The Illegal Beach Patios on Property in Newport

It seems that Newport Beach has a little problem with a select group of its local citizenry, a group we shall call “the elite corps of 295,” as this is the number of homeowners who have encroached on public land.

It seems that for the last 40 years, the city has been turning the other cheek while this “corps of 295” encroached on public beachfront land, building elaborate patios, decks and perhaps a private volleyball court or two. These structures are, of course attached to their own million-dollar homes, so I assume that “the elite corps of 295” feels that they own these patios as well as the beachfront land they sit on.

The problem stems from the fact that these structures extend, in some cases, up to 27 feet into public beach property. Interestingly enough, according to the Coastal Act of 1976, the law prohibits the construction of private structures on public beaches without authorization or permits. For some reason “the elite corps” feels above this law, and it seems as if the city of Newport must be in agreement, as the penalties of up to $10,000, plus daily assessments, have never been imposed on these “special” homeowners.

I find Mayor Ruthelyn Plummer’s reaction to this flagrant misuse of public land indicative of the special set of rules these people believe they have. She says “no one was really paying attention. As time went on the people have just done it. Some knew it was wrong but did it anyway. It is just one of those things that just happened.”

I would like to make note to the mayor and to the “elite corps of 295” that you now have our attention. The Ocean Front Encroachment Committee recommendation that this group can keep the patios that they built on public land and pay a paltry $200 a year is simply not acceptable for land that is, in some cases, worth more than $75,000.

A more acceptable plan would be for these homeowners to cough up the $75,000. An even better idea would be to give the land back to public use, which is the intent of the Coastal Act.

The lesson here would be that no one, even “the elite corps of 295,” is above the law.

KATE DOLLAR

Huntington Beach