Council Approves Permanent Change to Beach Closure

Hours, Private Security Contract

BY C. JAYDEN SMITH

The San Clemente City Council approved two actions on Tuesday, June 20, that officials believe will dramatically reduce the amount of illegal activity at beaches around the city, including North Beach.

While considering the consent calendar—a collection, or grouping, of “routine” items that can all be approved in a single council vote—councilmembers approved on second reading an ordinance that will permanently change the time beaches close from midnight to 10 p.m. Beaches will remain closed until 4 a.m.

The council also voted, in a 4-1 decision, to formally authorize a contract with Allied Universal Security Services to provide private security for a period of six months at a cost of $53,902 each month. Mayor Chris Duncan was the lone vote against the contract.

Councilmember Victor Cabral thanked residents for coming to the meeting in support of bringing in private security. Citing Allied Universal’s experience with other governmental entities and their training of personnel, he said the company will be able to connect those they encounter with helpful service providers.

“They have significant experience (in) how to handle people, how to treat them respectfully, how to get them to identify their issues and how to help them with those, but also to make sure that they’re obeying the regulations and the laws,” Cabral said.

At its June 6 meeting, the council adopted the city’s Fiscal Year 2023-2024 budget, which included a rider for the contract with Allied Universal.

The official language of the contract states the agreement will last one full year beginning on July 10, at the locations of the North Beach parking lot area and surrounding facilities and within the Pier Bowl area.

Allied Universal will staff four officers to work seven days a week in two-person teams, including one “Field Supervisor,” for 12-hour shifts. The exact times of the shifts have yet to be determined.

City Manager Andy Hall explained why the contract was for one year, given that Allied Universal only deals with either temporary or annual contracts.

“We want the services that are provided through an annual contract, but we wanted the flexibility to be able to terminate that contract after six months, because that’s all the City Council provided funding for,” Hall said. “In a lot of ways, we got the best of both worlds.”

Councilmember Mark Enmeier expressed concerns that the push for private security would result in a “whacka-mole situation,” in which the violators that security officers dealt with would simply move from one area to another within the city.

He said he wanted to see a more comprehensive approach, a point with which other councilmembers agreed, but said the security would still be helpful.

Councilmember Rick Loeffler said he was impressed with the company, as representatives had answered every question regarding public safety the way Loeffler wanted in past conversations before he was appointed to the council. Loeffler previously served as a member on the city’s Public Safety Committee.

Appealing to his colleagues’ expertise in the fields of education and law, Loeffler reiterated his own decades of experience in public safety, which helped him conclude that private security was a good solution.

“This is not a problem,” said Loeffler. “There is nothing negative about this. I want to see a five-to-zero vote, that (shows) we’re answering the citizens and addressing their problems.”

Regarding the updated beach hours— which passed unceremoniously without any further discussion—an urgency ordinance that the council unanimously had adopted on June 6 temporarily changed the time beaches close. That same night, councilmembers introduced an ordinance to permanently adjust the beach closure hours.

The urgency ordinance paved the way for Hall and staff to monitor whether public safety improved at the beach areas, and for a permanent change if the temporary closures proved effective.

The movement to reduce public access to the beach stems from the North Beach Placemaking Plan, which Hall created in April to provide guidance for addressing concerns of public safety in the historic district following a reported increase in incidents and illicit activity.

The council voted to initiate adjusting the beach closure hours at its April 18 meeting.

Hall told the council on June 6 that he had spoken with the California Coastal Commission prior to the meeting, as part of the coordination with the state agency needed to keep the beaches closed starting at 10 p.m.

“They’re aware that we have every intention of keeping our beach closed in perpetuity now at 10 p.m.,” said Hall, adding: “We’re going to close our beach at 10 p.m., but it takes several steps.”

The approved ordinance is scheduled to take effect on July 20, 30 days after Tuesday’s meeting.

When Loeffler asked Hall in early June about how the city could most efficiently accomplish closing the beach at an earlier time, Hall said staff had put intensive research into constructing its recommendations around enabling the city to take immediate action.

“Let’s be honest, government isn’t the fastest-moving machine in the world,” Hall had previously said. “For us to do this in a two-week period, this is the quickest way we felt like we could take action and be legal about it.”

Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock had expressed his support for the “necessary” ordinance. He referred to his experiences on ride-alongs with law enforcement in San Clemente, which have contributed to his understanding that deputies are well aware of what can occur after 10 p.m.

Loeffler addressed public concerns about the ordinance’s enforcement, saying that aspect will come in time, but the city first needed to have a “tool” it could utilize.

“Certainly, maybe private security would help doing (enforcement), but the (deputy) sheriffs have some strategies in place,” he said. “I know (Chief of Police Services Capt. Jay Christian) has committed resources to enforce any codes that we have.”

Although also in support of an earlier closure, Enmeier raised the question of where children, especially those of high school age, would go and what they would do after they’re forced to leave the beach.

“Our high schoolers have a lot of freedom and a lot of places to go, and they have modes of transportation to get to a lot of different places,” Enmeier said. “Since I was in high school, there’s (been) nothing for high schoolers to do in this town on a Friday or Saturday night.”

He added that having a future conversation about what activities children may get into at night might be beneficial.