Newport Beach leaders set to discuss Fourth of July fracas at council meeting
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City officials prepared for Independence Day chaos in Newport Beach, but hoped to avoid it.
A week before Balboa Peninsula bedlam broke out, Mayor Lauren Kleiman appeared in a polished social media video that warned of an increased police presence, stiffer fines and crackdowns on short-term rental owners for out-of-control parties.
“The message is simple: Enjoy the holiday, respect our community and help keep Newport Beach safe,” she said.
Citing big crowds and high-volume arrests, the Newport Beach City Council approved a number of measures aimed at enhancing safety during spring break and summer holidays.
Scenes of equestrian units clearing an overcrowded beach, illegal fireworks exploding and a Pavilions parking lot littered with smashed goods showed that scores of mostly young people did not heed the mayor’s message.
On Tuesday, the Newport Beach City Council will discuss what happened including “next steps to further protect public safety during future holiday weekends.”
Ahead of the council meeting, Newport Beach Police Chief Dave Miner took to social media on Thursday to note that he activated a mutual aid plan with assisting law enforcement agencies after an unruly crowd hurled fireworks at his officers and bystanders.
“Every decision our officers made that night was focused on one priority: protecting our community and restoring public safety as quickly as possible,” he said.
The city estimates that 420,000 people visited Newport Beach during the holiday weekend that marked the United States’ 250th anniversary. More than 350 officers from the Newport Beach Police Department and 17 other local agencies were on hand.
A mass arrest — which tallied 328 for unlawful assembly, failure to disperse and remaining at the scene of a riot — accounted for the majority of the 439 arrests reported over the holiday weekend.
The overall total included 92 minors.
While city officials ponder what went right and wrong, comments about where the Independence Day “invasion” came from were plastered on social media.
“The ‘Inland Ethnic Empire’ has descended on Newport Beach,” wrote one Instagram user under a viral video.
“Usual suspects,” wrote another. “LA and Inland Empire people.”
While almost half of the cite-and-release mass arrestees were from Arizona, only 8% hailed from Inland Empire cities. Citations issued to Orange County residents totaled more than twice the I.E.’s numbers.
Most adults booked for other offenses on July 4 came from California suburbs, including affluent cities like Woodland Hills, Ojai, Menlo Park and Ladera Ranch. Only six adults booked hailed from the I.E.
Alcohol-related offenses fueled more than half of all booked arrests on July 4 — from DUIs and disorderly conduct to drinking in public and minors possessing alcohol.
Last weekend’s mayhem, in which thousands descended on the community and more than 400 ended up under arrest, has spurred calls for the city leaders to take decisive action.
Police only arrested one person for petty theft and it’s unclear if it was connected to Pavilions.
The grocery store had closed by the time a crowd smashed watermelons and ceramics while helping themselves to chip bags from outside displays.
Rowdy Fourth of July revelry isn’t new to Newport Beach.
Before the advent of social media, police made 225 arrests citywide in 1992, which was described at the time as “fewer than normal.”
Most of the arrests were for alcohol-related offenses, although isolated incidents of violence included a stabbing and a shooting.
Last summer, Newport Beach police made 76 arrests during the Fourth of July holiday.
But that wasn’t the spirit of ’76 city officials looked to replicate this time around.
Councilmembers passed sweeping changes that expanded safety zones, tightened regulations of short-term rentals and changed beach shade covering rules ahead of anticipated spring break crowds.
The effort also included a “Not in Newport” social media campaign that released officer body camera footage of spring break arrests.
City officials blamed social media for drawing an influx of minors and young adults to the Newport Pier area on the night of July 4.
Kleiman hinted that more arrests may be coming.
“While thousands of families came to Newport Beach to celebrate the Fourth of July, thousands of others were drawn to the Balboa Peninsula through social media to engage in dangerous, unlawful behavior,” she said. “Those responsible for these criminal acts will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, including anyone identifiable on social media.”
In the meantime, Kleiman invited Newport Beach residents to attend Tuesday’s study session, which begins at 4 p.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 100 Civic Center Drive.
