South OC Cars and Coffee has become a community staple, its supporters told the San Clemente City Council, a gathering that each week draws more than 1,000 visitors, who also help fuel business and tourism in town.
And, for now, it can continue unchanged, councilmembers agreed this week.
A public hearing about the future of South OC Cars and Coffee was held by city leaders on Tuesday, Jan. 21, drawing more than 50 supporters who spoke about the beloved event hosted at the Outlets at San Clemente since 2018.
The discussion stemmed from complaints the city has received from nearby residents about noise and safety concerns each Saturday morning.
James Wehr, who started the event with his father, Simon, said the issues raised by neighbors are “completely understandable,” and the event’s creators, who also call San Clemente home, deeply care about the community.
“It’s become a core part of the community and something that brings people together, week after week,” he said. “This is the largest weekly, free community event in the county, possibly the country, and it doesn’t cost the city a dime.”
A feedback portal for complaints is one of several measures put in place when the event received a permit in 2022 from the city, along with redirecting traffic to enter and exit near the freeway, adding volunteers to monitor the gathering and banning attendees who are reported speeding or doing burning outs.
There are banners and signs discouraging bad behavior and anywhere from 20 to 60 volunteers on any given day, many whom are Camp Pendleton Marines, Wehr said.
The event, which draws exotic cars, vintage rides, sports cars, hot rods, motorcycles and more, has gained global attention through the years, drawing out celebrities and influencers who mingle among the crowds.
“Laguna is known for the Pageant of the Masters and the Festival of Arts, Huntington Beach for their airshow and surf festivals – and San Clemente for Cars and Coffee,” Wehr said. “The city should be proud of it, embrace it and support it.”
Since the city first held discussions about possible changes to the event in October, an estimated 5,000 people signed a petition supporting the gathering, Wehr said.
City staffers gave a list of options that councilmembers could have considered enforcing, such as adding more of a police presence, installing license plate readers, requiring participant registration or charging a fee, and prohibiting motorcycles from attending or limiting their participation to once a month.
Adding an additional two deputies for six hours each Saturday would cost an estimated $1,350 per day, City Planner Jonathan Lightfoot said.
Wehr said the organizers wouldn’t have the money to pay for additional police presence, but since the city gets 85% of revenue from citations, the city could use those funds to increase patrols.
Even if the organized event were to go away, people would still show up, Wehr said. “But without us there, there won’t be anybody to organize it, guide it or control it.”
The gathering started, Wehr said, as a way for him to spend time with his father and a group of friends who were also car enthusiasts.
“Never in a million years could we have imagined what it has become today, not just the size of the reach, (but) the friendships, memories and sense of community right here in San Clemente,” said Wehr, whose family is originally from Australia.
Victor Munoz, who represents 39 businesses geared toward specialty equipment services, said he discovered South OC Cars and Coffee during the pandemic — a place that “made us feel normal.”
“Events like these help connect communities, families and city commerce,” he said.
Bill Burk, operating manager for a restaurant group that includes the nearby Ruby’s Diner, said the people who come out are families, children and “old people like me.”
“We’re making connections. We’re finding ways to communicate,” he said. “We’re learning how to teach our kids and we’re making memories.”
Richard Adams, board chairman of the Ferrari Owners Club based in San Clemente, told the City Council that the most important part of the event is the impact it has on the children.
“I get to offer the opportunity for small children, teenagers, to sit in a Ferrari for the first time,” he said.
One speaker told the council he drove through three hours of rush hour traffic from Beverly Hills to speak at the meeting.
“South OC Cars and Coffee is my escape, every weekend, to visit, shop around, this wonderful community,” he said. “Taking this away would take away my soul, I’ll say that.”
A woman, who said she lives across the street, told the council the interest isn’t in shutting down the gathering, but in getting noise issues outside of the event addressed.
Nearby resident Monique Harwood called the noise minimal and for a short period of time and said the gathering is an opportunity for her and her daughter to remember her late husband, who had a passion for cars.
“Something about cars, it brings out all the history and memories of family,” she said. “Please, I beg of you, don’t take it away.”
The City Council agreed unanimously to let South OC Cars and Coffee continue as is, with the option for staff to add more signage or cones as needed.