San Clemente city councilors approved an ordinance on June 20 to change the city’s beach hours, now closing at 10 p.m. daily instead of midnight. The beaches will reopen at 4 a.m. as usual.
The council also voted 4–1—with Mayor Chris Duncan opposed—to hire a private security firm to assist law enforcement in maintaining public safety, including monitoring beaches and tourism areas.
Both decisions come after complaints of the homeless camping on the city’s beaches causing safety concerns for some residents and families, and teenagers launching fireworks, fighting, and taking drugs in the evening hours.
The city made national headlines over Memorial weekend when three off-duty marines were attacked by a group of teenagers, which some say could have been prevented with private security.
“The security would be able to observe what was happening, and their observation of the alcohol and the youth drinking down there would have probably saved some Marines from getting in trouble,” said Councilman Victor Cabral during the meeting.
He noted the security firm the city plans to hire—Allied Universal—has a good track record for working professionally and humanely when it comes to enforcing rules, such as removing homeless individuals from private property.
“Everything I’ve heard from this company is that they know how to do it in a humane way. You cannot be on private property sleeping in front of someone’s business,” he said.
Duncan, the mayor, was opposed to hiring private security because, he said, he would prefer to use the funding instead, to expand current law enforcement.
“My position is if we have extra funds, we should be hiring more deputies and code compliance officers,” he said.
A representative from the security company said it looks to complement local law enforcement and that it currently assists the Sheriff’s Department at John Wayne Airport and at Orange County Probation, an incarceration facility for youth.
According to city documents, the council approved around $320,000 for six months for the private security—with an option to extend—where four guards will work in teams of two for 12-hour shifts daily.
The new beach closing hour goes into effect on July 20.
