LAGUNA BEACH : Council Rejects Curfew at Beach

After two hours of public debate over a proposed beach curfew, the Laguna Beach City Council this week rejected the idea and instead voted to increase police patrols at parks and beaches.

The decision means Laguna Beach will continue to be the only city in Orange County with some beaches open all night.

Speakers Tuesday night were evenly divided between those pleading for a curfew and others who said a new law would be a futile gesture.

“I certainly don’t expect gang members to come to Laguna Beach, find out there’s a curfew and say, ‘Aw shucks. We can’t rob, rape or kill,’ ” resident Lonnie Painter said.

The council’s 4-0 vote followed a report by Deputy Police Chief Jim Spreine, who said a Police Department study of other coastal cities revealed that beach closures didn’t eliminate violent crime. In addition, Spreine said curfews sometimes result in an increase in minor crimes in business districts near the beach.

On the other hand, the report said that, since curfews reduce the number of beach-goers, they also reduce the number of potential “violators and victims.”

The question of a possible beach curfew arose in response to three violent attacks: the beating of a middle-age man in January, what police say was a gang-related shooting at Heisler Park on July 5 and an armed rape and robbery at Crescent Bay Beach three weeks later.

Some residents have been circulating petitions asking that all city beaches be closed overnight.

“We feel terrified,” said Teddie Ray, who lives near the shooting site.

Some residents have also worried that earlier curfews at Newport Beach and Huntington Beach will prompt criminals to travel to Laguna Beach.

Other residents, however, argued that restricting beach access would squelch the rights of law-abiding locals who enjoy the beaches at night.

Melissa Krell said she and her husband walk regularly along the coast and do not feel threatened. “We are citizens, we pay taxes,” she said. “I think it’s fair to allow us to assume the risk.”

In response to the recent violence, police have increased patrols of parks and beaches. Council members agreed Tuesday to make what one called “a budget adjustment” so the city can continue to pay for the increased protection.

“This is a police problem, pure and simple,” Councilman Robert F. Gentry said. “I don’t think another law is the answer to this.”