Beach Bash Sends a Message

The grassy areas at Corona del Mar State Beach were filled Saturday with families, friends and a few people who came to send a message to Newport Beach Councilman Richard Nichols that the beach is for everyone -- Mexicans, Asians, whites, everyone.

“This park represents our community. It exists for our community,” said Steve Rim of Irvine as about 35 of his Asian American friends and family members relaxed under canopies on one of several grassy areas that gained notoriety after Nichols remarked about them attracting Mexicans.

On another, a group of about 20 Latinos took in the sun and quietly protested comments by Nichols that have drawn wide attention.

“People think that we’re all getting along,” said Barbara Garcia, who said she has been coming to the beach since she was a young girl. “But it’s proof that prejudice still exists in our community.”

Controversy over Nichols’ comments, first reported June 17, has grown to include calls for his resignation. A recall drive has been discussed and apologetic residents have distanced themselves from the 63-year-old first-term councilman.

This weekend, a Santa Ana resident used the Internet to promote a fiesta at the beach to “protest racism and bigotry.”

The controversy began when Nichols, whose council district includes Corona del Mar, was asked by a newspaper reporter to comment on proposed beach improvements, including expansion of the grassy areas.

Nichols was quoted as saying he was against it, because “with grass, we usually get Mexicans,” who stake an early claim to the favored picnic spots and treat them as their own. The comment was immediately condemned by his City Council colleagues and Latino activists. Both groups have urged him to resign.

At a packed council meeting Tuesday, Nichols, who has refused to resign, said his comments were taken out of context and were being used by political rivals to force him from office.

Along with the resignation calls, some supporters have urged him to stay put.

The controversy has embarrassed some Newport Beach residents, who say it has cast their city as a white enclave hostile to minorities.

Laura Dietz, a resident who frequently attends council meetings and was visiting the beach Saturday, said she feared that Nichols’ comments have given the city a “black eye it really doesn’t deserve. The vast majority of people in this community do not approve of what Councilman Nichols said.”

Dietz pointed out to Roberto Cruz of Whittier, who was waving a Mexican flag, that Mayor Steve Bromberg had apologized for the councilman’s comments.

Rosalinda Ramirez, who organized the fiesta Saturday, said she visited the beach several times after Nichols’ remarks, “and I’ve never seen anyone on this grass, Mexican or otherwise. So, I don’t know if he’s delusional or he came one time and saw Mexicans on the grass.”

Jaime Vega, resting on a blanket under a protest sign, said he has been coming to the beach since he was 8, and wanted to show “we’re not intimidated.”