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Author: CdMRA Admin

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CdMRA Historical Committee

 

CdMRA’s Historical Resources Committee Update

In collaboration with Sherman Library and the CdM Historical Society we are building awareness and a better understanding of our local history.  Ron Yeo, Committee Chair, CdMRA Historical Resources


 

Update: We are pleased to announce that we have compiled a video collection and launched a new smartphone app which makes finding the gems of Corona del Mar easy and fun.  We have also arranged to have Mary Everett Burton’s “Happy House” reprinted.  Details about these updates are included below.

Video Collection
As part of CdMRA’s YouTube Channel, the Historical Resources Committee has a Playlist which features videos of historic information and landmarks of Corona del Mar.  Click here to view the Historical Resources Committee Playlist “Get to Know Corona del Mar”. Or see a sample video about 50 Post WWII Cottages that we have included at the bottom of this page.

Mary Burton’s “Happy House”
Made possible by donations, our committee was able to reprint this delightful retelling of what it was like to live on Ocean Blvd over 100 years ago.  This booklet is not for sale but can be checked out at the Newport Beach Central Library, the OASIS Senior Center or by contacting the Sherman Library. You can read a bit more about the story of Mary’s family move from Pasadena in 1909 here.

There’s an App for that … PocketSights
Our committee has also been busy developing its first two walking tours of Corona del Mar for the smartphone app PocketSights:  

 

Download the PocketSights app to your smartphone from your App Store. 
Enter 92625 as your location. 
Enjoy the guided walking tours. 
After using the app, we’d appreciate your feedback. 


Our app’s quick user survey is available here.

 


We also created a quick app tutorial.  If you’d like a little help getting the app downloaded and started,
click here to view or download our PocketSights Tutorial.

 


Our ongoing projects include:

      1. Work with the County Historical Commission to gain historical recognition for local sites such as Five Crowns, Kerckhoff Lab and the China House. 
        (We succeeded in getting that recognition for the Del Mar Hotel.)  
      2. Coordinate with Ed Olen on oral history recordings.
      3. Collaborate with Bill Lobdell on his podcast “Newport in the Rearview Mirror”.
      4. Develop an outreach speaker program with our local schools on what CdM was like 100 years ago.
      5. Spearhead a speakers’ roundtable discussion program of local “Living Treasures”, including the history of CdM Village cottages
      6. Create additional videos of CdM’s historical sites and sites of interest for our YouTube Playlist
      7. Design additional walking tours for our PocketSights smartphone app.
      8. Consolidate the CdM Historical Society’s website into CdMRA’s website to become the one-stop resource for CdM’s historical resources.

End Notes
The OC Historic Commission is noted for saying “You can’t protect what you don’t know you have.”   As an example, the first house built in Corona del Mar in 1909 was Mary Everett Burton’s “Happy House”.  It was torn down in 2004. Following that Tom Heffernan, who lives in a 1930’s cottage in the Flower Streets, founded the CDM Historical Society.  Recently, 100 homes in Corona del Mar were chosen for historic value, and an article was published in the Preserve Orange County blog about our efforts.  [Article here].  You will also want to check out Sherman Library’s digital photo album of Corona del Mar cottages.  The album is quite extensive and available here.

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NBPD Crime Prevention and Safety

NBPD Crime Prevention & Safety

Thanks to NBPD’s Crime Prevention Specialist, we now have a comprehensive resource at our fingertips that addresses home and vehicle safety and security and so much more.

Be sure to check out this important resource to find ways to protect your family, your home and your possessions.

View NBPD’s Crime Prevention & Safety information here.

Flock Cameras (License Plate Readers)

 

Our thanks to Councilmember Lauren Kleiman (D6)
for providing the following report on the Flock Security Camera Project.

 

 

I am pleased to bring you several important updates on public safety as my City Council colleagues and I work to make Newport Beach an even safer community.

This spring the Newport Beach Police Department (NBPD) welcomed a new Deputy Chief, Javier Aquilar, to further boost the skills and experience of its command staff. Deputy Chief Aguilar is a veteran officer and leader who has worked with the Vernon and Pasadena police departments in a variety of roles over a 30-year career. In Newport Beach he now oversees the patrol and traffic divisions.

In May 2024, the City Council gave informal approval to a number of recommendations to improve crime prevention and investigation techniques through upgrades in technology.

The recommendations were put forward by the Public Safety Technology Ad Hoc Committee, on which I was proud to serve. The committee spent several months evaluating new technologies used by neighboring police departments and visited agencies where some of the proposed technologies are utilized.

These recommendations include:

    • Developing a Crime Information Center (CIC) to serve as the central technology hub for real-time intelligence gathering and assessments. The CIC would integrate new technologies with existing data systems to provide real-time information to field officers, analyze crime trends and patterns, and aid in crime prevention.
    • Installing 70 Flock Safety cameras (also known as ALPR, or automatic license plate readers) at all Newport Beach inbound and outbound gateways. The system includes access to nationwide data and flags “hot-listed” vehicles that have been used in crimes. The system provides alerts on stolen vehicles, Amber Alerts, missing and endangered persons, and more. The cameras will only be accessed as part of a crime investigation (not for traffic enforcement) and do not include facial recognition. Such cameras are already in use in 42 states and nearly 300 California jurisdictions.
    • Licensing FUSUS software to boost the department’s access to video surveillance. FUSUS brings together video feeds from private, institutional and government systems, and integrates them into a single, cloud-based platform. Investigations can proceed more quickly because private video feeds can be accessed immediately, rather than gathered from various locations. Participation is voluntary, meaning businesses, homeowners’ associations or private residents who wish to include their cameras in the system must opt in to provide access.
    • The NBPD will acquire aerial drones and develop a program to monitor and investigate active threats.  The City will continue to partner with Huntington Beach for the use of helicopter services as needed.

I look forward to continuing to provide our community updates on public safety and other priorities in our City.

Mail Theft – Your Identity & Your Money

Thieves target residential curbside mailboxes, multi-unit residential mailboxes, and publicly accessible blue U.S. Postal Service boxes in an attempt to collect your personal information, checks, and cash. They typically work in the late night and early morning hours.

Recently, we have seen numerous thefts involving publicly accessible US Postal Service drop boxes where thieves are using glue traps or glue-covered items to “fish” for mail. They use the victim’s personal information to open lines of credit, commit other crimes, or to sell to other criminals. The thieves also alter and forge checks, then cash the checks and pocket the money.

To protect yourself from becoming a victim of mail theft:

    • Collect your mail daily, preferably, as soon as it is delivered.
    • Avoid mailing any item containing your personal information, checks, or cash.
      • If you must mail those items, avoid placing them in residential mailboxes or publicly accessible US Postal Service drop boxes, especially if they show signs of tampering, such as a sticky substance on or around the mail slot. 
      • Instead, hand mail to US Postal Service employees or use a secure US Postal Service Facility.

If you suspect you are the victim of mail theft, contact your financial institution and secure your account immediately. Then, call and report the crime to the Newport Beach Police Department.

For additional tips to help keep you safe, visit the U.S. Postal Inspection Service website at uspis.gov.

Distraction Theft – Be vigilant of your surroundings “Situational Awareness”
Here are some recommendations for practicing situational awareness and deterring pickpockets: 

    • As you go about your daily tasks, pay attention to the people, objects, vehicles and events happening around you.
    • Limit distractions whenever possible.
    • Be aware when you are approached by a stranger or when someone gets into your personal space.
    • Trust your instincts if someone or something is making you uncomfortable.
    • Lock your vehicle whenever you step outside of it – even if you will be standing nearby (i.e. fueling up at the gas station, etc.). Remember that it just takes a split second while your back is turned for someone to grab your purse, wallet, cell phone or other valuables.
    • Never leave your keys in the ignition when you are not in the car. Take them out of the vehicle and lock your car whenever you exit your vehicle.
    • Valuables should be stored either where you can keep an eye on them or where they cannot be easily seen or accessed by others.
    • Whenever you are out and about, remember to not lose sight of your personal belongings.

Finally, you can help prevent incidents like this from happening to others by passing this information along to your family, friends & neighbors. You may not find yourself in a situation with a pickpocket or scammer, but there’s a chance that you know someone who will – if they haven’t already.

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Code Violations – What you need to know

Code Enforcement Presentation February 2026
We encourage you to view the Code Enforcement Presentation made at CdMRA’s monthly community meeting on February 19, 2026. We have also recapped some of the highlights below.

The City depends on its residents and businesses to report code violations. If fact, 80% of all code violations are reported by residents and businesses. It is not possible to staff the Code Enforcement Department large enough to cover the entire city every day. But as a resident you know exactly what is happening on your street and in your specific neighborhood. In fact, our eyes and ears are the best tools that Code Enforcement has!

Reporting code violations is quick and easy, and you can even choose to do so anonymously. Examples of code violations include noise, construction hours, water pollution, use of gas-powered leaf blowers in non-exempt neighborhoods, street drainage/run-off, etc.

There are three easy ways to report a code violation:

      1. Use the MyNB App (download from Google or Apple stores). Once the app is installed, open the app and:
        • Select Service Request and then
        • Select Code Enforcement 
      2. Use the city’s Quest System available on the city’s website
      3. Call the Code Enforcement Department seven days a week until 11:00 p.m. However, if the violation is on a federal holiday you will need to call the NBPD’s Front Desk and they will contact the Code Enforcement Officer on duty.

How to track your reported Code Violation
Code Enforcement maintains a Violation Dashboard for residents to view and track the status of complaints. You can view the status of your complaints here.

Code Enforcement Outreach Programs
Code Enforcement officers are reaching out to residents and Homeowner Association Boards in the hopes of meeting on a quarterly basis to highlight and identify problem areas that need addressing. We encourage those of you in Homeowner Associations to talk to your Boards about inviting them to speak as well. Code Enforcement Staff phone and emails here.

Every step we take in addressing these issues improves the quality and safety of our community. 

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One-Way Streets Study

Oneway Streets Proposal_2109

In the early 1900’s, Corona del Mar was developed primarily as a weekend getaway for residents of Los Angeles and Pasadena. Quaint cottages were built on 30 foot lots and 30 foot streets were sufficient for the vehicles and traffic of the time.

As Orange County grew and urbanized, so did Corona del Mar’s population. Instead of two-bedroom cottages which were originally built to accommodate part-time use, the city’s zoning codes changed with the times allowing two units per parcel which also meant at least twice the cars of the cottage era on streets designed for much smaller populations and vehicles.

CdMRA has been addressing this issue in one form or another since it was formed in 1987. But until recently, there never seemed to be an overwhelming interest in developing a formal study and plan of how one-way streets might work in CdM.

CdMRA is once again seeking your feedback and interest in a One-Way Street Concept Design for CdM’s Flower Streets. We encourage you to share your thoughts with us.

Share your feedback here
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NB Emergency Guide

 

Newport Beach Office of Emergency Management Readiness Guide

The City of Newport Beach has a comprehensive emergency management program and is prepared to handle unexpected disasters effectively. 

However, in the event of a major disaster, City resources and emergency personnel will be overwhelmed with calls for assistance. As “Partners in Preparedness,” residents can help their community by being informed and prepared. 

This Ready Newport Beach Emergency Preparedness Guide outlines important disaster preparedness information essential for all residents before, during, and after a disaster occurs. Reading the guide, following its suggestions, and seeking out training opportunities are immediate actions residents can take to be well informed, prepared, and ready to protect themselves, their family, and their community. 

The guide is available here to read and print for your home preparedness kit:  NewportBeachca.gov/readynb