Nuisance Party Houses Will Face Fines

About two dozen residents showed up at the San Clemente City Council meeting to express their support for a nuisance-party ordinance that will allow police to fine renters and property owners who host large parties.

The council approved the ordinance Tuesday night after extensive public comments. The ordinance will target loud gatherings of eight or more people where there may be possession and consumption of alcohol by minors, excessive traffic, fights or disturbing the peace, public drunkenness or urinating and defecating outdoors.

“All this stuff happened on Del Reposo Sunday afternoon,” said John Giedeman, a resident who spoke in favor of the ordinance. “Six policemen came and no one was arrested, no one was cited. The only thing I would change is, make the initial fine $10,000.”

The civil fines would be administered by the city and would start at $100. They would increase with each violation from $200 to $500 to $1,000.

The ordinance will be signed into law in a couple weeks if the council adopts it on second reading.

Noise ordinances are on the books already, said Lt. Paul D’Auria, chief of San Clemente Police Services, but they are often ineffective because they require a complainant to sign a witness statement and appear in court to testify against his neighbor, a step that few people are willing to take.

Some residents complained about a house on Harbor Ridge in Rancho San Clemente that is excessively noisy but usually hosts gatherings of fewer than eight people, and they worried that the ordinance wouldn’t be effective in targeting that home.

D’Auria and City Attorney Jeff Oderman warned the council against tweaking the ordinance on the dais, however. They pointed out that the new law is modeled on a Newport Beach one that has already stood up to a court challenge, and tweaking it could jeopardize its ability to hold up.

City Manager George Scarborough said officials would attempt to craft another legal solution to deal with smaller noisy gatherings and then bring it to the council.