South OC Cars and Coffee event in San Clemente in jeopardy as city reviews permit

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (KABC) -- A large car show in south Orange County is now in jeopardy after San Clemente residents have issued noise complaints.

South OC Cars and Coffee is held every Saturday morning at the Outlets at San Clemente, drawing hundreds of classic and exotic cars with even more spectators who show up to admire them.

It was started nine years ago by Simon Wehr and his son, James Wehr. They moved to Orange County from Australia in 2010.

"We were going to a few car shows in Southern California and we found an iteration of the original 'Cars and Coffee' that I went to, and I met a lot of friends there and it closed down," said Simon Wehr. "I really missed somewhere to go to as part of the car community."

Simon and his son have always bonded over cars.

"The new Outlets had opened in San Clemente. James was a little older, so I said, 'Let's go approach the Outlets and see if we could do something here," said Simon Wehr. "We never dreamed that it would turn into what it's turned into today."

Now, the event is considered the largest weekly "Cars and Coffee" meetup in the world.

"We're so grateful," said James Wehr. "Getting to see people come out every week and enjoy the show. We see multiple generations of people walking around with their cars, and it's a great environment. We're super lucky."

However, their permit is currently in jeopardy after city leaders say some have made noise complaints and raised concerns about alleged speeding offsite near the car show.

"It's not about the show itself. It's about what happens after the show when you have 400 to 600 cars leaving this area," said San Clemente Mayor Rick Loeffler. "This is, I think, one of the few car shows anywhere where they have something at a set location every week. Usually, it's less often, so residents came and said, 'We'd like you to address the issue,' and that's why I brought it forward."

City documents feature police enforcement data showing that on a Saturday in March last year, the California Highway Patrol issued 121 citations.

On a Saturday in May, the Orange County Sheriff's Department issued 56 citations.

Loeffler said he receives five or six emails per weekend about the event.

The San Clemente City Council has several options at the meeting on Tuesday.

Event organizers can require a private contract with OCSD to provide two deputies around the event - but whether the event organizers or the city would pay for it would need to be decided.

The council can prohibit motorcycle participation, modify the ingress and egress to and from the event, require the installation of two automatic license plate reader cameras, reduce the frequency of the events, require participant and spectator registration, install more signage or revoke the permit altogether.

Loeffler said he does not want to see the permit revoked but believes there are ways the city council can please residents who have complaints.

"Just because you have an event on private property doesn't mean that you don't have to deal with the consequences of that event on public property," said Loeffler.

San Clemente Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock sees it differently.

"Private people should be allowed to do their business without government interference," Knoblock said. "It's a benefit to our city, it's a benefit to business, it is a social activity that people enjoy, and why on Earth would the government want to restrict that?"

A petition created to save the event has received thousands of signatures. The Wehrs hope the council chooses to keep their permit and event as is.

"Laguna Beach has the Sawdust [Art] Festival and Pageant Of The Masters, and they celebrate it, and they're proud of it," said Simon Wehr. "Huntington Beach has the surf festival, it has the air show, and they celebrate it and they are proud of it. San Clemente is already known as the car show town. We bring thousands of people into the city every single month. We would like to see them once and for all officially sanction South OC Cars and Coffee and say they're proud of it."

The next San Clemente City Council meeting is on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.