Readers Respond -- Will amended noise ordinance do the trick?

Just wondering about the new noise ordinances (“Newport officials have

last word in noise issue,” June 13). I’m more of a night person, and it

seems a little arbitrary to me that they can tell somebody at 8 or 9 p.m.

that their music or their radio or something’s too loud.

But they’ve got no problem with the cop helicopter flying over at 3 in

the morning waking everybody up and shining their light in the windows,

or with construction crews and everybody else starting construction at 7

in the morning.

What about the people that drive taxis, work in restaurants, and use

that morning time to sleep? It seems like it’s putting one class of

residents above another, especially with the kind of town that Newport

Beach has always been and what type of revenue used to support the city

-- restaurants, bars and night clubs.

Now that everybody’s gotten to be over 45 years of age, they want all

that to change. It’s like the airport. The airport was there when people

moved in and now they want the airport gone because they’ve got a

$1-million house, and they want it to be worth $2 million. It just seems

pretty arbitrary to me that the nighttime people have lost out to the

morning people.

BUCK BAKER

Newport Beach

Having any police department determining what freedom of speech is and

how much should be allowed is not only dangerous but beyond invasive.

RON WINSHIP

Newport Beach

Now that we -- and the city of Newport Beach -- are taking aggressive

steps toward curbing “noise disturbances” in West Newport Beach, it is

high time we take action against noisy early morning crows and emergency

vehicle sirens. These disturbances occur well past the 10 p.m. or 11 p.m.

noise curfew, are quite loud and often awake me out of a sound sleep.

I can’t point the finger too hard at area residents for “shouting and

music” noises during daytime hours when these other nuisance noises

persist. Then there’s the occasional teen setting off fireworks and

shouting through the streets at 2 a.m. that the new noise ordinance

likely will not prevent.

In closing, I think the city needs to take a step back and reevaluate

where they are going with residents’ rights restrictions.

STEPHEN DOLLE

Newport Beach

Yes, the ordinance seems to give the local police the clear procedure

to levy fines against property owners found to be in violation. But to be

even more effective, Newport Beach should make sure that residents of the

area are clear about the process in which to report such disturbances and

that homeowners and owners of rental properties understand clearly the

new rules.

I believe that most of the residents in the West Newport area are

reasonably tolerant of parties in the area. After all, it’s the good

times and casual beach atmosphere that attracts most people in the first

place. The last thing anybody wants is more rules or regulations.

But the noise problem arises because the area is still very transient,

and sometimes new residents to the area take the partying festivities to

an all new and intolerable level. If they stay in the area long enough,

they will soon learn that the 3-foot setbacks between the properties are

really close and require some level of cooperation.

I’ve noticed that the loudest people are always the newest people to

the area, as in the case with Dennis Rodman. Who knows? If he becomes a

“Newport Local” -- I estimate five years is all that’s required to be a

“Newport Local” in that particular area -- then even old Rodman might

support this kind of ordinance.

CHRIS HARANO

Newport Beach

I have lived in Newport Beach for six years. This is the best thing to

happen. Some of us have to get up every morning and make a living. Now

let us move on and repave Balboa Boulevard.

FRED LEVINE

Newport Beach