After repeated complaints of high schoolers causing trouble at San Clemente’s public beaches—with an attack on three off-duty marines by a group of teenagers over Memorial Day weekend making national headlines—city officials voted unanimously on June 6 to close the city’s beaches two hours earlier than the current midnight schedule.
“I think this issue from a public safety point of view is really important. The beaches after 10 o’clock have been a problem for a long time,” said Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock during the meeting.
Joe Janis, a San Clemente neighborhood beach watch captain of seven years, said he has been asking for changes to be made to the schedule for about five years after repeated reports of criminal activity during the later hours.
“We’ve had a break-in at knifepoint. We’ve had attempted rapes. We had a guy light one of our houses on fire. … It happens all the time. All the teenage kids put it on social media,” he said.
He said the teenagers will often post on social media to meet up at the beach, and then “all of a sudden we [have] 400 kids down there,” he said.
Another resident who lives near T-Street beach, adjacent to the pier, and has “the best view of anybody” said he is able to see all sorts of activity at night, from kids shooting fireworks at each other, to fighting, and even drug use.
“Last Friday I saw all the kids starting to accumulate and then I started seeing fights. We need to do something. We need to get people off the beach at 10 o’clock,” he said.
City officials were all in agreement to close public beaches at 10 p.m., which coincides with most other Orange County cities including Dana Point, Huntington Beach, and Newport Beach. Residents would still be allowed on the San Clemente Pier which has some businesses that stay open past 10 p.m.
Councilman Victor Cabral said closing the beaches earlier is the first step and hiring private security to protect the city’s beaches could be something to be discussed later to enhance security.
“I don’t think anything good happens on these beaches after 10 o’clock. … The sheriff does an outstanding job but they’re not there all the time and we need the private security to watch [and] observe,” he said.
Councilman Mark Enmeier raised attention during the meeting that if the beaches were closed earlier, young people may find a new place to be disruptive.
“If it’s not the beach, they’re going to find another place to go. I don’t want them ruining a cul-de-sac … [or] a park. … We need to contain this situation,” he said.
He said though he was also in favor of the earlier closure, the council should soon discuss other potential late-night activities for youth in the city, which lacks such alternatives.
“What are these kids going to do? After 10 o’clock? … Since I was in high school, there’s nothing for high schoolers to do in this town on a Friday or Saturday night,” he said.
The ordinance will be heard for a second reading in the city’s next council meeting on June 20.
