They look like harmless bunnies but the statues in California's richest city have sparked a huge fight

Published: 01:14, 26 April 2026 | Updated: 01:14, 26 April 2026 A wealthy California town is at war over controversial bunny statues located in a popular park. Locals in Newport Beach are divided over the collection of more than a dozen 4ft concrete rabbits commonly known as Bunnyhenge. While popular with many residents including children, not everyone is a fan of the unusual sculpture. Now, their fate hangs in the balance after city officials decided their location could be the prime spot for a new police headquarters. The proposal has sparked a fierce debate between lawmakers and their constituents who are not only concerned about losing Bunnyhenge, but also a large part of Civic Center Park. The development, one of four proposals, would require roughly a third of the park's space including where Bunnyhenge sits.  Local resident Nancy Skinner told a city council meeting: 'We have to keep [the new station] out of the park. I'm just shocked to think that we, with just a small ad hoc committee, made a decision without any significant input from the residents in the city.' Former Newport Beach Mayor Don Webb also told the Orange County Register: 'If you take a third of it, it will totally minimize the feeling we have today. I suggest looking across the street.' Civic Center Park in Newport Beach California, is home to 14 4ft statues of bunnies known as Bunnyhenge  However, a proposal suggests building a new police headquarters directly where the sculptures sit  Councilmember Sara Weber said in a city council meeting that she supports the police headquarters replacing the area of the statues  'Never, in my wildest dreams, did I think I would be sitting up here talking about the bunnies, but here we are,' said Councilmember Sara Weber in a March 10 meeting of the Newport Beach City Council, according to the SF Gate. 'So from a location perspective, central access is extremely important for police operations, response times, and, in my opinion, maintaining a visible public safety presence in the center of our city.' Other locations or redeveloping the current police headquarters were also floated as potential options, but Councilmember Erik Weigand said building on the park is the best option. 'We need to study whether the Civic Center even works, but it is the best option at the moment because we own the land,' said Weigand. 'If we can find something in Newport Center that is affordable, I'd be happy to support that. We cannot build on Santa Barbara [the existing police station], nor do I support moving all the way out to the airport.' The 14 bunny statues were installed in the park in 2014, along with two larger rabbits, after the city purchased them for $221,000.  Newport Beach Mayor Lauren Kleiman told the outlet that the outrage over the development plans is unwarranted, given that no decisions have been made. But Former Newport Beach Mayor Don Webb is against relocating the rabbits over fears it will reduce the size of Civic Center Park where they are located Newport Beach is about 50 miles from Los Angeles and is one of the Golden State's few conservative areas 'I love the bunnies,' said the mayor. 'Putting it [police headquarters] at the Civic Center Park doesn't eliminate the park of the open space. I'm a little confused about how all this narrative has spiraled so far out of control.' But according to SF Gate, if the headquarters is built on the park, the bunnies are likely to be relocated. Newport Beach is about 50 miles from Los Angeles and is famous for being one of California's few conservative enclaves. The Daily Mail has reached out to Newport Beach Mayor Lauren Kleiman, Newport Beach City Council, and the Newport Beach Police Department for comment. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.