Newport Beach may dump state mandate as residents prep to vote on plan for far fewer housing units

Listen 0:42 Newport Beach will ask voters to toss a state approved housing plan. Here's what to know Newport Beach residents will vote on whether to throw out a state approved housing plan in favor of far fewer homes in 2026. City leaders have put the Responsible Housing Initiative on the ballot. LAist's Yusra Farzan explains.

Newport Beach voters will decide if they want to replace a state-approved housing plan with one that allows for far fewer new homes in 2026.

Proponents of the plan, called the Responsible Housing Initiative, say the current plan will make the city overcrowded and negatively affect quality of life.

“This isn’t downtown Los Angeles,” said Charles Klobe, president of Still Protecting Our Newport, which backs the Responsible Housing Initiative.

Last week, city