Island’s dog days

Some residents on Balboa Island don’t want dogs on their beaches ? ever.

A law that allows dogs on beaches in the morning and evening just doesn’t work on the island, they say, and they are asking the Newport Beach City Council for an exemption that would ban dogs from Balboa’s shores.

“The beaches on Balboa Island ? as opposed to the ocean beaches ? are very small and intensely used, especially in the summer,” John Cunningham of the Balboa Island Improvement Assn. told the council during a study session Tuesday.

On Thursday, the Balboa Island Improvement Assn.’s board of directors voted to send a letter to the City Council asking for an exemption from the animals-on-the-beach ordinance. Association members contend that problems associated with dogs on beaches, such as animal waste and dogs running without leashes, are particularly concentrated on Balboa Island, Cunningham said.

These residents are also concerned that dog owners from other cities and other parts of Newport Beach are driving to Balboa Island to walk their dogs, he said.

The existing city ordinance, which took effect in 1989 and applies citywide, allows dogs on the beaches before 9 a.m. and after 5 p.m. all seasons of the year, said Lt. Jim Kaminsky of the Newport Police Department.

Cunningham said the board’s sentiments are representative of about 90% of the island residents.

There is some dispute about whether the island had an ordinance before 1989 that prohibited dogs on the beach. The board members based their interpretation of the law on an old sign that still stands near a newer sign that cites the 1989 ordinance. The old sign, now scratched and deteriorated, reads: “No dogs on bay beaches,” according to Cunningham.

“Island ‘old timers’ are firm in their recollection that no dogs were allowed on the beaches prior to 1989,” he said, adding that the board wants to return to the old law.

Councilman Steve Rosansky said he does not know how representative of all island residents the association is, adding that if the council decides to consider granting an exemption, he would call for a full public hearing, giving all residents time to express their opinions. dpt.03-dogs-2-CPhotoInfo931OI97F20060303ivixypkn(LA)A sign says pet owners have to walk their dogs during certain hours on Balboa Island. dpt.03-dogs-1-CPhotoInfo931OI97C20060303ivixzfknPHOTOS BY DON LEACH / DAILY PILOT(LA)Golden retrievers stroll along a walkway on Little Balboa Island, their owner just out of sight. Some residents don’t want dogs on nearby beaches.