A Quest for Music at Pier Gives City Cause to Pause

A community group’s effort to bring some musical entertainment to the Newport Pier has forced the city to review its regulatory song-and-dance routine.

Hoping to draw more customers to the historic pier area, the Newport Pier Assn., a group of merchants in the area, found a pianist to perform daily in the plaza at the base of the pier.

The association also hopes to eventually have a glassblower, a flutist and perhaps a puppeteer perform daily in the plaza, according to Bill Schonlau, founding president of the association.

But the city has long prohibited commercial activities on public property in the pier area in an effort to prevent overcrowding and cluttered conditions. The city policy even restricts police vehicles from parking in the plaza.

City licensing officials initially rejected the idea of a pianist, since the performer would solicit donations. Glen Everroad, licensing supervisor, said he also feared allowing the pianist to perform there would unleash a flood of requests for other commercial activities.

“You get a piano out there and you get an organ grinder and his monkey . . . and people with pushcarts wanting in,” Everroad said. “My concern is, it gets out of hand.”

Everroad said he is already inundated on a daily basis with calls from enterprising individuals who want to sell everything from food to squirts of suntan lotion on the beach.

The city actually allowed an organ grinder to perform in 1986 near the Balboa Ferry landing, but that activity was stopped after the city received complaints that his monkey was biting passersby who wouldn’t donate money, Everroad said.

“It’s an interesting situation because we want to support the Newport Pier Assn.’s efforts to increase business in the area,” he said. “But how do you allow the pianist to solicit donations without it becoming a commercial activity?”

After meetings with the area merchants and Newport Beach police officials, Everroad decided to issue a special events permit to allow the pianist to perform but not collect donations.

The association must now figure out a way to collect donations because the group itself cannot afford to pay the pianist, Schonlau said. “And the guy has to be able to make a buck,” he said.

City officials are also reviewing policies to see if any changes can be made to permit other similar activities in the future while still keeping problems of crowds and commercialism down.

Local merchants understand the city’s concerns and agree that McFadden Square shouldn’t become another Venice Beach, Schonlau said. “Whenever you have special events, additional police are required . . . and the city doesn’t have the additional officers right now to spare,” Schonlau said. “We want to attract families and residents of the city primarily.”

Everroad added: “They want a different crowd of people hanging around McFadden Square. They won’t have gang-bangers with aerosol cans.”