Newport Beach's four open City Council seats are drawing serious money, and newly released campaign disclosure forms show just how unevenly it's flowing. District 3 candidate Walter Stahr has collected more than $215,000 in contributions this year and already spent nearly $60,000, while District 1 incumbent Joe Stapleton's campaign reported raising just under $80,000 in 2026 despite an earlier announcement of a much larger haul. Eight candidates in all are vying for four seats across four districts, with the races set to appear on a separate statewide ballot on Nov. 3.
The latest numbers, covering filings released Sept. 24, come from the Los Angeles Times, which reported that Districts 1, 3, 4 and 6 are up for grabs this cycle. Newport Beach uses a hybrid system in which district council seats are elected citywide, meaning every voter in the city will weigh in on all four contests even though candidates run within specific districts.
Stapleton's Big Number Gets Complicated
Stapleton, who represents District 1, covering the Balboa Peninsula and West Newport, made headlines in June when his campaign announced a “record-breaking” fundraising total topping $380,000, according to the same Times report. But the newly filed disclosures tell a narrower story for this calendar year alone: just under $80,000 raised in 2026, including $9,600 collected between July 1 and Sept. 19. His campaign reported about $190,000 remaining in the bank as of that September date.
Businesswoman Tina Babajanians has filed to run against Stapleton but has not yet reported receiving any contributions, per the Times. Stapleton has also drawn support from former Assemblyman Scott Baugh, the paper noted, though the filings do not detail the size or timing of that backing.
District 3 Turns Into a Three-Way Money Fight
The most expensive race on paper is shaping up in District 3, which covers Santa Ana Heights, Dover Shores and Castaways. Incumbent Erik Weigand, a Republican, is being challenged by two fellow Republicans, Stahr and Tim Stoaks. Weigand's campaign raised roughly $78,000 through Sept. 19 and has almost $65,000 on hand, the station's report notes, with $8,000 of that total coming from transferred money tied to his wife's 2024 school board campaign and his own prior water board bid.
Stahr, an author and historian, has loaned his own campaign $65,000 and raised more than $100,000 since July alone, with contributions coming mostly from people residing in Newport Beach, per the same account. Stoaks, by contrast, has loaned himself just $2,000 and collected only $2,600 from three contributors, a far thinner showing than either of his rivals.
An Uncontested Run in District 4
Robyn Grant, who represents Eastbluff, is running unopposed in District 4 but will still appear on the ballot. Her campaign has raised about $68,000 in 2026 and has roughly $160,000 remaining, including $6,000 spent on print ads between July 1 and Sept. 19, the article notes. Grant has also received contributions from District 6 candidate Dr. Andy Gerken, though the exact amount of that donation was not detailed in the filings.
District 6's Partisan Split and Outside Money
District 6, which represents Corona del Mar residents, pits Mayor and incumbent Lauren Kleiman, a Republican, against Gerken, described by the Los Angeles Times as the sole Democrat running for Newport Beach City Council. Kleiman's campaign has raised more than $100,000 in 2026 and reported about $157,000 on hand, after loaning herself $2,800. Her fundraising slowed to about $4,000 between July 1 and Sept. 19, but she received a late boost on Sept. 27 when the Republican Party of Orange County contributed $12,000 to her campaign.
Gerken's campaign received about $132,000 from individual contributors in 2026 and reported spending most of that sum, leaving roughly $45,000 on hand. He has also loaned himself $21,000. Earlier in the year, Gerken and Stahr each contributed $1,500 to the other's campaign, three weeks apart in April and May, according to The Newport Record, an unusual cross-district exchange between candidates not competing for the same seat.
At a Sept. 3 candidate forum, the same outlet reported that Gerken was the only candidate to voice support for residential rent control, holding up a green card marked yes while five other candidates opposed it. The split underscored how Gerken stands apart from the field both in party affiliation and on at least one policy question.
What Comes Next for Voters
Newport Beach voters will ultimately decide which candidates fill the four council seats, with the city also organizing a court-ordered special election on three ballot measures, according to the Times. California law requires campaign disclosure statements from local candidates, officeholders and committees on a regular filing schedule, according to the Newport Beach City Clerk, and the city has made new filings accessible through its NetFile system since January 2019.
