A host of changes could be coming to Newport Beach’s tourism industry — like a crackdown on Airbnbs — following a rowdy Fourth of July Weekend that saw 400 people arrested on the coast.
City council members are set to review the weekend of chaos at their Tuesday night meeting after nearly half a million people visited the idyllic beach town, which prompted law enforcement from Newport Beach Police Department and 17 neighboring agencies, including officers riding horses, to disperse the crowds late into the evening on July 4.
The Newport Beach City Council has a study session scheduled for the start of their meeting that’s set to begin today at 4 p.m.
The study session is slated to include a review of July 4 preparation, staffing, law enforcement response and next steps to up public safety measures for future holiday weekends.
Councilmember Erik Weigand said the council needs to have an in-depth discussion about what happened and review how the city can keep the same chaos from erupting again next year, when the Fourth of July will also fall on a weekend.
“There was a period of time where (July 4) was pretty rowdy, and there was a period of time where it wasn’t,” Weigand said in a Friday phone interview. “There’s a mentality going on that’s different than what was happening in the past.”
“We just need to have a really good discussion on understanding what we can and cannot do legally,” he continued. “You can’t set up a checkpoint and just look through every single car for fireworks and ID every single person coming in.”
Councilmember Robyn Grant said the events that unfolded on the Peninsula were unacceptable.
“Newport Beach cannot tolerate criminal behavior that threatens public safety, damages property, or intimidates residents and visitors,” she wrote in an email to Voice of OC.
“We will hear directly from our public safety professionals, city staff, residents, and businesses to evaluate what worked, identify opportunities for improvement, and consider additional resources, operational enhancements, and policy changes,” she wrote.
CREDIT: JOSIAH MENDOZA, Voice of OC
Are Airbnbs To Blame?
Newport Beach allows about 1,500 short term rentals like Airbnb and Vrbo to operate in town.
These businesses that give tourists and others a temporary place to stay, usually in residential communities, are heavily criticized for promoting a party atmosphere that can create excessive noise, trash and parking issues, especially in beach towns.
Councilmember Weigand said he’s planning to propose more overhauls for short term rentals, despite the city already taking several steps in the past to crack down on the businesses.
[Read: Newport Beach Tightens Grip on Short-Term Rentals]
“We have more [short term rentals] than anyone,” Weigand said. “I do want to start looking into requirements that short term rentals have.”
He said the city already bans single-night stays at rentals in the city but argued it might be time to crack down even further on length of stays to diminish the number of people coming to the city just to party — especially on holiday weekends.
“Do we have to limit the amount of days that they have to stay in summer months?” Weigand asked.
“Do we have further restrictions on rentals during high periods of time?” he continued. “Maybe from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Maybe it’s just over the Fourth of July weekend. I do want to have these questions pondered on between my council colleagues.”
Weigand also floated the idea of requiring Airbnbs to have cameras registered with the city that point toward the street and other public spaces that law enforcement can access in order to help prevent crime and restore peace when crowds get out of hand.
“I’m getting sick and tired of it. They contribute to noise, they contribute to trash, they contribute to these unruly parties [and] traffic concerns,” Weigand said. “We need to take a hard look at maybe decreasing the number we allow and regulating the night stays that they have.”
He said he’ll bring up the topic during Tuesday’s meeting, but the item will likely become a larger discussion that the council will mull over several meetings.
“I know that residents that live next to Airbnbs are sick and tired of them too,” Weigand said. “But they do contribute to our tax revenue, and we want tourists to be able to come and enjoy our city. There’s no trying to restrict that … we want operators to know, if they’re renting out for short periods of time, we think that’s a recipe for trouble.”
Social Media Posts Bring Thousands of Teens, Young Adults to Newport Beach
According to Georgia Rios, the city’s public information manager, social media posts drew large numbers of teenagers and young adults to Newport Beach, specifically the Peninsula area.
“As the crowd grew into the thousands, dangerous and unlawful behavior escalated,” reads a press release dated July 9. “Individuals blocked roadways, prevented emergency vehicle access, and launched explosive fireworks and other projectiles at police officers and bystanders.”
According to the press release, more than 350 officers from the Newport Beach Police Department responded to the crowds alongside law enforcement from 17 neighboring agencies to restore order, protect the community and reopen emergency access routes.
From July 3 to the early morning hours on July 5, law enforcement made about 439 arrests.
According to preliminary booking data included with the press release, the vast majority of arrests were people that came from outside Newport Beach with nearly half coming from Arizona and Nevada.
Approximately 96% of those arrested had traveled to Newport Beach from another place, according to the press release. More than 70% of those arrested were between the ages of 18 and 25, and another 20% were between the ages of 13 and 17.
The Newport Beach Fire Department also deployed 147 personnel to maintain fire safety and respond to medical calls. Fire department personnel responded to 194 incidents, including 143 medical calls throughout the Fourth of July weekend.
“While the events on the Peninsula received significant attention, they do not define Newport Beach,” Grant wrote.
“What defines our city is the professionalism of our public safety personnel and the resilience of our community. By early Sunday morning, Public Works and Municipal Operations crews had already restored our public spaces, volunteers stepped forward to help with cleanup, neighbors checked on one another, and local businesses supported each other.”
In a social media video posted after the Fourth, Newport Beach Police Chief Dave Miner said law enforcement responded to issue repeated lawful orders to disperse after a large, unruly crowd gathered.
“When those orders were ignored and individuals launched explosive mortars and other projectiles at officers and bystanders, we activated our mutual aid plan,” he said. “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 incident and all those involved are being thoroughly investigated.
Mayor Lauren Kleiman also appeared in the video.
“Those responsible for these criminal acts will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, including anyone identifiable on social media,” she said. “This is not what we wanted for our residents on America’s 250th or any other day of the year. This behavior will not be tolerated in Newport Beach.”
Is Closing The Beach On Holidays An Option?
Councilmember Weigand said he’s received requests from residents asking him and his colleagues to close the beaches on July 4 in the future to prevent disturbances from out-of-towners.
But he said that isn’t something he thinks is in the cards for a holiday that’s meant to celebrate freedom.
“A part of me is afraid of that,” he said. “It’s our national day to celebrate freedom and our independence, and to me, that’s not really a thing that promotes freedom is closing the beaches. There’s so many people out there that are recreating on these beaches and have no intent to cause any harm.”
Councilmember Grant said all options will be carefully evaluated.
“Nothing is off the table,” she wrote. “Decisions will be guided by the facts, informed by the recommendations of our police, fire, and emergency management professionals, and grounded in Newport Beach’s longstanding commitment to proactive, technology-driven public safety.”
Angelina Hicks is the Voice of OC Collegiate News Service Editor. Contact her at ahicks@voiceofoc.org or on Twitter @angelinahicks13.
