Dear Community Members,

For more than a century, Newport Beach has been a popular destination for visitors. When spring and summer arrive, it’s no surprise that people want to be here, especially as millions across the country are still enduring a relentless arctic blast. The balance of being both a hometown and a destination is part of what makes this place so special, but it also comes with responsibility.

Last year, we saw behavior that crossed the line. During spring break alone, the Newport Beach Police Department made more than 500 arrests. Officers responded to overcrowded house parties, excessive and underage drinking, and unruly crowds on the beaches, including an incident where objects were thrown at officers. These situations disrupted the experience of families and residents who wanted to enjoy some time at the beach.

For many years, the City has implemented a Safety Enhancement Zone in the West Newport and Balboa Peninsula area for the Fourth of July. In 2025, the City Council added a Corona del Mar zone and included Memorial Day and Labor Day to the times they were in effect. When a Safety Enhancement Zone is in place, fines for violations are tripled.

Now, we are taking the next step.

On February 10, the City Council introduced an ordinance that would strengthen the enforcement tools available to our police and code enforcement officers. Among other things, the ordinance would expand the West Newport / Balboa Peninsula Safety Enhancement Zone and put it and the Corona del Mar zone in place for spring break periods in addition to Memorial Day, the Fourth of July and Labor Day. It would also add stronger regulations on short-term lodging during peak periods.

The message is straightforward: come enjoy Newport Beach. Spend time with friends and family. Support our local businesses but do so responsibly. Respect our neighborhoods and follow the law.

A quick word about the discussion around a proposed new Police Department headquarters.

I’ve received a lot of thoughtful questions about the proposed location, potential impacts and funding. That dialogue is important, and I appreciate the community’s engagement. As background, our current Police headquarters is more than 50 years old. It was constructed to the standards of its time and does not reflect how we would design and build a public safety facility today.

While the existing station remains safe for our officers and the public, essential facilities such as police and fire stations (even hospitals) are now built to significantly higher seismic, operational and resiliency standards than even a typical home constructed today. As we plan for the future, the goal is to ensure our facilities meet the latest seismic code, service expectations and long-term community needs.

Our Police Department has also grown, and the needs of modern policing continue to change: more personnel, more vehicles, more technology and more specialized space. One option is to remodel and expand the existing facility. If you’ve ever lived through a home remodel, you know it’s not for the faint of heart. Unlike a home remodel, we can’t simply “close for construction” and tell our police force to work around it. And that is an important point. 

So where would a new headquarters go? Staff has floated the idea of a Civic Center campus location as one concept. If we study that option further, a major part of the work will be understanding how to preserve as much of the sculpture garden and surrounding open space as possible, while still meeting the operational needs of a modern police facility. This is one of several considerations we’ll be looking at, and we’ll keep the community informed and engaged as more information is developed. We have a lot more work to do to understand design needs and impacts, and to determine whether rebuilding at the current site (or an alternative) is even feasible and potentially a better option.

And how would we pay for it? We are still building that plan. Funding would likely involve a mix of City assets, surplus funds, impact fees where eligible, and other financing approaches we are still thinking through. What some would call a “capital stack,” made up of multiple funding sources working together.

To make this process as transparent as possible, we are developing a webpage where we can post the studies and information as they come together. We will share that link as soon as it’s ready. We will also plan additional community meetings to share ideas and studies. This is a process, and we have only started.

As always, thank you for staying engaged and informed. I’ll keep you updated in the weeks ahead.

Warmly,

Seimone Jurjis, City Manager