Countdown to 2000: Politics

Noaki Schwartz

The local Newport-Mesa political scene during the 1950s took place against the larger backdrop of the Korean War and the sweeping

anti-Communist sentiment of McCarthyism.

During a trip through Costa Mesa, GOP Congressman Richard Nixon was

especially critical of the war and said “nobody was going to win the next

war.” About the same time, legislation requiring local Communist party

members to register with authorities was proposed.

As Newport-Mesa moved into the 1950s and became a prosperous area,

prohibition and gambling, which had encouraged a certain atmosphere, came

to an end. As a result, a new type of citizen and government were

required -- a more progressive and accountable administration.

The political atmosphere -- both nationally and locally -- was

conservative. And 1953 really reflected this trend. That was the year

Costa Mesa was incorporated; the Young Republicans of Orange County

expanded to add Costa Mesa to their fold; and the city council restricted

firearms and created an uproar when it licensed frivolous pinball

machines.

As it was in the ‘40s, many of the events that shaped the local political

atmosphere of the 1950s mirror some of the events occurring today. There

was an annexation issue between the two cities. Residents in the area

voted overwhelmingly to become part of Newport Beach.

However, despite the conservative atmosphere, the decade was also when

Newport elected its first woman mayor. Jim Stewart, an aggressive

Presbyterian minister, promoted Dora Hill as the city’s next mayor. Known

as a strong and capable woman, she spearheaded the idea of creating a new

city charter, which led to the organization of the present-day city

government.

Under this charter, the size of the city council increased and each

candidate was nominated from various parts of the city, allowing for

equal representation.

Sources:

Costa Mesa Globe-Herald; “Newport Beach: The First Century, 1888-1988,”

James P. Felton, ed.; “A Slice of Orange: The History of Costa Mesa,”

Edrick J. Miller, 1970.