NEWPORT BEACH : Citizen Panel Formed to Study W. Newport

After learning that the city spent close to $110,000 on police protection for this year’s Fourth of July, the Council voted Monday to form a committee of residents and government officials to study crime in West Newport.

Despite the usual heavy deployment of police officers and assistance from Orange County sheriff’s deputies, California Highway Patrol and Irvine Police Department officers, a stabbing, a shooting and an assault with a baseball bat were reported during the holiday.

The violence prompted residents and community leaders to call for action to end the crowding and near-riot conditions.

City officials have expressed frustration over the large amounts of money spent on law enforcement on holidays and throughout the summer.

The police deployment for July 4 alone cost the city about $100,900 while trash cleanup and other city services added about $50,000 to the tab, City Manager Kevin Murphy reported Monday.

“That’s ridiculous, just ridiculous,” said Councilwoman Ruthelyn Plummer, whose district includes the West Newport area.

The citizens committee formed by the council will study the area from Newport Pier to the Santa Ana River. The committee’s goal is to devise ways to increase property values and decrease crowding and law enforcement problems.

City officials and residents alike fear the problems in West Newport will “taint” the rest of the city’s reputation, Murphy said.

“The problem is you have 75% absentee landlords there and a very unstable population,” Plummer said.

In the past, the city tried to address the problem of “party houses” and absentee landlords by requiring rental property owners to obtain business permits and keep a closer watch over their tenants.

The new committee may end up discussing everything from street improvements to redevelopment, city officials said. City officials are also reviewing laws passed in Brea and Buena Park outlawing so-called “flyer parties,” in which flyers are distributed to draw crowds to parties where a cover charge is collected. Officials said they may propose similar laws in Newport Beach.

“Every little bit helps,” said City Atty. Robert Burnham.