Oceanside beaches will all have the same fire ring hours starting next year. A curfew unanimously approved by the Oceanside City Council last week includes Harbor Beach for the first time.
The ordinance is "one of the items that will address some of the activity that was happening at Harbor Beach," said Mayor Esther Sanchez.
Although serious crime has been decreasing in Oceanside, officials are looking to bolster security in the wake of violent assaults in recent months, from random beatings and a stabbing to deadly attacks targeting the unhoused.
Currently, the use of city fire rings is prohibited seven days a week between 11 pm and 6 am along the Strand, the main beach that runs for a mile between Breakwater Way and Wisconsin Street.
Harbor Beach, located in the Oceanside harbor to the north, is outside the boundary, freeing it from the overnight ban, though it's the city's largest beach. Its 24 fire pits are mostly concentrated at the north end of the harbor by the North Jetty, along with a smaller cluster that faces the harbor on the east side of the parking lot.
The ordinance was first introduced on December 4 "to establish consistent hours among fire rings," said Harbor Division manager, Joe Ravitch.
Two signs will be posted at Harbor Beach at a cost of $300. City staff recommended the president and Harbor Board of Directors approve a public works agreement in order to purchase and install $396,033 of security cameras there.
Other changes include increased police patrols of the harbor.
Councilmember Eric Joyce said the city was taking a holistic approach. "While we're trying to make folks safer, we're not going too far where we're impacting the recreational uses of the beach."
Oceanside beaches will all have the same fire ring hours starting next year. A curfew unanimously approved by the Oceanside City Council last week includes Harbor Beach for the first time.
The ordinance is "one of the items that will address some of the activity that was happening at Harbor Beach," said Mayor Esther Sanchez.
Although serious crime has been decreasing in Oceanside, officials are looking to bolster security in the wake of violent assaults in recent months, from random beatings and a stabbing to deadly attacks targeting the unhoused.
Currently, the use of city fire rings is prohibited seven days a week between 11 pm and 6 am along the Strand, the main beach that runs for a mile between Breakwater Way and Wisconsin Street.
Harbor Beach, located in the Oceanside harbor to the north, is outside the boundary, freeing it from the overnight ban, though it's the city's largest beach. Its 24 fire pits are mostly concentrated at the north end of the harbor by the North Jetty, along with a smaller cluster that faces the harbor on the east side of the parking lot.
The ordinance was first introduced on December 4 "to establish consistent hours among fire rings," said Harbor Division manager, Joe Ravitch.
Two signs will be posted at Harbor Beach at a cost of $300. City staff recommended the president and Harbor Board of Directors approve a public works agreement in order to purchase and install $396,033 of security cameras there.
Other changes include increased police patrols of the harbor.
Councilmember Eric Joyce said the city was taking a holistic approach. "While we're trying to make folks safer, we're not going too far where we're impacting the recreational uses of the beach."
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