Newport Beach surf instructor wins right to teach on city beaches

Santa Ana, California; August 10, 2026: A Navy veteran and surf school owner reached a settlement with Newport Beach on July 28 securing the right to teach paid surf lessons on city beaches, ending a lawsuit he brought last year. Jason Murchison, owner of Learn to Surf, will operate under a five-year agreement — the same terms granted to the three other City-approved surf schools.

“Newport Beach decided three surf schools was enough — but it never had any basis for that conclusion,” said Caleb Trotter, a senior attorney with Pacific Legal Foundation. “The government doesn’t get to cap competition just because it feels like it. Every entrepreneur deserves the freedom to build a business without the City deciding the market is full.”

Murchison, a former Navy diver, built Learn to Surf into a thriving business after the City twice denied his applications to operate — offering no clear standards and no explanation for the rejections. Newport Beach’s ordinance banned paid surf instruction on public beaches without written City approval, while free lessons faced no restrictions at all. The City approved only three schools out of many applicants since 2012 and collected 20%-30% of their lesson fees.

The settlement restores Murchison’s ability to run his business and puts him on equal footing with competitors the City had long favored. His case exposed how unchecked permitting power allows governments to suppress competition and deny entrepreneurs a fair shot at earning a living.

Pacific Legal Foundation represented Murchison free of charge. The case is Jason Murchison v. City of Newport Beach, CA.