Hot on the heels of the Santa Ana City Council taking up an ordinance that would have enacted a 300-foot buffer between protesters and private homes, Irvine’s City Council is set to consider a similar measure during its meeting on Tuesday, March 26.

An increasing number of picketers in Irvine and surrounding areas have targeted specific residences, Councilmember Kathleen Treseder said in a memo to the council — which appears almost identical to Santa Ana’s staff report — “expressing their views at the targeted residence and captive audience therein.”

“Targeted picketing not only harasses and intimidates occupants of a targeted home (and other homes in close proximity to the targeted residence), but is intrusive upon those individuals’ right to privacy in their home,” Treseder said in the memo. “The distance restriction for targeted picketing proposed within this ordinance preserves ample alternative channels of communication for protesters and demonstrators to disseminate their message(s) and/or idea(s).”

The ordinance would prohibit demonstrations “directed at a particular residential dwelling or one or more occupants of a particular residential dwelling … whose occupants do not welcome such activity” within 300 feet of the property line of a residence. If adopted, the ordinance would take effect in 30 days.

In Santa Ana, councilmembers split 3-3 on the ordinance, with those opposed saying while they didn’t support the disruption of neighbors’ lives, the right to protest and be heard is fundamental.

For months, community members have been calling on local leaders to take stands in the Israel-Hamas war. Since November, Irvine City Council meetings have gone on for hours, some bleeding into the next day, largely due to individuals taking up a large portion of the meetings to present supporting or opposing views of a ceasefire in Gaza.

But on Tuesday, Feb. 27, the City Council in a 3-2 vote, decided against a resolution that outlined action items city leaders could take to address the divisiveness in the community, with the majority agreeing that the war in the Middle East is not a local issue that directly impacts Irvine residents.

Following that decision, Councilmembers Treseder and Tammy Kim, who voted against that proposed resolution, said harassment against them has ramped up, leading to the Irvine Police Department patrolling their homes and monitoring their social media accounts.

IPD said there hasn’t been any credible threat that’s been made, and local activists calling for a ceasefire say they too, are unaware of any threats.

The City Council’s meeting on Tuesday begins at 4 p.m. at 1 Civic Center Plaza. The meeting can also be streamed live at cityofirvine.org/ictv.

Staff writer Destiny Torres contributed to this report.