By Mayor Lauren Kleiman
This 4th of July, Newport Beach residents donned patriotic ensembles, children delighted in fire engine-led parades around the city, and many enjoyed a banner day out on our harbor, in celebration of America’s 250th.
Meanwhile, out-of-town and out-of-state juveniles were congregating down on the Balboa Peninsula, under the close, watchful eye of our Newport Beach Police Department.
I was there and can honestly say that it was the most calm and orderly summer holiday weekend we have seen in years. Leading up to nightfall on the 4th, officers evicted non-compliant short-term lodging tenants and made almost 50 arrests.
As the sun started to set, these anarchic adolescents began to instigate chaos on the beach and on social media. These TikTok and Instagram posts were like a clarion call drawing young people in from neighboring cities like a magnet, and boy did they answer the call, descending on the Peninsula by the dozens, throwing mortar-style fireworks at our officers and into crowds, fighting, and destroying property.
This was an attack on the things we value in Newport Beach; respect for one another, respect for property, and respect for the law.
But they were met with full force, as NBPD made an unlawful assembly declaration, and hundreds of officers from 17 agencies helped safely clear and restore peace to the area. Over a 36-hour period, NBPD made over 400 arrests, and we will hold everyone accountable for their actions.
By morning, city staff had returned the beaches and public spaces to their usual pristine condition, and NBPD officers were back at it, after only a few hours of rest, at most.
As a parent, I have deep concerns about social media, the careless and destructive mentality that many of these youth demonstrated and, frankly, what it may mean for our Country’s future.
As the Mayor, I am proud of how our Newport Beach Police Department handled this daunting scenario, and I am intent on building on everything we have already put in place to ensure this never happens in our beautiful city again.
For many years, Newport has seen more than its fair share of overzealous young people partying over the 4th of July and spring break. But, after witnessing last year’s lawlessness trend, the Council did not hesitate to take immediate action, expanding our Safety Enhancement Zones (tripling fines for all municipal code violations), invoking a one-strike revocation rule for Short Term Lodging permit holders whose guests are found to be a threat to public safety, instituting a shade covering limit for beaches, doubling our investment in the Mounted Enforcement Unit (officers on horseback), and initiating the Not-in-Newport social media campaign, for education and deterrence.
NBPD established a staging area and mobile booking station, partnered with outside agencies for additional support, and peppered beach and bar areas with proactive enforcement to send a clear, zero-tolerance message.
Our Police Chief, Deputy Chiefs and even our new City Manager were all on-scene, responding in real time. That is true leadership. They were prepared, and it allowed them to act swiftly to mitigate a situation that could have resulted in tragic outcomes. We are relieved that no one was badly injured and that all our officers got home safely.
That said, let me be clear: Saturday’s examples of disrespect and destruction in our city were scary, saddening and totally unacceptable. Even blanketing the seven-block area with officers did not deter the reprehensible behavior that was exhibited.
Coastal Commission prevents the City from restricting access to beach areas, but I have reached out to set up a meeting to advocate for relief, as we evaluate every possible measure to prevent another scenario like this from occurring. Put simply, we will not tolerate this behavior in Newport Beach.
Let’s not forget that Newport Beach remains one of the safest and best cities in the world. As with any attack, I hope our community will unite to support our public safety personnel and city leadership to continue to protect our beloved city.
I commend our residents who came together on the morning of the 5th to help clean-up and repair vandalized private property. This is the Newport we know and cherish.
