OK, So Regulate the Racket

Jet airplanes and Dennis Rodman parties aren’t the only urban noise issues raising the hackles of some Orange County residents.

In Costa Mesa, people living near the Orange County Fairgrounds are getting concerned again about loud music. No, not a blaring radio or party next door, but loud concerts at the Pacific Amphitheatre on the fairgrounds.

The venue was closed in 1995 after a legal dispute with nearby residents, who are now worried about the theater reopening for more concerts. The fair board is considering noise tests. The board hopes new sound technology can help bring about peaceful coexistence with residents and the sound of music.

And in one Leisure World neighborhood it’s wind chimes. Yes, those hanging tubes that sway and tinkle in the breeze. Soothing to some, but not on windy mornings, at say 3 a.m., when they sound more like gongs and disrupt sleep. Some people have asked that they be banned. The request has been sent to a committee to study.

In Laguna Beach, it isn’t just one source of noise that is disturbing the serene seaside community. It’s not the roaring surf or crashing waves, but loud motorcycles, construction workers and equipment and, well, it’s just generally noisier.

The Fair Board in Costa Mesa must be sure to keep sound waves within the confines of the concert. In Laguna Beach it’s time to update the 25-year-old noise ordinance and set specific guidelines so enforcement can be more uniform and less arbitrary.

And in Leisure World, where they call the wind “Pariah,” just taking down the chimes on really windy nights would be neighborly and most likely a howling success.

In our now more-urban Orange County, a little more noise than the community was once used to is to be expected. But there are limits, and those are what Laguna Beach and other communities should set realistically.