September 22, 2026
Agenda Item No. 14
TO:
HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM:
David Miner, Chief of Police - 949-644-3701, [email protected] PREPARED BY:
Sabrina Fabbri, Traffic Sergeant - 949-644-3743, [email protected] TITLE:
Acceptance of the State of California Office of Traffic Safety Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Grant PT27109 ABSTRACT:
The Newport Beach Police Department (NBPD) seeks acceptance of a grant totaling $497,000 from the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to fund a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) enforcement and awareness program, traffic safety enforcement operations and DUI sobriety checkpoints.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
Determine this action is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) and 15060(c)(3) of the CEQA Guidelines because this action will not result in a physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly; Authorize the City Council to accept a $497,00 Selective Traffic Enforcement Program award granted to the Newport Beach Police Department by the State of California, Office of Traffic Safety; and Approve Budget Amendment No. 27-020 increasing Newport Beach Police Department revenue estimates and expenditure appropriations by $497,000.
DISCUSSION:
The City of Newport Beach (City) is an attractive location for Orange County nightlife and routinely competes with other cities for the most Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) licensed establishments in the State of California (per capita). The population of the City is over 82,000 residents; however, during the summer months the city experiences an increase in daily visitors that routinely exceeds 100,000. While tourism generates positive tax revenue for the City of Newport Beach (City), it also stresses the infrastructure, the NBPD and other City departments.
In 2007, the NBPD’s first grant was requested and awarded through the OTS. Since then, the department has been dedicated to community education, traffic enforcement, and the reduction of DUI-related collisions. The NBPD continues to recognize the need for ongoing DUI enforcement and education.
The NBPD applied for, and has been awarded, a grant from OTS to increase DUI enforcement and awareness and to fund additional traffic safety enforcement in the city. Funds for grant number PT27109 become available on October 1, 2026, and will expire on September 30, 2027.
The grant funds will pay overtime and benefits costs for officers specifically assigned to DUI enforcement and awareness programs, including a full-time officer dedicated to DUI enforcement, DUI checkpoint operations, DUI saturation patrol operations, and traffic enforcement operations related to distracted driving, motorcycle safety, and bicycle/pedestrian enforcement. In-state travel and training expenses are also included in the grant for officers attending the Standardized Field Sobriety Testing, Advanced Roadside Impaired Driving Enforcement, and Drug Recognition Expert training courses.
The “Know Your Limit” program is also a part of the grant this year. The “Know Your Limit” program is a collaborative effort between the NBPD and ABC-licensed establishments to educate patrons about the dangers of drinking and driving. NBPD personnel visit local alcohol-licensed establishments and provide patrons with voluntary breath tests in order to educate them on their blood alcohol concentration, thereby allowing patrons to “Know Your Limit” before they consider driving after consuming alcohol.
Almost all DUI efforts involve overtime, as they are unique and short-term assignments that do not involve personnel scheduled to work a regular patrol assignment. In other words, the NBPD retains the same number of officers on regularly scheduled patrol while additional officers are added for the sole purpose of conducting OTS grant-funded DUI enforcement at no additional cost to the City.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Budget Amendment 27-020 appropriates $497,000 in additional revenue from the OTS Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) Grant and $497,000 in increased expenditure appropriations. The revenue will be posted to the OTS STEP Fiscal Year 2026-27 Account #11035-431360-G2715 and the expenditure appropriations will be posted to the various expenditure accounts within the OTS Fund, according to the following breakdown:
Account
Category
Amount
11035-713002-G2715
Overtime, Safety
$409,243
11035-727016-G2715
Medicare Fringes
$72,521
11035-861001-G2715
Travel & Meetings
$4,521
11035-841015-G2715
Other Direct Costs
$10,715
Total FY 2026-2027 STEP Grant
$497,000
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
NOTICING:
The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item).
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A – Budget Amendment
Attachment B – OTS Grant Agreement Copy
Acceptance of the State of California Office of Traffic Safety Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Grant PT27109Acceptance of the State of California Office of Traffic Safety Selective Traffic Enforcement Program Grant PT27109 September 22, 2026
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