Quiet, safe Labor Day

About 90,000 people visited the beaches in Newport on Labor Day, taking in the warm weather and a cooling breeze.

“Everyone’s taking one last shot at the beach before going back to school,” said Jim Turner, lifeguard battalion chief for the Newport Beach Fire Department.

“It was a quiet morning but the crowds have just kept coming, same as yesterday,” Turner said.

Lifeguards rescued six people by Monday afternoon.

Police authorities breathed a sigh of relief with no major incidents in Costa Mesa and Newport reported on Labor Day.

Costa Mesa police officers made 15 arrests, for drunk driving, disorderly conduct and possession of a controlled substance, on Sunday.

But Monday was quiet, with no arrests.

“We seldom have any problems over Labor Day,” Officer Kurt Lystne said.

“Everyone heads to the beach on a hot-weather day and it becomes a problem for Newport Beach to handle,” Lystne said with a chuckle.

The Newport Beach Police Department had no arrests except for a couple of warrants. Sunday evening, officers made two arrests at bar-closing time on the peninsula for public intoxication and disorderly conduct.

No fires were reported by the Orange County Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol in Newport or by either city’s fire department.