Newport Beach mayor accuses former councilman of deceptive campaign mailers; candidate responds

Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill claimed his name and image were used to deceive voters into thinking that he supported former Councilman Jeff Herdman’s campaign for City Council.

In a letter distributed to local news outlets and published on Facebook Oct. 15, O’Neill referred to two fliers that were mailed to voters by Herdman’s campaign. One includes a photo showing Herdman and O’Neill as well members of the City Council and Chamber of Commerce in front of the Balboa Island Museum. The picture was shot at an event recognizing the work of the museum’s founder, Shirley Pepys, and accompanied by a caption reading “Preserving our city’s special heritage.”

“If Mayor O’Neill chose to interpret that picture as an endorsement of me, that’s unfortunate,” Herdman told the Daily Pilot over the phone Tuesday. “That’s his interpretation. I have certainly not sought his endorsement and would not seek his endorsement.”

O’Neill is not seeking reelection. He accused Herdman of trying to “use the good will that I have in this community for his benefit” in his published letter. He went on to explicitly reiterate his endorsement of Herdman’s opponent, District 5 incumbent Noah Blom.

Another mailer attributed to Herdman’s campaign and described as deceptive by the mayor includes the statement : “I agree with Mayor Will O’Niel [sic] that there should be an election so that residents can vote on the housing plan!”

Herdman and O’Neill previously sat on council together, from 2016 to 2020. In recent months, they have been on opposing sides of discussions regarding the city’s housing element.

The City Council passed a raft of ordinances required to implement the housing element on July 23, bypassing a provision in the city’s charter requiring Newport Beach residents to approve land use decisions that may significantly increase development. Herdman was among over a dozen members of the community at that meeting — including other former council members and people who were part of the committee that helped develop the zoning plan — who spoke out against it and called on the city to bring the issue to voters.

“That’s the whole reason I’m running for City Council,” Herdman said. “The council, on July 23, took our right to vote away on our housing element.”

During that meeting, O’Neill went into detail about the years of public outreach and planning that went into developing the housing element, noting that many now against it had a hand in putting it together. He and other council members said the city needed to implement the plan to stay in compliance with California housing laws and prevent state officials from asserting authority over local zoning. He also attempted to counter specific claims made by speakers during public comment.

However, O’Neill was the only council member to abstain from voting on the housing element-related ordinances. In an interview with Stu News, he explained that he believed city charter section “423 requires a vote.” That appears to validate Herdman’s claim that they agree on at least one aspect of the issue, even if their opinions on the right course of action for Newport Beach conflict.

A flier mailed to Newport Beach voters by City Council candidate Jeff Herdman’s campaign was described as deceptive by the city’s mayor.

(Herdman for City Council, courtesy of Will O’Neill)