SEAL BEACH : Oceanside Curfew of 10 P.M. Studied

Seal Beach is considering whether to extend the 10 p.m. curfew at several nearby beaches to the city’s oceanside area.

Officials fear that the rowdy crowds that prompted the county and Huntington Beach to close beaches at night will move north to Seal Beach if the city doesn’t enact its own curfew.

“We don’t want all the party-goers to say, ‘Let’s not give up the party. Let’s go to Seal Beach,’ ” said City Councilman William J. Doane, who last month asked the city staff to look into extending the curfew.

Police officials share Doane’s fears and support the curfew idea.

“Our biggest concern is that as other beaches are closed, people will start coming here,” Police Sgt. Dean Zanone said. “Frankly, we just can’t handle it. We don’t have the parking” or the lifeguard protection.

Now, the city’s beaches are open until midnight, when police officers begin ordering people off the sand. During the summer it is not unusual for dozens of people to stay on the beach well into the night, Zanone said.

Lifeguards report that when the waves are good, some people actually surf at night near the Seal Beach Pier, where lights illuminate the water.

Graffiti and drinking are among the most common problems at the beach, police report. But more serious crimes also occur. Earlier this week, police responded to an armed robbery near the pier, Zanone said.

The council is likely to vote on a 10 p.m. curfew later this month. Some officials hope the vote will occur soon so potential troublemakers get the message that Seal Beach is off limits late at night.

But not everyone is thrilled about the prospect of a curfew.

“I’m kind of bummed,” said Matt Ramos, 27 of Long Beach, who regularly surfs in Seal Beach and occasionally walks on the beach at night with his girlfriend. “We’ve been coming here for years. It’s a quiet beach . . . kind of romantic. . . . I don’t see the reason to close it early.”

Ramos said most people who come to the beach at night simply want to enjoy the scenery and don’t cause trouble.