HomeMy WebLinkAbout00 - Presentation - History of Mayor Dora HillMayor Dora Hill
Newport Beach's first woman mayor and
the unlikely architect of the city's modern government
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Grandmother and
community
volunteer
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Lido Isle resident; grandmother of 3; PTA, Hoag Hospital, Newport Harbor Assistance League
and church volunteer
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A4 TSe REGISTER 5aww Am Ca'; P-lov" Marc"
Newport's First Woman Council
Candidate Files For Election
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1 LES ISBEL HANS BROERINO MS. EDOAR HULL
;oe Woman, Two Men Seize Newport
Wo
melSeats, One Proposition Passes
al NEWPORT BEACH— A Lido, Newport attorney, 552; Richard or or not to place a trash and
nd Isla resident, the first woman to'Hilliard, Corona del Mar insurance garbage tax would be imposed,
to file in the city for a council post, agent, 269; and A. B. Cubbage, was defeated by an overwhelming
and and Hans Broering Jr. of Balboa who had withdrawn from the race
?re Island, seized the two city coun-,but whose name, by necessity, vote of 2,640 to 798.
vd cil posts during yesterday's elec- was left on the ballot. 226. Only proposition favored by the
tion, leaving a veteran incumbent Three of four propositions on the majority of voters was that pro•
ate holding the third -place spot, ballot were defeated. viding that all future oil drilling
,aa htrs. Dora Hill, 54-yearold grand The first, on whether a library expansion activities in N e wport
ey. mother, active for several 'years tax amounting to one cent per tax• shall be put up to a vote by the
te, in civic school and church activi- able dollar shottid be imposed, was People•
at: ties In the Harbor area, swept into defeated 1.901 to 1,446. The tally was 2,098 tor, .and 1,286
,y. office with 2,665 votes. The proposition on whether or against.
No Broering, A automobile serv- not to increase the tax from three There were 36 precinct voting _
m.lice station operator, took out thelto 10 cents per tax dollar for pub- polls and election officials termed
ier pre -election (pvorite, Less Isbell,Illic parks was defeated 2,093 to voting "comparatively light."*
,e-Imcuin nt, by a majority of 4361,306- I The two new council members'
votes, tallying 1.804 votes to Is- The increase proposal was de•will take office after being sworn)
a), bell's 1,368. sifned to provide $47.000 on the in at an adjourned meeting of the
u,l Other candidates and their num-;'early budget for parks. (council at 4 p. in. Tuesday in City
ber of votes were Max Sturges,1 The third proposition, on wheth• Hall.
ppoinrea
mayor
in
7
AC/I
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NFL NAMED MAY
TUC thsWAN
Am J.deprwda+u NtwiPaPr
carrinp the entlre '
klarhor Area
e � R � / fJ lL T. df�II. � tlsl [-`4R0lfa btL �aL � 7M LL7! tJf MiRKiLt 1�hL� GWLa. s CLZ�f3 TOL i—.A0. tL
New'Mesa Mayor
('lalfr N.Mon w .. rlrned•
mayor td the -lily rd f-o.ta mean
by the CMa Mraa City Cou wO
:.t m-n T11..day. -hrn ro wll-
mrn mn Yn Ihr Yr.rpww Brash'
l Ju,u nY coon lu canvas h.l ku
of Rho April 11 My elrrrlon.
Child.,TrWlnkle. the rNy'a
A
_
fln�l reuyry,r- rominswd "r Ifrk-
-1 •^ faf 11W pdwllwn. with {•oun-
m
cilan Brut ian lin rsont. -
the 1ri llnn. W. M AIn .�.
j reeled mayor pro trmpwo
ah+r In the a6n Ke of fla)*,r
NNsnn. 6cth s r rlrrtrd unani
rquluy
Arlie Sw.rt# we* re.pp.I.lyd
City clerk. W. C Rim lrappolnird
IIOi _ ^te a Now,, Qd 08 C" at amplaw* manch city treasurer and fkmald bun.
tan n.ppolmed cYly attorney.
W. &--arts Wrsided mAn I I ab-
`Unfair'
Bal Week-m
n
kww
Stories Protested aor.� r�,l
I A rrs.11urinn wa• ar+lrrrd
�dra�n rv.mmrn Ai nJf fir Miller
M Urat Hill, rM ""*.I
weMldrr a Ire..port saaHN
OKYrd ro YW following the can
VOR of ro W`11 .Iretlon bolkAs
TO —day aftnrra,n.
counrylman Nan. Ibnrrine,
who waa vlomed wlfa mm Kw
In lap work'% lars"Ide %.C.t.
plarrd err name In ncarrinatlan.
am wizoinft Mayor Norman
Wlller ar ndrd tnr ala —.
"It it an honor and pnvylrae
and an otlis.lion to ae reJr[lyd
+ rrprF M.rlw a I le lvm
sunny .�n IhLL C"—kl .nd M
hun.w yn M- vin led by my M-
JMXY do Ih1F .4"IM - Ihr new
"'I" NIA as the "'11 fno
,aaYr.
'The 'liter!•• •.d-ritale all
the n,m,rlt+oily wJIJ b Rlvm
ANI and .n11n�ll,r
J +erk4 f..r each myxlf .nd
_tli aj,lrs Ihr rnnruracr,
mrnf and undee.l.ndlnt id rhr
citiarw and r mpeew -lily deep
jratleddr for Ihr trt n plarwf in
lrlr 11 u II1nh humnlinj and
CharknWrnt .
FAw adyournrA t1w M-4ind
%free -Qn rw&nK 1h+1 ahr will
makr .Ilmmillre appnlhrffwrrfa
err ITT rbOcJi.AnwTwN
F—t enteral arf A tk. .
mam .t 1ir.prn ai-rh- Ha
1dggr WaL T h� al a
F- Icwtl d-Lara1..t um
k m rnhLc Schaal% W.rL
A trlr rrral repuiar Cau:..
�rl. whK+ will 1. owe 51.::AaY
ryrthlnt Re i;31
5l nrry .ia valid aWlater trl
Into seer c.at durult ear n.
caxa .d tar •vet Mrs Jr111 vas
Ih— d•-o-v.14 M.If Itww 96 mat
"Progress brings changes and also brought
Newport Beach its first lady mayoress. Her
pictures never do justice to the soft impeachment
of sparkling eyes, petal -toned cheeks and alluring
lines. "
—S.A. Meyer, publisher of the Newport News
"She combines
mayor duties and
housework."
+A
—Los Angeles Times 1954 profile
harter
passe
City manager form of government, voting by district
4P
Unleashed oth
reTorm
V, row
She also engineered the firing of the corrupt city manager and police chief, took away
elected positions (city clerk and treasurer), and ordered a salary survey to put Newport
Beach employee pay inline with other cities
Dora Hill:
Bal Week killer
Each year, 35,000 spring breakers swamped Newport Beach, population 17,000
Tough new city'
ordinance
cracked down on
spring breakers
Landlords needed to register all guests, minors needed permission slips from parents, 35
reserve police officers hired, and roadblocks set up. All this sparked a recall campaign.
Dora Hill stepped
down from the
council in 1958
after four years t
as mayor
In 1960, she became the first woman foreperson of the Orange County Grand Jury. She
continued to do volunteer work for two more decades before passing away in 1983 at age 83.
��WP�Rr 100 Civic Center Drive
o ,3 Newport Beach, California 92660
a `I 949 644-3004 1949 644-3039 FAX
} newportbeachca.gov
v
n
C'4C/FOFLV::
Mayor June 27, 2025
Joe Stapleton
Mayor Pro Tern
BIII Lobdell
Lauren Kleiman
17 Canyon Crest Drive
Council Members
er
Michelle Barto
Corona del Mar, CA 92625
Noah Blom
Robyn Grant
Sara Weber
Dear Mr. Lobdell,
Erik Kenneth Weigand
On behalf of the City Council and our entire community, I want to thank you for yet
another outstanding presentation —this time highlighting the remarkable story of
Dora Hill, our city's first female mayor.
Your continued commitment to sharing and preserving the history of our city is
deeply appreciated. Time and again, you've brought our past to life with clarity,
depth, and a genuine passion that resonates with all who listen. Your most recent
presentation was no exception —it was informative, engaging, and a powerful
reminder of the trailblazers who have shaped our community.
We are truly fortunate to benefit from your expertise and your generosity in sharing it
with us. Thank you for your ongoing contributions and for helping ensure that our
city's history remains a living, accessible part of our civic life and reminding us, once
again, that we have so many reasons to Celebrate Newport.
With sincere appreciation,
94 tq It
Joe Stapleton
Mayor