City of Newport Beach
Aaron Harp was appointed city attorney for Newport Beach in 2011, having previously served as its assistant city attorney from 2005 to 2009.
Prior to joining Newport Beach, Aaron worked as the senior assistant city attorney for the City of Anaheim, deputy city attorney for the City of San Diego, and at the law firms Aleshire & Wynder, LLP and Burke, Williams & Sorensen, LLP. His career has been devoted to the representation of municipalities. Having represented municipalities in an outside counsel capacity as well as in-house, Aaron plays an integral role in ensuring that the City is receiving quality legal advice in a cost-effective manner.
As the City’s chief legal advisor, Aaron oversees the provision of legal advice and services to the City Council, City staff, boards, commissions and committees through preparation of ordinances, resolutions, contracts and legal opinions relating to land use, public safety and other municipal law matters. As prosecutor for the City, Aaron and the City Attorney’s Office protect the health, safety and welfare of the public through the effective prosecution of violations of the Charter and Municipal Code. The City Attorney’s Office also represents the City, its officers and staff in civil litigation matters and manages the legal services provided to the City by outside legal counsel.
Aaron holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from San Diego State University and a Juris Doctorate from the University of San Diego.
This person is not in any offices
City of Newport Beach
The City of Newport Beach operates under a Council-Manager form of government. Its seven City Council Members are elected by district, but are voted on by the population as a whole and are responsible for policy-making, passing local ordinances, adopting the budget, appointing committees and hiring the City Manager, City Attorney, and City Clerk. The City has approximately 725 full-time employees and hundreds of part-time and seasonal employees. Newport Beach is located in the coastal center of Orange County, with Los Angeles County to the north and San Diego County to the south. It has an estimated permanent population of 86,738, but during the summer months, the population grows to more than 100,000 with 20,000 to 100,000 tourists daily. The city is known for its fine residential areas, modern shopping facilities, strong business community and quality school system. It surrounds Newport Bay where more than 9,000 boats of all types are docked within the 21-square-mile harbor area. The bay area and the City’s eight miles of ocean beach offer outstanding fishing, swimming, surfing, and aquatic sports activities.