Newport Beach is evaluating potential sites for a new police headquarters and city jail, with one prominent option involving construction on the parkland surrounding the Newport Beach Civic Center. This proposal, which has not yet received a decision from the City Council, is a central point of debate leading into the November City Council election.
The city's current police headquarters, located off Jamboree Road, is over 50 years old. Police Chief Dave Miner stated at a city meeting in March that the facility has been outgrown and faces significant maintenance issues, including routine sewage backup, an electrical fire, and a power outage with a backup generator failure. "We definitely do need a new building," Chief Miner said.
A series of ad hoc committees has explored several options for the new facility. The proposal for the Civic Center parkland site includes concept designs that show the police station potentially occupying up to one-quarter of the existing parkland. This area, which includes the well-known 'Bunnyhenge' sculpture, wetlands, walking paths, and a dog park, would see the new structure built on a slope directly beneath the concrete rabbit statues. City officials have allocated at least $1.5 million to evaluate this specific option.
The idea of developing on the parkland has drawn considerable opposition from residents and City Council challengers. Opponents argue that the project would intrude on the sculpture garden's territory, eliminate walking paths, and jeopardize adjacent wetlands, reducing habitat for local wildlife. At a City Council meeting in March, challenger Walter Stahr stated that parks are 'sacred spaces' and that one should not destroy a park for what is essentially an office building, parking structure, and gas station.
Conversely, supporters of the Civic Center site argue it makes financial sense for the city and would consolidate main services at the Civic Center. Despite these arguments, no decision has been made to construct the new headquarters on the parkland.
The debate has significantly shaped the local political landscape. Challengers Walter Stahr, running in District 3, and Andy Gerken, running in District 6, explicitly entered the City Council race to oppose building the police station in the park. At a candidate forum in September, Stahr affirmed, "I am 100% opposed to a jail in the park. That is my number one issue." Gerken likewise expressed his motivation, saying, "I imagined a police department there and the park gone, and I thought, ‘How could I not run?’ So I ran to save the park.” Other challengers, Tim Stoaks and Tina Babajanians, also oppose the park site.
Incumbent City Council members Erik Weigand (District 3), Lauren Kleiman (District 6), and Joe Stapleton have not ruled out the Civic Center option. Weigand indicated he was "OK with studying the Civic Center site" to assess its feasibility, while Kleiman supports a central location that ensures continued police operation and city safety. Stapleton acknowledged a 'flawed process' in the initial ad hoc committee approach but did not dismiss the site.
This controversy echoes a past debate from the early 2000s when the city sought to replace its outgrown City Hall. A proposal to build the new City Hall on a portion of the same parkland parcel, which residents had been promised as a coastal park, led to a ballot measure in 2008. Voters ultimately approved the new Civic Center, and the park, including its sculpture garden, was developed concurrently.
Public interest in the project remains high, with residents such as Pamela Marks citing the preservation of open space as a top concern and expressing a desire for the current City Council to more actively listen to community input. The Newport Beach City Council holds twice-monthly meetings on Tuesdays at 4 p.m. at 100 Civic Center Dr., with meetings scheduled for October 27 and November 10.
