Countdown to 2000: Politics

Greg Risling

As the Newport-Mesa area continued to expand at an exponential rate

during the 1970s, the issue that far and away took precedence was

preserving the environment.

Whether it was those at the grass-roots level or those who had political

clout, the development of Newport-Mesa was a heated battle.

Because both Newport Beach and Costa Mesa were changing their looks from

towns to cities, keeping natural resources was a high priority. With the

formation of groups such as Stop Polluting Our Newport (SPON) and the

Friends of Newport Bay, residents fought to keep the environment safe and

clean.

The first indication that upstarts could overthrow their well-established

political counterparts was in 1972 when dark horse candidate Paul Ryckoff

defeated incumbent mayor Ed Hirth for the Newport Beach mayor position.

Ryckoff, who supported low density and traffic control, was joined by

former Friends president Ray Williams four years later. Candidates backed

by SPON eventually were elected into office in 1978.

Residents had plenty of resources to defend. From Crystal Cove to Upper

Newport Bay, residents were ready for a political fight. A group known as

the Freeway Fighters successfully lobbied to stop Pacific Coast Highway

from destroying some of the best views on Kings Road and Cliff Drive. A

proposition was put on the ballot and it was rescinded by an overwhelming

84% of the voters.

Sue Ficker helped educate the City Council about illegal dumping into the

lower bay. She watched people pour garbage and other contaminants into

the water. Eventual council action to safeguard the bay and other

measures were done thanks to Ficker’s determination.

The preservation of the coastline between Newport and Laguna beaches was

also vitally important. A six-year process was started in 1973 to

identify a coastal plan that best suited that area. The major sticking

point, after the plan was presented to county and state officials, was

the amount of land set aside for open space.

In February 1979, a state commission met and deadlocked on the plan’s

recommendation to keep a majority of the land as open space. At the end

of the year, the state acquired Crystal Cove State Park, although it

would be another two years before a new plan laying out the 10,000-acre

coastland would be revised.

Sources:

The Daily Pilot; “Newport Beach: The First Century, 1888-1988,” James P.

Felton, 1981.