Newport parks will be patrolled
June Casagrande
Park abusers beware: Come this fall, two city staff members will be
patrolling city parks, checking permits and helping out sports teams
that have been muscled out of their reserved playing fields.
The City Council on Tuesday approved a park patrol program that
officials hope will put an end to a number of problems now taking
place at city parks and playing fields: alcohol consumption,
vandalism, unauthorized use of reserved facilities, disputes over
playing fields and more.
“I was skeptical about this at first,” Mayor Steve Bromberg said,
“but now, I believe this is a good program.”
One of the biggest selling points for city officials is that the
program is almost completely self-funding. The $48,000-a-year cost to
hire the two part-time park patrol agents will be funded through
increased field reservation fees for sports teams, increased event
permit fees and increases in rental fees for park facilities such as
picnic space. Youth sports team representatives support the increased
fees.
The program came before the City Council after barely eking by the
Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission in a 4-3 vote on April 1.
“When you can get 100% of the youth teams to agree to increase
their fees, you know you have a program that is desperately needed,”
parks Commissioner Roy Englebrecht told the council.
Commissioner Tom Tobin disagreed.
“During these tough budget times, I think we ought to take a long
look at it,” Tobin said.
The council voted 5 to 0 to begin the program; Councilman Tod
Ridgeway, who had been most skeptical about the program at a council
study session last month, was absent, as was Councilman Gary Proctor.
The new staff members will go through extensive training,
Recreation and Senior Services Director Marie Knight said. They will
receive training from the Police Department and from the city’s code
enforcement division. They will patrol the city’s 57 parks,
especially the 22 where most problems occur, and they will also
respond to calls from park users over space disputes and other
problems. They will be unarmed and will rely on Police Department
backup in confrontational situations.
* JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She
may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at
june.casagrande@latimes.com.
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