Neighbors press Seal Beach council to deny short‑term rental renewal at 521 Riviera Drive near elementary school

Seal Beach — Several Riviera Drive residents told the City Council they fear a short‑term rental at 521 Riviera Drive risks children’s safety and neighborhood quality because the house sits about 55 feet from a school drop‑off and fields used by youth sports.

At Tuesday’s meeting Michael Westmoreland, Myra Romero, Julie Westmoreland and others said the rental permit creates a steady stream of unknown guests near Maguire Elementary School and community fields, and they urged the council to refuse renewal. Romero said she collected more than 200 petition signatures from neighbors who share the safety concerns.

“My utmost concern is for the safety of the children using Riviera Drive as an entry and exit from Maguire Elementary School,” Michael Westmoreland told the council, noting the block is a common route for school drop‑off, Pony baseball and other events. Myra Romero said she and neighbors have repeatedly observed parties, multiple vehicles and what she described as overnight vehicle occupancy in a motor home parked adjacent to the rental.

Speakers referenced the city’s short‑term rental ordinance, Ordinance 17‑01, and questioned an apparent boilerplate reference within it to Huntington Beach law. Resident Sherry Engelstead said she contacted the Coastal Commission and found the city holds a programmatic coastal development permit (CDP) that allows short‑term rentals in residential family zones under the city’s adopted approach in 2023, but she argued the council still retains authority to set zoning and permit conditions that protect public safety.

Council and staff responses at the meeting were limited to process. Interim City Manager Gallegos said staff will provide an update and “agendize” the short‑term rental issue for a future council meeting; no date was set. The council did not take formal action at the meeting on the specific permit for 521 Riviera Drive.

Residents asked for stronger enforcement of parking restrictions on Riviera Drive; Myra Romero raised an ordinance requiring movement of vehicles every 72 hours and said a motor home appeared to be blocking a streetposted resident permit sign. Residents also expressed doubts about the effectiveness of hosting platforms’ background checks. Engelstead said platforms’ checks are “neither comprehensive nor guaranteed” and cited state fair‑housing limits on certain criminal‑history screening.

Speakers asked the council to consider proximity limits for short‑term rentals to schools and to clarify whether the city’s ordinance contains an unintended Huntington Beach reference. Councilmembers said staff would return with a fuller report and a date to discuss the matter.

No formal council vote occurred on the Riviera Drive complaints; the public‑comment appeals were scheduled to be included in staff’s future review of short‑term‑rental policy.