Newport Beach committee seeks new police station site, but declines public input

When a new committee meets over building a new Newport Beach Police Department headquarters, it won’t include members of the public.

During Tuesday’s Newport Beach City Council meeting, a council majority voted to limit ad hoc committee membership to three councilmembers.

The move comes as city officials described Newport Beach Police Department’s current headquarters off Santa Barbara Drive as aging and no longer able to fit operational needs.

“Our police staff is healthy,” said Assistant City Manager Seimone Jurjis. “They’re kind of busting at the seams. The parking is a little tight. They’re going to need a replacement for that station. We’ve got to start to start having that dialogue [today].”

Built in 1973, the police station is more than 50 years old.

Jurjis added that the building is slated for replacement by 2032, giving the council a six-year window to find a new location. According to a staff report, such a location would need to be 73,000 square feet, in part, to accommodate enough space for a patrol division as well as a firearms training and shooting range.

The council considered a resolution during the meeting that would have formed an ad hoc committee comprised of three councilmembers and four members of the public.

Mayor Joe Stapleton contended that with a project that could potentially cost $100 million or more, a committee that included public participation was critical.

“It would be not prudent, it would be not smart government, it would be not transparent to not have at least four members of the public involved in this decision-making process,” Stapleton said. “We have some legendary members of our community that would offer a tremendous amount of goodwill and institutional knowledge.”

He also noted that a committee without members of the public would not be subject to the state’s open meeting laws.

Councilmember Robyn Grant also favored a committee that included residents, which would be transparent in accordance with the Brown Act.

“If we are going to have an ad hoc, I do highly value having community input on this very important asset that will cost a lot and be very instrumental going forward in our city in providing public safety,” she said.

Grant also signaled support for not forming any committee and having city staff work on the issue before bringing it back for a “very robust” study session at council.

Councilmember Noah Blom argued that time was of the essence and moved to form an ad hoc committee comprised of councilmembers only.

“As we start discussing this, there is a lot of property at stake,” Blom said. “To start divulging terms and questions puts us in a very interesting place for negotiations.”

Councilmember Erik Weigand support Blom’s move and insisted that a study session would provide enough of a platform for residents to give their input.

“That is where the public is going to get an opportunity to speak and hear out how much money we’re going to spend, how this move is going to look [and] where it’s going to go,” he said.

Stapleton had hoped to serve on a committee that included the public but removed himself from consideration once it became clear that only councilmembers would serve.

The motion to form a councilmember-only committee passed 5-1, with Grant voting against it and Stapleton abstaining.