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Residents ask Laguna Niguel to increase patrols, lighting and enforcement at Ridgeview Park after late-night disturbances
Summary
Residents of Ridgeview Drive presented a petition of more than 60 households asking Laguna Niguel to address alleged drug use, fireworks and other late-night activity at Ridgeview Park, and requested cameras, motion lighting, increased patrols and stricter enforcement; the council acknowledged the concerns and staff follow-up.
A group of Ridgeview Drive residents asked the Laguna Niguel City Council on July 15 to take immediate steps to address what they described as increasing illegal and unsafe activity at Ridgeview Park.
Shelly Salazar, a Ridgeview Drive resident, told the council that the park “has become a hotspot for illegal and unsafe activities, especially during the evening and late night hours,” and cited drug use, open flames used for smoking, alcohol consumption, fireworks and alleged hit-and-run incidents involving parked cars. She said residents delivered a petition signed by more than 60 neighbors and are “deeply anxious about the risk of a wildfire sparked by fireworks or the open use of flames for smoking drugs so close to our homes.”
The petition asks the city to install motion‑detected lighting and surveillance cameras with facial and license‑plate recognition, increase patrol presence during evenings and weekends, strictly enforce park rules and hours, and consider an earlier park closure at 8:30 p.m. Salazar requested that the sheriff’s department issue penalties rather than warnings for repeat offenders.
Mayor Genaway thanked Salazar for bringing the petition and noted that she had met with the city’s chief of police services earlier that day; the mayor said staff would continue working with residents and the sheriff’s office on the issues raised.
The item was raised during the public comment period; no formal council action or vote on the requested measures took place during the meeting. City staff and the Laguna Niguel Police Services/Sheriff’s Office were referenced as follow-up points for residents’ concerns.
Context: Ridgeview Park is in a canyon area the speakers described as having elevated brush‑fire risk. Salazar said recent incidents included fireworks launched into the canyon in the early morning hours and an episode on June 21 in which neighbors reported a nearly violent confrontation. She told the council that the sheriff arrived about 35 minutes after the June 21 911 call and that participants often left before deputies arrived.
What happens next: The council did not vote on policy changes during the meeting. Salazar and the petitioners asked the city to increase enforcement and install deterrent infrastructure; the mayor and staff acknowledged the request and said staff and law enforcement would continue follow-up with the neighborhood.
