Editorial

It could have been worse, much worse.

In hindsight, that pretty much sums up the Fourth of July in Newport

Beach.

There were illegal fireworks, sure. There was drinking, without a

doubt. And there were crowds, yet another given.

But with hundred of thousands of people celebrating the nation’s 225th

anniversary of independence, there were less than 200 arrests, according

to Newport Beach police. That’s not much more than usual but, according

to Sgt. Steve Shulman, there was “a lot more drinking” than usual and the

crowds that hit the beach were some of the largest on record.

Yes, it could have been worse. But, city, fire and police officials

and residents in both Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, which again allowed

safe and sane fireworks with no major incidents reported, should be

grateful for the holiday’s overall turnout.

There may have been times when some residents in West Newport felt as

though they were stuck in their homes, but at least it was nothing more

than that.

Obviously kudos shouldn’t be extended to everyone who partook in the

festivities, but the vast majority behaved well enough to avoid arrests,

citations and/or warnings. In fact, it was reported that less than a half

of a percent at most ran into trouble with the law.

And, as evidenced by the more than 35 tons of trash collected within

24 hours of the holiday, the city witnessed quite the large bash.

Thus, kudos should be extended to the city and police officials who

worked with residents, especially in the West Newport area, to organize

what turned out to be a very well-run Fourth of July.

While some residents have since called for curfews to be implemented

on future Fourth of Julys, fire and safety officials already have their

hands full. As Shulman said when asked about adding a curfew to the mix,

there’s no sense in enacting a law you don’t have the resources to

enforce.

As stated before, everyone who enjoyed the holiday in Newport Beach

should be grateful for all the planning and enforcement that went into

the celebration. It could have been worse and minus a gate to keep

visitors out, it probably couldn’t have been much better.