Costa Mesa expected to oppose fire-ring ban

Costa Mesa has no coastline, but its City Council on Tuesday night plans to formally oppose a potential ban on fire rings at the beach.

Per Mayor Jim Righeimer’s request, the council members will consider a resolution that urges the South Coast Air Quality Management District not to ban wood-burning pits on the beaches in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

Costa Mesa’s resolution would recognize the “important role our neighboring beach communities play in providing the Southern California region with passive and affordable recreational opportunities,” according to a city staff report.

Its language would also include supporting an effort to “find a comprehensive solution that incorporates the interests of the cities in the region that want a longtime, family-friendly Southern California tradition of beach fire rings to continue.”

Some residents in Newport Beach, particularly in Corona del Mar, have opposed the rings, contending that they are health risks.

Huntington Beach officials, however, say the city’s fire rings are not close enough to residences to pose enough of a health risk. They also contend that if they were forced to remove hundreds of rings, it would pose a long-term threat to the economic vitality of the area.

—Bradley Zint

Twitter: @bradleyzint