For Impact at City Hall - Membership Numbers Are Everything!

Less than a year ago, NBSTRA launched with a simple mission: make sure responsible STLP permit holders and professional managers have a credible voice at City Hall. Since then, we’ve built real momentum – growing membership, establishing relationships, and showing the City that we are serious, constructive partners who support public safety and want Newport Beach to remain safe, welcoming, and well-managed.

This week proved the value of that work. Even though the Safety Enhancement ordinance still passed with “shall revoke” language in the text, NBSTRA had enough credibility and access to fight for – and secure – meaningful improvements, including getting the Council’s intent clarified in the staff report and placed into the legislative record. That matters for fair enforcement, and it didn’t happen by accident – it happened because NBSTRA showed up, engaged, and stayed in the arena.

But we’re not yet where we need to be. The City did not feel compelled to consult NBSTRA from the very outset before introducing the ordinance. The only way that changes – the only way the City automatically brings responsible operators into the room early, before major policy moves – is through the strength of numbers and a unified community presence.

If you’ve already joined NBSTRA, thank you. You’re helping build the influence we need to protect a workable STLP program and represent responsible owners and managers. If you haven’t joined yet, now is the time. The stronger we are, the more we can shape policy before it becomes a problem – and the more effective we are at protecting responsible operators while supporting the City’s public safety goals.