San Clemente officials expect to add private security and will step up efforts to make the city’s North Beach an attractive destination for visitors and residents.
North Beach is home to the Ole Hanson Beach Club, a Metrolink train station and the trailhead for the San Clemente Beach Trail; in 2020 it was designated as a National Historic Landmark. There has been a recent public outcry over a growing homeless community there that locals and city leaders say has contributed to public safety threats, litter, crime at local businesses and an overall feeling of neglect.
At a specially called meeting in March, Councilmember Gene James proposed trying the private security to create a visible presence to deter bad behavior. This week, the council decided to begin the process of finding a firm to hire, but also to take advantage of the opportunity for an overall makeover of the North Beach area, with the goal of making it the destination it was with the designation as a landmark.
Councilmembers said they’ve become increasingly concerned by reports from residents of illegal activity happening on public property, especially in the beach area. While there was general support for hiring a private firm back in March, some councilmembers asked for city staffers to study what the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, which patrols San Clemente, is already doing and what options and needs existed for private security.
This week, City Manager Andy Hall offered a comprehensive proposal not only to address public safety and nuisance issues, but also for the “placemaking” plan.
The council was unanimous in its support of looking into a private firm that would work either a 12-hour or a 24-hour shift as a deterrent to bad behavior; the Sheriff’s Department will also step up patrols and, as a later component of the overall plan, a substation could be incorporated into a former concession space and provide more of a presence for police officers, city code enforcement…
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