2026 CITIZENS OF THE YEAR
LARRY TUCKER and JILL-JOHNSON TUCKER

For more than three decades, Larry Tucker has demonstrated an enduring commitment to the City of Newport Beach through public service, civic leadership, and professional expertise. His extensive involvement with the City reflects a willingness to dedicate his time, knowledge, and experience to issues that have helped shape Newport Beach and its future.

Larry’s civic service includes more than a decade of direct involvement with the City’s planning and development efforts. From 1999 to 2006, and again from 2012 to 2015 he served as a Newport Beach Planning Commissioner, including three years as Chairman. In this role, Larry participated in the review and consideration of important planning and development matters affecting the community.

His service continued through several significant City initiatives. From 2008 to 2009, Larry served as Chairman of the City Hall Design Committee for the new City Hall and Park and Library Expansion. He also served as a member of the Charter Update Committee from 2009 to 2010, contributing his perspective to the City’s ongoing civic and governmental planning.

Larry brought his financial expertise to the City as a member of the Newport Beach Finance Committee from 2015 through 2021. His background in economics, accounting, law, and real estate provided a valuable foundation for his service on matters involving the City’s finances and long-term fiscal considerations.

Most recently, Larry served as Chairman of the Housing Element Update Advisory Committee from 2020 to 2021, participating in an important process addressing the City’s housing planning requirements as mandated by State law.

Larry’s professional career has also been closely connected to Newport Beach. Since 1991, he has worked as a real property investor and developer in Newport Beach, following a career in private law practice specializing in real estate law. Earlier in his career, he worked as a CPA with Price Waterhouse & Co.

Larry earned a B.A. in Economics from UCLA in 1970 and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Loyola University School of Law in 1975. He was admitted to the State Bar of California in 1975 at which time Larry enthusiastically relocated to Newport Beach.

Through decades of dedicated public service and professional involvement, Larry Tucker has contributed his expertise and leadership to the community he has called home for fifty years. His commitment to Newport Beach and his willingness to serve on behalf of the community exemplify the spirit of civic involvement celebrated by the Newport Beach Citizen of the Year Award. 

Jill Johnson-Tucker has devoted decades to serving the Newport Beach community, with a particular commitment to the Newport Beach Public Library, education, and the organizations that enrich the lives of local residents and families.

One of Jill’s most significant contributions has been her leadership in bringing Witte Hall to the Newport Beach Public Library. As Chair of the Newport Beach Public Library Foundation’s Beyond Books Capital Campaign, Jill helped create and lead the fundraising effort to secure $12 million in matching funds for this important public-private project. From 2019 through 2026, she worked with donors and community leaders to build support for the vision of a new library lecture hall and community gathering space.

Jill also chaired the Library Lecture Hall Design Committee from 2019 to 2024. She led the process of selecting the architectural firm and participated in reviewing the lecture hall’s interior and exterior design, audiovisual capabilities, and other elements of the landmark project.

Her commitment to the Newport Beach Public Library extends back many years. Jill served on the Newport Beach Public Library Board of Trustees from 2011 to 2019, including four terms as Board Chair. During her tenure, she helped oversee planning and study related to the potential development of an auditorium on the library property.

Jill’s dedication to education has also been reflected in her involvement with Newport Beach-area schools. At Sage Hill School, she served in a variety of Parent Council leadership roles, including Multicultural Fair Chair andFaculty Appreciation Co-Chair. She has also served in multiple volunteer leadership positions with the Harbor Day School Parent Association.

Beyond the library and local schools, Jill has dedicated more than two decades to fighting hunger in Orange County. She served on the Board of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, including as Vice Chair.  In 1992 she, along with Jennifer Van Bergh, co-founded Harvesters, a volunteer fundraising organization that generates more than $2 million in net revenue in a single afternoon to support hunger-relief efforts. Her service has been recognized with the Humanitarian Against Hunger Award and other honors for philanthropic leadership. She also supports the arts, and currently serves as Vice President of the Visionaries in Arts, supporting the UCI Langson Orange County Museum of Art.

A graduate of Trinity University and the USC Gould School of Law, where she was a member of law review, Jill practiced transactional real estate law with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher before devoting much of her time to community service, philanthropy, education, and the arts.

Through her leadership, generosity, and commitment to Newport Beach, Jill has helped create and strengthen institutions that will serve the community for generations to come—from the Newport Beach Public Library and its new Witte Hall lecture hall to local schools and organizations serving the broader community.

2026 BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR
JOHN POMER

A Sacramento native, John Pomer graduated from high school early before making his way to Southern California to attend California State University, Long Beach. Throughout college, John worked three to four jobs at a time—from lifeguarding and valet parking to sales—while spending his final college years in Newport Beach, where he began putting down roots in the community he would eventually call home.

After graduating, John began his career in commercial real estate in 2003. Over the next decade, he built his experience at a national commercial real estate firm, developing a deep understanding of the industry and the Southern California market. In 2014, John took an entrepreneurial leap, leaving the national platform to co-found Redwood West.

Today, John serves as Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Redwood West, a Newport Beach-based commercial real estate company built around a simple idea: great places help create great communities.

John has spent his career at the intersection of commercial real estate, business, and placemaking. At Redwood West, he helps lead the company alongside his partners, Ben Gott and Colby Cyburt, taking an active role in portfolio strategy while remaining closely connected to the details that shape how a property feels and functions.

Over the last 20 years, John has also been fortunate to participate in the evolution of Lido Marina Village, an experience that has helped shape his perspective on thoughtful placemaking. For John, the most enduring destinations are built over time—through strong relationships, local businesses, attention to detail, and a genuine connection to the surrounding community.

Newport Beach has been an important part of John’s life for more than two decades, and he believes calling the community home comes with a responsibility to show up for it. He has been involved with the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce and commodores club for more than 20 years and remains engaged with organizations and initiatives throughout Newport Beach and Orange County. His commitment to giving back extends beyond business and community involvement; John has also served as a bone marrow donor through the Be The Match program, donating to a patient at City of Hope.

For John, success isn’t measured solely by the properties you work on or the deals you complete. It’s measured by the relationships you build, the communities you strengthen, and whether you leave a place better than you found it.

Above all, John is a family man. He and his wife, Lindsay, purchased their first family home in Costa Mesa, and their two children, Charlie and Lucy, were born at Hoag Hospital. Today, their family calls Newport Beach home. The values John brings to Redwood West are the same ones that guide his life: work hard, stay loyal, take care of people, and leave things better than you found them.

Past Newport Beach Citizens of the Year

1949
Robert “Bob” Murphy

1950
Harry Welch

1951
Robert Callis

1952 Myford Irvine

1953
O.W. “Dick” Richards

1954
Dora O. Hill

1955
Joseph A. Beek

1956
Edward Milum, M.D.

1957
J.L. “Les” Steffensen | James “Jim” Edwards

1958
William “Bill” Spurgeon

1959
David Nielsen, M.D.

1960
Gerald Lynch

1961
Carroll Beek

1962
Paul A. Palmer

1963
Dr. Basil H. Peterson

1964
Robert Reed

1965
Isabel Pease

1966
Theodore Robins

1967
John Murdy

1968
Judge Robert Gardner  |  Walter Longmoor

1969
A. Vincent Jorgenson

1970
Fred Schope

1971
John Macnab  |  Doreen Marshall

1972
John Lawson

1973
Phil Tozer

1974
George Hoag

1975
Richard “Dick” Stevens

1976
Ray Watson

1977
Arvo Haapa

1978
Robert Wynn

1979
T. Duncan Stewart

1980
Robert Shelton

1981
William P. Ficker  |  Bill Banning

1982
Harry Babbitt

1983
J. Peter Barrett

1984
William D. Lusk

1985
Charley Hester

1986
Jackie Heather

1987
Bob McCurdy

1988
Hans Prager

1989
Bill Hamilton

1990
Paul Salata

1991/92
Jim Dale

1992/93
Art Gronsky

1993/94
Bob Robins

1994/95
Michael Stephens

1995/96
Lucille Kuehn

1997
Rush N. Hill, II

1998
Marian Bergeson

1999
Clarence “Bus” Turner

2000
Thomas C. Edwards

2001
Dayna Pettit

2002 Bill Grundy

2003
Scott Paulsen

2004
William Ring

2005
Seymour Beek

2006
Dennis O’Neil

2007
Evelyn Hart

2008
Lula Halfacre

2009
Norm Loats, E.d.D

2010
Ralph Rodheim

2011/12
Tom Johnson

2013
Jean Watt

2014
Jack and Nancy Skinner

2015
Paul Watkins

2016
John and Elizabeth Stahr

2017
Homer Bludau

2018
Debbie Snavely

2019
Nancy Gardner

2020
Joe Stapleton

2021
Walt Howald

2022
David Beek

2023
Laird Hayes

2024
Marie Case

2025
Ed Selich