington Beach and Irvine.
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Curry favors Steel for supervisor
Curry, meanwhile, has endorsed Mansoor’s opponent, Michelle Steel for the Board of Supervisors’ 2nd District, according to a news release from Steel’s campaign.
In a statement, Curry called Steel, a state Board of Equalization member, “an advocate for taxpayers.”
“She has my full support,” he said in the statement.
Steel earned almost 48% of the June primary vote for the seat, which will be vacated by termed-out Supervisor John Moorlach. Still, that was not enough to avoid a runoff against Mansoor, the second-place contender.
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Newport Beach council races heat up
Three former Newport Beach mayors have endorsed Planning Commissioner Tim Brown for the City Council, a news release from his campaign said.
Former Mayor Evelyn Hart, as well as current council members Mike Henn and Nancy Gardner, support Brown’s bid to replace District 4 Councilwoman Leslie Daigle, who will be termed out. The district encompasses the Eastbluff area.
“His passion for the welfare of our city and its residents is extraordinary,” Henn said of Brown in the statement. “I know Tim to be fiscally conservative, a strong supporter of real property rights and an advocate for business interests.”
Brown, who has previously served on a number of city committees and has chaired the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors, will face off in November against attorney Kevin Muldoon and fight promoter Roy Englebrecht.
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Katrina Foley, a Newport-Mesa Unified School District trustee, announced on Twitter that she endorses Charlene Metoyer to take her spot as the Area 2 board member.
Metoyer has been a parent, teacher and administrator in the district, retiring from a term as Harbor View Elementary School’s principal in 2012. She has also served as president of the Newport-Mesa Administrators Assn.
“I am supporting former NMUSD Principal Charlene Metoyer to replace me on the school board,” Foley tweeted Tuesday. “I hope you will too!”
Foley is leaving the post to run for the Costa Mesa City Council.