Council asks staff to seek Customs and Border Patrol help on panga landings, explores cameras

The City Council unanimously directed the city manager Tuesday to reach out to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to explore whether CBP would install and monitor ocean‑pointing cameras at key San Clemente shoreline locations, and accepted staff’s recommendation to publish federal reporting numbers on the city website.

The item followed continued local concern about recent unlicensed watercraft—commonly called pangas—making landings along Orange County beaches. City staff provided reporting numbers for the federal Maritime Coordination Center and local CBP, and noted the Orange County Sheriff’s Department remains the primary local response for public‑safety incidents. The city manager said the town will add the phone numbers to public materials and explore options for thermal/infrared camera systems that help lifeguards and authorities find people in the water at night.

After public comment that ranged from calls for more federal enforcement to worries about deputizing volunteers and privacy, councilmembers agreed to a substitute motion: accept staff’s recommendation and instruct the city manager to consult CBP about placing cameras on the pier and at two homeowner‑association sites that have offered cooperation. Council also asked staff to report back with feasibility and potential funding sources; councilmembers repeatedly said they do not intend the city to bear full costs unless a funding plan is identified.

Council emphasized that any monitoring agreements and camera designs would need to respect privacy and local operational needs, and that lifeguards and the Orange County Sheriff’s Department would remain the primary safety contacts for emergency situations.