Newport Beach residents in District 1 can attend a town hall meeting on Monday, Sept. 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Marina Park Community Center, 1600 W. Balboa Blvd.

The event appears on the city's official online calendar. No agenda or list of topics has been published.

The town hall comes as District 1 heads toward a contested race on the Tuesday, Nov. 3 ballot. Council member Joe Stapleton, who represents the district, faces challenger Tina Babajanians, according to a Speak Up Newport candidates forum listing.

Three other council seats are also on the November ballot: District 3, held by Council member Erik Weigand; District 4, held by Council member Robyn Grant; and District 6, held by Mayor Lauren Kleiman.

District 1 residents have already had two chances to hear from candidates. The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce held a candidates forum on Sept. 3 at Witte Hall. Speak Up Newport hosted a separate forum on Sept. 9 at the Civic Center Community Room, with a reception at 5:15 p.m. and the program broadcast on Zoom.

Stapleton has signaled a willingness to engage residents on contentious issues. In a written statement in July following the July 4 Peninsula disturbance, he said he was "committed to working with our public safety personnel, residents, businesses and major stakeholders to plan for 2027 and beyond to ensure this doesn't happen again."

The town hall also falls during a charged stretch for city politics. On Aug. 27, Orange County Superior Court Judge Julianne Bancroft ordered the city to place three citizen-sponsored charter amendment initiatives on the November ballot. Bancroft found the City Council had "abused its discretion" by voting on Aug. 25 to push the measures to 2028 instead, Stu News Newport reported.

The three initiatives would require greater transparency in public meetings and records, impose a lifetime two-term limit on council members and mandate that council members be elected only by voters in their own district.

Five council members, including Stapleton, voted on Aug. 25 to delay the measures. Council members Grant and Michelle Barto voted against that delay.

The city calendar listing does not name a host for the town hall or specify whether elected officials will take questions from the public. Marina Park Community Center sits on the Balboa Peninsula within District 1 boundaries.