Council puts off tent issue

The Newport Beach City Council on Tuesday held off prohibiting certain types of tents on local beaches after some council members raised concerns the proposed ban was too heavy-handed.

“I want to be sure this is really a problem we are correcting as opposed to something that is one more thing you can’t do on the beach,” Councilwoman Nancy Gardner said.

The Newport Beach Police Department raised the issue after receiving complaints about tents with sides that can be rolled down for privacy, called “easy ups,” which are cluttering beaches and spoiling the view at Corona del Mar State Beach.

Police also worry the tents can hide a multitude of illicit activities on the beach from the eyes of law enforcement, Newport Beach Police Capt. Dale Johnson said.

“It makes it difficult for public safety to see what is going on inside those enclosures and takes up a lot of room on the beach,” Johnson said.

The City Council put off voting on an across-the-board ban on all canopies, tents and awnings on local beaches.

The proposed ban also would have included fences, fire pits or barbecues, volleyball and badminton nets and umbrellas taller than 6 feet.

Newport Beach could look at passing a less stringent set of rules at a later meeting, council members said.

Councilmen Mike Henn and Steve Rosansky both voiced concerns that many families with small children use tents to shield them from the sun and exposure to harmful UV rays on local beaches.

“A lot of families use [tents] as shade structures,” Rosansky said. “I understand [the police department’s] concern on side panels; you can’t see what people are doing, if they’re drinking or smoking. I could see limiting shade structures to those not having these side structures.”

Huntington Beach has codes that bar canopies more than 100 square feet and tents without at least two open sides on its beaches. The council could look at passing a similar ban at a future meeting.

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