Less than a week after Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered the closure of all Orange County beaches to stem the spread of the coronavirus, state officials have announced that three beach cities will be permitted to reopen their stretches of coastline this week with certain limitations.
Dana Point, Huntington Beach and Seal Beach submitted plans to Sacramento that would allow the public to immediately access the coastline for active recreation only. The plans, approved Tuesday, include a range of measures to avoid overcrowding and allow safe physical distancing, according to the California Natural Resources Agency.
Under Huntington Beach’s plan, people are now permitted to use the beach from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. with the stipulation that they remain active. Sunbathing is not allowed. Parking meters along Pacific Coast Highway and the beach’s bike path are available for use, but the pier and the city’s beach parking lot will remain closed.
“We’re delighted to be reopening our beaches for active recreation, which will allow our community to once again enjoy the recreational and mental health benefits from spending time in the Pacific Ocean,” Mayor Lyn Semeta said in a prepared statement. “The new active recreation rules that we’re instituting will allow for continued beach access in a manner that emphasizes the need to practice safe social distancing.”
Seal Beach’s coastline will be open — beginning Monday — for limited hours Monday through Thursday with the requirement that visitors remain active while on the sand.
Officials in Dana Point said their beaches will also only be open to walking, running and recreational uses like swimming and surfing. No gatherings will be permitted, but the public can still access the city’s tide pools.
Dana Point City Manager Mike Killebrew said in a statement that he hopes “everyone understands how important it is that we all follow new guidelines that will promote socially responsible recreation and enjoyment by the public.”
“We know how important our beaches are to the residents of Dana Point. And we know how much residents value, especially now, access to our beautiful coastline,” he said.
State-operated beaches within the Huntington Beach and Dana Point city limits also reopened with the same active-recreation protocols, city officials said.
The move came a day after similar plans for Laguna Beach and San Clemente were approved by the state.
The only coastal city that has not yet gained approval from the state to reopen is Newport Beach. The city, just a few miles south of Huntington Beach, also submitted a plan to Sacramento on Saturday to safely reopen their coastline, said city spokesman John Pope.
“We have been closely coordinating with Huntington Beach about strategies to enhance the management of our beaches,” Pope said. “Despite repeated attempts by city staff to connect with state officials, we have not yet received any information on an approval or modifications, or when a decision might be made.”
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People stroll along Laguna’s Main Beach after it reopened its beaches for active use only.
(Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Mathew Hanna jumps on a skim board at Laguna’s Main Beach on Tuesday morning as city reopened its beaches for active use only. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Cathie Lawler with her dogs, Milo and Charlie, said “Absolutely fabulous. So good to see the beach” as she walked along Laguna Beach after it reopened for active use only. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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Goff Stepian rides a wave on his paddle board at Laguna’s Main Beach. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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People stroll along Laguna’s Main Beach after it reopened its beaches for active use only. (Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times)
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An aerial view of beach-goers playing volleyball on a nice day at the beach despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s hard closure, which is still in place in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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An aerial view of a few surfers and beach-goers enjoying a nice day at the beach despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s hard closure, which is still in place in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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An aerial view of a few surfers and beach-goers enjoying a nice day at the beach despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s hard closure, which is still in place in Newport Beach on Monday. (Allen J. Schaben/Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Bicyclists and pass the closed Boardwalk Sports store on the boardwalk in Newport Beach, on Monday. The business is only renting bicycles but is hoping to fully open after Gov. Newsom’s announcement that some businesses will be able to reopen. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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An aerial view of the Newport Beach pier, where a few surfers and beach-goers enjoy a nice day at the beach despite Gov. Gavin Newsom’s hard closure, which is still in place in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Bill Beukers and his wife, Teresa, claim their constitutional rights as they speak to Newport Beach police officers. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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A surfer climbs over a barrier meant to keep visitors off the beach in Newport Beach on Saturday morning. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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Police and protesters find a shady spot along Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Newport Beach lifeguards and police clear the beach during a closure that went into effect Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters stage a protest in Laguna Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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A motorcycle officer patrols the bike path near the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Huntington Beach resident Kyle Richardson, 35, holds a sign telling California Gov. Gavin Newson to lift stay-at-home orders and reopen beaches, parks and the California economy, during a protest near the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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A Newport Beach lifeguard evacuates the beach as a closure went into effect Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters against beach closures walk in Newport Beach even though a beach closure went into effect Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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A police cruiser patrols near the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters gather near the Huntington Beach Pier, demanding that California Gov. Gavin Newson lift stay-at-home orders. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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People walk on the sand in Newport Beach despite the beach closure that went into effect Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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People enjoy the sun near the pier in Huntington Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Under the watchful eyes of police officers, protesters against beach closures walk along Newport Beach even though a beach closure went into effect Saturday. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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A couple walks along the sand while others venture into the surf in Newport Beach even though Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Orange County beaches closed. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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People enjoy the sun in downtown Huntington Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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A motorcycle officer watches the bike path near the Huntington Beach Pier on Saturday. California Gov. Gavin Newson ordered a hard closure of Orange County beaches this weekend. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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Surfers and others ventured to the beach in Newport Beach on Saturday despite the governor’s closure order. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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Saturday’s beach closure did not keep surfers out of the water in Newport Beach. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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Protesters wave a variety of flags, including a Confederate one, along Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna Beach on Saturday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)
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An aerial view of a mostly empty Huntington Beach following Gov. Newsom’s “hard close” of Orange County beaches. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Huntington Beach lifeguards patrol with a boat to try to get surfers to stop defying Gov. Gavin Newsom’s “hard close” order. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Steve Christopher, right, reads a book in the shade of the pier as a beach-goer does flips across the beach on the last day of open beaches in Huntington Beach. “I think it’s what needs to be done,” Christopher said. “I saw it last week and it was packed.” (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Surfers ride the waves on the north side of the Huntington Beach Pier Friday, May 1, 2020. Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Orange County beaches closed on Thursday despite opposition from local leaders. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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Emergency room nurse Rebecca McFarlane, of Covina, relaxes on her one day off from treating COVID-19 patients, on an open stretch of sand far away from other beach-goers on the last day of open beaches in Huntington Beach. “As a nurse, I have to wear all the PPE and on my one day off, I just want to relax on the beach,” McFarlane said. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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An aerial view of Huntington Beach after Gov. Newsom announced the “hard close” of all Orange County state and local beaches. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
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An aerial view shows visitors enjoying the sun and sand near the pier in Newport Beach on Tuesday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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A surfer catches a wave while joining some of the thousands of beachgoers over the weekend in Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Newport Beach officials said beach visitors followed distancing guidelines over the weekend. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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On Tuesday, beachgoers pass a statue of Newport Beach lifeguard Ben Carlson, who died while conducting a rescue. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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A man in a protective mask walks his dog past a closed park near the pier in Newport Beach on Tuesday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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A motorist makes a statement via a back window as pedestrians walk past a store display in Newport Beach that features a mannequin in a mask. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Beachgoers dot the sand in an aerial view of Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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Weekend beach crowds, such as those in Huntington Beach, spurred alarm among some officials. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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People crowd the bike path near Huntington Beach pier on Saturday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
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An aerial view shows surfers waiting for a wave Saturday off Newport Beach. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Newsom last week ordered a “hard close” of all Orange County beaches. The order came after an April heat wave sent thousands to the sand in some beach communities. Newsom called the images circulating of people congregating on Orange County’s shores “disturbing.”
The closure prompted a legal showdown between cities and the state, as well as outrage from the public. Some argued that the governor was targeting Orange County based on photographs that did not show the full scope of what was happening on the beaches.
Newsom on Tuesday praised local leaders in Orange County beach cities for working with his administration to reach an agreement. Just days ago, city leaders in Huntington Beach and Dana Point voted to take legal action against the governor.
Huntington Beach City Atty. Michael Gates said the city is continuing to move forward with its request for an injunction against the governor’s order despite the beaches being allowed to reopen.
Newsom said his administration has been negotiating with the beach cities since the weekend and said he hoped to make a future announcement about beach access in Orange County soon.
“It’s a spirit of collaboration and cooperation that is necessary as we move forward,” Newsom said during his daily COVID-19 briefing in Sacramento.
On Tuesday, the Orange County Board of Supervisors voted to submit a plan to the state that would allow county-operated beaches to reopen for active recreation.
Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, who proposed the item, said it would help put county beaches in line with what was happening in nearby cities and allow people to get out and recreate along the coast.
“We want people to walk and jog and run and enjoy water sports but to keep moving,” she said, “and the state is fully behind that.”
Supervisor Don Wagner opposed the motion, along with Supervisor Michelle Steel, saying any restrictions on beach activity were arbitrary and that it was appalling that the county would bow to rules the governor put in place without input from local officials.
“This is exactly what we shouldn’t be doing as a government,” Wagner said.
Staff writer Luke Money contributed to this report.
