Corona del Mar Today: Caltrans stripes highway to prevent illegal left turns

California Department of Transportation crews began adding striping to the median near the Shake Shack on Wednesday because of motorists making illegal left turns, an official for the department has confirmed.

A maintenance work order was submitted to install 800 feet of 12-inch yellow diagonal striping in the median, according to an email from David Richardson, a spokesman for Caltrans District 12.

A traffic engineering group visited the location and made the striping recommendation after a complaint from a Corona del Mar resident, Richardson said.

The resident said that Shake Shack customers regularly make left turns, despite signs warning that left turns are not permitted.

“Sit there for two minutes, and you’ll see someone making that illegal turn,” the resident said.

The left turns have not caused traffic accidents or resulted in an unusual number of citations, Richardson said in a telephone interview.

The striping work will cost $2,163, Richardson said.

“This change is being made after a engineering assessment as well as our normal process of responding to citizens concerns and requests when appropriate,” he said.

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Citizens police academy accepting applications

The Newport Beach Police Department’s Citizen Police Academy is accepting applications for its next session that begins Sept. 20.

About 10 spots are available for the academy, which will meet from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. for 12 consecutive Thursdays. About 30 adults who live or work in Newport Beach may take the classes.

The classes are not meant to prepare citizens for real police academies, but rather to increase participants’ understanding of how the Police Department operates, spokeswoman Kathy Lowe said.

Participants will meet the chief, tour the station, take a ride-along, make simulated car stops, see demonstrations by the SWAT team and helicopter crews, and learn about crime scene investigation techniques and fingerprinting.

City Councilman Rush Hill participated in a recent academy and called the experience “educational, exciting and fun.”

“The academy provides insight to all the important functions we call upon our police to perform on a regular and continuous basis,” he wrote in an email. “You cannot attend without coming away with significant appreciation for the quality of our police officers and staff, their passion to serve, compassion for all members of the public, technical skills and love for our community. The toughness and pressure of their job is easy to grasp once you have been exposed to everything from recruitment to retirement.”

Besides living or working in Newport Beach, participants must be 21 years old and have no felony convictions, warrants or pending criminal cases.

For further information, call Lowe at (949) 644-3692.

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Man rescued from Inspiration Point

A man has been hospitalized following an incident at Inspiration Point on Thursday night, police said Friday.

An apparently distraught man stook on the edge of the cliff above Big Corona on Ocean Boulevard near Orchid Avenue about 7:40 p.m., police said.

“Upon arrival, officers discovered that the subject had climbed over the safety railing and was standing near the edge of a cliff,” said Sgt. Joe Cartwright of the Newport Beach Police Department. “Officers successfully contacted and detained the subject, who was later transported for mental evaluation.”

The man initially was arrested on suspicion of trespassing for climbing past the railing, Cartwright said. Later he was released on his own recognizance into the care of a medical team, he said.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol responded with boats, and a police helicopter and lifeguards also responded. The sheriff’s online blotter indicates that the man was pushed to safety within 20 minutes of officers arriving at the scene.

A witness said the man appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, and had taken off his jacket and tied it over his face. The witness said that police parked cars on pedestrian pathways and used tape to block the park area along Ocean Boulevard for about a block.

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Junior Firefighter Camp registration is open

The Newport Beach Fire Department has opened registration for Junior Firefighter Camp, with two one-week sessions offered in August.

The camps run from 9 a.m. to noon Mondays through Fridays in Mariners Park. The first session will begin Aug. 13 and the second Aug. 20. Camps are limited to 25 participants, so early enrollment is encouraged. Camps are designed for children between 9 and 13 years old.

“The camp will be taught by our very own Newport Beach Firefighters and will introduce the participants to the firefighting profession,” spokeswoman Jennifer Schulz wrote in an email. Participants will learn about basic first aid, fire safety and firefighting tools and skills.

The camp costs $125 for one week.

To register, visit https://www.newportbeachca.gov. The camp’s registration number is CE6011 CE6012.

You also can register by calling Schulz at (949) 644-3110.

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Twitter: @coronadelmartdy