Hoping to curb unruly spring break behavior, the Newport Beach City Council is set to consider tonight, Feb. 10, ways it can increase enforcement and fines in areas popular with visitors, such as the Balboa Peninsula, West Newport and Corona Del Mar.
The city previously created Safety Enhancement Zones where it can use fines and more aggressive enforcement to deter violations and, in turn, reduce the drain on public safety resources during the extremely popular period around the Fourth of July holiday. Now the council is considering similar steps for March and April, which is spring break season for students in California and surrounding states.
The ordinance would also expand the number of days around the Fourth of July holiday for increased enforcement, and extend the safety zone covering West Newport and the peninsula to B Street instead of 32nd Street, and add Corona Del Mar. The same would apply on Memorial Day and Labor Day, both of which were added to the stiffer-fine list last year, said Assistant City Manager Tara Finnigan.
During the popular holidays, the city sees more large crowd gatherings, excessive noise, alcohol-related offenses, illegal fireworks and violations related to short-term lodging, officials said. Last year, police made more than 500 arrests.
While the city has historically encouraged visitors and is a place people enjoy for a beach stay, especially during Fourth of July and the rest of summer, city officials say the number of people coming in the spring has changed dramatically.
“We want to keep people in compliance when it comes to large gatherings,” said Councilmember Joe Stapleton, who represents much of the affected area. “Those that come, and want to responsibly enjoy Newport Beach, are welcome.”
He walked the peninsula last year to get a handle on the issues, saying, “These young kids are coming out that are generally under the age of 21 and aren’t even in bars, but are gathering at house parties and on the beach and are there to create issues and are not safely enjoying the community.
“We’re not going to become a destination for spring breakers rioting on the beaches,” he added. “So, we’re giving our police tools to make sure they maintain some quality of life for visitors and residents.”
Police Department records show that half of those arrested were California residents, but not from Newport Beach or the surrounding communities.
Brian O’Rourke, Newport Beach’s chief of lifeguards, agrees there is a huge uptick in visitors from out of the area.
“One week, we have the Las Vegas crowd, one week we have Utah, then we have Arizona, then we have Oregon,” he said. “It’s challenging because we have to have different staffing periods through spring for all the spring breaks, where decades ago it was one week.”
He said he is definitely a fan of more enforcement, because that will also help make the beaches safer for all visitors.
“We support more increased enforcement to make sure we’re not having trouble,” he said, “and to make sure people coming to the beach enjoy our awesome beaches the way they’re meant to be used.”
The ordinance, if approved, would also increase penalties in the enforcement zones during the summer holidays.
City officials reported that records from 2025 tallied 78 people arrested over the Fourth of July weekend.
“It was the worst Fouth of July we’ve had in 20 years,” Stapleton said. “It was insane.”
If the council agrees, the changes would apply to enhancements in short-term lodging permit conditions and enforcement, including mandatory revocation provisions, and would also clarify rules for shade coverings on the city’s beaches to ensure public safety and emergency access.
There is also a resolution included that the council could adopt that would specifically designate two spring break periods: March 14 to March 22, and April 4 to April 12, in which the enhanced penalties would apply for this year, Finnigan said.