City Council Gets Sample of In-Your-Face Rodman

In a surprise appearance at a Newport Beach City Council meeting Tuesday, Dennis Rodman accused local leaders of singling him out for the raucous parties at his oceanfront home and pleaded with them not to stiffen noise restrictions.

But unlike his 40th birthday bash earlier this month and a slew of other rowdy festivities that have brought police to Rodman’s home repeatedly in the past year, the presentation by the NBA’s erstwhile bad boy fell on deaf ears.

The council voted 6 to 1 to grant police broader arrest powers after listening to a vitriolic volley between Mayor Gary Adams and Rodman that sounded like an angry parent scolding a teenager for breaking rules and having bad manners.

Not that the final outcome mattered to Rodman, who was marching out the door with his attorneys--and the television cameras--before the council took action. Once outside, he immediately declared that his partying days are far from over.

“I’m not going to change my lifestyle,” Rodman told reporters on the steps of City Hall. “They’ve been trying to chase me out of here for two or three years now.”

Frustrated that fines against Rodman are not working and neighbors are unwilling to file formal complaints, city officials Tuesday expanded the list of banned noises, clarified a property owner’s liability and reclassified certain violations as misdemeanors.

Of all the revisions, the most important requires police to issue formal warnings to noise makers that they are being loud and unreasonable, giving them time to comply with the restrictions before an arrest is made.

The changes were partly to allay the concerns of the Orange County district attorney’s office, which has repeatedly declined to press criminal charges against Rodman in lieu of testimony from neighbors, who police say are unwilling to come forward after they complain.

“This will prove the willful element,” Deputy City Atty. Dan Ohl said.

If the code revisions are formally approved next week as expected, the list of prohibited noises will include yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling, singing and playing music or a musical instrument, depending on the time of day or night, the noise level and frequency.

The City Council action came less than two weeks after Rodman’s 40th birthday bash brought more than two dozen police officers, some of them in riot gear, to his oceanfront home.

Like the antics of his basketball days, Rodman’s run-ins with the Newport Beach police have been as colorful as the tattoos and body piercings on his towering, muscular frame.

Police say they have been called to his two-story, pink-stucco house more than 50 times in the past year and received far more complaints from his neighbors than from any other part of the city. He has been fined $8,500 for violating noise ordinances.

On May 12, when more than 100 invited guests and more than twice as many onlookers helped Rodman turn 40, he arrived via helicopter, which police say illegally landed on the beach. The guests were entertained by two bands, Live and Agrokulcher.

During public comment Tuesday, the former NBA star, wrestler and actor opened his testimony without identifying himself, saying everyone knew who he was and why the city was doing what it was doing.

He questioned police tactics, saying he is harassed for activities at his home and at Josh Slocums, the restaurant he co-owns, because he is a celebrity.

Citing his birthday party in particular, Rodman said even videotapes show he “did nothing wrong.”

Before he had a chance to continue, he was interrupted by the mayor, who told him to state his name for the record.

“Kris Kringle,” Rodman said.

His three minutes at the podium became a duel with Adams, who scolded Rodman for lack of decorum, telling him at various times, “This isn’t a forum to ask questions,” “You speak through me to this council” and “You’re not running the meeting, I am.”

Later, when Rodman attorney Michael Molfetta told the council his client had something more to say, Adams relied, “his three minutes are up.”

“I think it says it all right there,” Rodman said outside council chambers. “I wasn’t trying to badger the mayor. And I apologize if I did. I wanted to go back up and apologize.”