NEWPORT BEACH : Council to Consider Noise Ordinance
The City Council on Monday will consider preliminary approval of an ordinance that would allow police officers to crack down on blaring stereos and late-night parties.
Though the ordinance would be applied citywide, it is aimed at the loud party-goers and college students who rent most of the apartment space along the West Newport beachfront.
Deputy City Manager Ken J. Delino said that if approved, the new ordinance would put teeth in the current law, which has been on the books since the Truman Administration. Under the old law, police have to either issue a verbal warning or make an arrest for disturbing the peace. The new law would allow police officers to issue a $150 citation.
Noise “is one of our biggest complaints we get” from homeowners who live in West Newport, said Delino, who has worked with the Police Department and several homeowners associations on the ordinance. “What it will do is give the individual police officer the discretion to determine when there is a loud and raucous noise and to walk up and give (the offender) a ticket,” he said.
Police Lt. Paul Henisey said that officers respond to about 2,000 noise calls per year citywide, more than half of which originate in West Newport.
The council will vote on the ordinance at its 7 p.m. meeting at City Hall.
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