Locals Seek to Tone Down Party Central

NEWPORT BEACH — With salty sea breezes and the sounds of boats in Newport Harbor, Cannery Village is the type of place that beckons residents to keep their windows open.

But many in this Newport Beach neighborhood say something known as the “Cannery Village crawl” is causing them to keep their windows shut--at least on Friday and Saturday nights.

The “Cannery Village crawl” is the local vernacular for bar-hopping through the district, which residents say brings unseemly sounds from drunks at all hours of the night.

Victor Yack, 69, who has lived in Cannery Village for 31 years, moved here because he is an avid boater. And like many other residents, he said he enjoys the mix of homes and small businesses that give Cannery Village its charm.

“It has always been crowded here, but the difference is the crowds used to be a lot more orderly,” Yack said. “There was never any music. About the only thing you heard was the occasional boat pulling up to dock.”

For years, residents have complained to city officials about bar patrons who loudly make their way on foot from Malarky’s and Cassady’s to Snug Harbor and the Cannery--which locals call the “triangle of drinking.”

The complaints recently reached a new pitch when the Planning Commission approved a dancing and live entertainment permit for the Cannery, a popular drinking spot and the only restaurant in the area with a view of Newport Harbor.

“I don’t want to hear a reverberated sound bouncing off my walls at 1 o’clock in the morning,” said Don Gregory, a theatrical producer who lives in a pricey apartment complex across from the Cannery’s parking lot. “We already have to deal with music from there and the wild kids who leave there, screaming and vandalizing.”

Gregory appealed the commission’s decision, and on Dec. 8 the City Council will decide whether to allow live bands at the Cannery.

Residents say the decision will be a test of the council’s stated resolve to clean up Cannery Village. The live entertainment permit, if granted, would be the second for a restaurant in the district.

Cannery owner Bill Hamilton, a prominent businessman who hosts Clean the Harbor Day and is active in the Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce, declined to comment.

Michael Krantzley, chairman of the Planning Commission, said he voted in favor of giving Hamilton the permit because “you want good owners and we hope he will be a good owner.”

Residents say their complaints are not with Hamilton but with his customers. To help back their complaints, Gary de Perine, a resident, recorded the “crawl” for all to see--and hear.

During the summer of 1996, De Perine donned in-line skates and with camcorder in hand, captured scenes of public urination, fistfights and drunks breaking beer bottles.

When they saw the tape, City Council members decided to take action. In November 1996, the council put a moratorium on new or upgraded liquor licenses in Cannery Village and promised to increase police patrols.

Cannery Village has long been home to a colorful cast of nightspots, but nobody can say when it turned from quaint fishing port to party central.

When Yack moved to Cannery Village in the late 1960s, he said the Cannery was still a fish-packing plant, and a place called the Sea Shanty was the spot for locals to meet for a good piece of fish and a beer.

“El Ranchito used to be a fish market. D.P.’s used to be the Bouzy Rouge Cafe. The Brew Pub used to be a market too,” said resident Buzz Person, 52, an attorney and eight-year resident. “The simple fact is there are too many.”

Pam Plotkin, 46, said the noise is second only to her complaints about vandalism. She has owned a small gift shop on 30th Street, near the Cannery.

“I never called 911 before I moved here,” said the seven-year resident. “They steal everything--the fence in front of the store, hanging plants, lights. Anything they think is cute.”

Councilman John W. Hedges, who represents Cannery Village on the council, acknowledged that the decision on the Cannery is pivotal because it could set local precedent.

Several pubs and bars have applied for permission to offer dancing and live entertainment.

“If we say yes to the Cannery, how are we going to say no to all the other bars that want to have dancing?” Hedges said. “I think we may have painted ourselves into a corner with this one.”

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NEIGHBORHOODS / Cannery Village

Bounded by: 28th and 32nd streets, Balboa Boulevard and the Newport Harbor bay front

Population: 1,500 (includes Lido Village and McFadden Square)

Hot topic: The Cannery restaurant has applied for a permit to have dancing and live entertainment until 1 a.m.