A new liquor store is being proposed for 4555 W. Coast Highway, the same building that once housed Circle K, which was shut down in 2022 after years of public-safety problems and serious violations. When it operated, that Circle K became a magnet for illegal and unsafe activity — selling alcohol to minors, allowing loitering and vagrancy, public drinking in the parking lot, and contributing to drunk driving, littering, and noise that spilled onto the nearby beach and neighborhood streets.

Yet now, a new applicant is trying to put another liquor store in the same spot — with no change in conditions, no new safeguards, and the same community risks. We won once — and with your help, we can win again!

The Environmental Nature Center (ENC) isn’t just a patch of green space — it’s the living classroom of Newport Beach. For decades, the ENC has taught generations of children to respect the land, discover native plants, and connect with the environment that makes our city special. It’s where curiosity meets conservation — and it belongs right here in the heart of Newport.

But growing development pressures and encroaching urban projects threaten to erode the peace and purpose of this local treasure. Preserving the ENC means protecting a sanctuary of learning, wildlife, and community — a reminder that progress doesn’t have to come at the expense of nature.

We’re standing with the ENC — to keep Newport’s roots grounded in the land that’s always sustained us.