Festival of Chefs 2024. Photo by Chris Trela Talented chefs from throughout Orange County including Newport Beach, along with other popular food service providers plus wine and libation sponsors, are set to participate in the 2025 edition of the Annual Festival of Chefs on Sunday, July 27 on the spacious Read More
Pacific Symphony musicians are well versed in classical music, and many of them play on motion picture soundtracks, which may be why they seem to love the pops and summer concerts that frequently dive into music from the movies. Sometimes the Pacific Symphony goes a step further and hosts evenings Read More
Diane Dixon Assemblymember Diane Dixon (R-Newport Beach) presented Assembly Bill 349 in the Senate Human Services Committee on June 30. The bill passed with unanimous support. “This is my third year authoring a bill to add the infant supplemental payment to California Necessities Index,” said Assemblymember Dixon. “It is a Read More
After a 30-year career in local government, Newport Beach City Manager Grace K. Leung has announced that she plans to retire in late December 2025. Leung has served as Newport Beach’s city manager since September 2018, guiding the City of Newport Beach through a period of fiscal stability, strategic infrastructure Read More
Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager By Grace Leung, Newport Beach City Manager During the past few months, the Newport Beach Police Department has made Oceanfront Boardwalk safety a top priority in response to concerns about unsafe behavior, and violations of speed limits and other boardwalk regulations. Under the direction Read More
2023 Flight of Newport. Photo by Jim Collins Newport Harbor is filled with boats of all sizes on sunny summer weekends, but on Sunday, July 13, you’ll see even more sailboats than usual when the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce (with assistance from the Balboa Yacht Read More
Raccoonbot Suspended above Los Trancos Creek on a cable line and powered by the sun, RaccoonBot, a solar-powered, bio-inspired robot, has officially arrived at Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach. This innovative technology is the product of a collaboration between Crystal Cove Conservancy and UC Irvine’s Robot Ecology Lab, Read More
California Biennial 2025 art. Photo by Chris Trela The Orange County Museum of Art is desperate. And scared. But social. “Desperate, Scared But Social” is the name of a 1995 album by riot grrrl band Emily’s Sassy Lime, and it’s the title of OCMA’s 2025 California Biennial, which explores the Read More
The Linda Lindas perform at the OCMA opening night biennial party. Photo by Zoe Luczaj By Zoe Luczaj | NB Indy Arts Columnist Who says museums have to be quiet? The Orange County Museum of Art’s 2025 Biennial opened on Saturday, June 21 with a roar. OCMA kicked off their Read More
Newport Beach Independent editor Christopher Trela won three awards at the OC Press Club Excellence in Journalism Awards Winners of the Orange County Press Club’s 2025 Excellence in Journalism Awards were announced on June 18, 2025. At the event, regular Newport Beach Independent contributor Richrd Simon won second place for Read More
