There are over one million surfers spread out up and down California's 1,100-mile coast, and as the affects of COVID-19 continue to be felt throughout the state, access to local beaches has been tightening as a safety precaution.
Following California's executive order last Thursday ordering all residents to stay home, a weekend of sunshine brought alarming crowds of people to beaches across the state.
In response, it was announced that, "all parking lots at State Beaches and Parks will be closed to reduce crowding in outdoor spaces," according to CBS Los Angeles.
This interactive map shows all of the current State Parks with closed parking lots from San Diego to Marin County.
Though not every beach falls under this category, municipalities are now closing their beaches on a city and county level. Here is your list of beach closures from San Diego to San Francisco:
San Diego County
As of now, San Diego is taking the harshest measures in California. According to Fox 5 San Diego, all city beaches from San Diego to Carlsbad are completely closed. Parking lots in Oceanside are also closed at this time.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Falcouner said, "I am calling on the city to close all parks, beaches, boardwalks, bays, and trails until futher notice. And violators could face fines and jail time."
Those who break this rule could be fined up to $1,000 and charged with a misdemeanor.
Orange County
The laws do not appear to be as strict in Orange County just yet, but there will likely changes in the coming days following the shut down in San Diego. According to CBS Los Angeles, "Orange County Executive Officer Frank Kim was set to issue a directive to close parking lots for all county-owned beaches." This includes:
- Aliso Beach
- Capistrano Beach
- Dana Point Harbor
- Newport Harbor
- Salt Creek Beach
- Sunset Harbour
Laguna Beach and Seal Beach have also closed all beaches and parks.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles County has officially closed all of its beaches in reaction to the large number of people disregarding the social distancing guidelines enacted to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
In a statement, County Supervisor Janice Hahn said, "In order to save lives, beaches in L.A. County will temporarily be closed."
The order to close L.A. beaches goes into effect immediately and runs through April 19, 2020.
First Point in Malibu before closures. - WSL / Andrew Nichols
Santa Cruz
According to the Mercury News, "Santa Cruz County hasn't closed its beaches, but it did issue a plea Monday to avoid crowding its shorline."
More on this as the story develops.
San Francisco
Like in Los Angeles, most beach closures in the San Francisco area are listed in the interactive map above, meaning that they fall under the State Beach and State Park closure mandate.
"On Tuesday, along the coast in San Mateo County, all of the parking lots at state beaches are closed as state parks try to slow the spread of coronavirus, according to Kron 4 News. "California state parks are hoping that by closing down these areas it will deter the large crowds, a move that has been mostly welcomed here in Half Moon Bay."
Earlier in the week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced, "I don't want to close big, beautiful open spaces -- not when we're encouraging people to go outside with intention and purpose, but we can't see what we saw over the weekend happen again."
California's official COVID-19 Reponse Plan permits residents to exercise outdoors "as long as one is maintaining a safe distance of 6-feet or more."
Though beach closure laws are blurred throughout the state, cities urge California residents to abide by their local laws to avoid fines, possible jail-time, and the spread of COVID-19.
What Surfers Need To Know About California Beach Closures
Bryan Benattou
There are over one million surfers spread out up and down California's 1,100-mile coast, and as the affects of COVID-19 continue to be felt throughout the state, access to local beaches has been tightening as a safety precaution.
Following California's executive order last Thursday ordering all residents to stay home, a weekend of sunshine brought alarming crowds of people to beaches across the state.
In response, it was announced that, "all parking lots at State Beaches and Parks will be closed to reduce crowding in outdoor spaces," according to CBS Los Angeles.
This interactive map shows all of the current State Parks with closed parking lots from San Diego to Marin County.
Though not every beach falls under this category, municipalities are now closing their beaches on a city and county level. Here is your list of beach closures from San Diego to San Francisco:
San Diego County
As of now, San Diego is taking the harshest measures in California. According to Fox 5 San Diego, all city beaches from San Diego to Carlsbad are completely closed. Parking lots in Oceanside are also closed at this time.
San Diego Mayor Kevin Falcouner said, "I am calling on the city to close all parks, beaches, boardwalks, bays, and trails until futher notice. And violators could face fines and jail time."
Those who break this rule could be fined up to $1,000 and charged with a misdemeanor.
Orange County
The laws do not appear to be as strict in Orange County just yet, but there will likely changes in the coming days following the shut down in San Diego. According to CBS Los Angeles, "Orange County Executive Officer Frank Kim was set to issue a directive to close parking lots for all county-owned beaches." This includes:
Laguna Beach and Seal Beach have also closed all beaches and parks.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles County has officially closed all of its beaches in reaction to the large number of people disregarding the social distancing guidelines enacted to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus.
In a statement, County Supervisor Janice Hahn said, "In order to save lives, beaches in L.A. County will temporarily be closed."
The order to close L.A. beaches goes into effect immediately and runs through April 19, 2020.
Santa Cruz
According to the Mercury News, "Santa Cruz County hasn't closed its beaches, but it did issue a plea Monday to avoid crowding its shorline."
More on this as the story develops.
San Francisco
Like in Los Angeles, most beach closures in the San Francisco area are listed in the interactive map above, meaning that they fall under the State Beach and State Park closure mandate.
"On Tuesday, along the coast in San Mateo County, all of the parking lots at state beaches are closed as state parks try to slow the spread of coronavirus, according to Kron 4 News. "California state parks are hoping that by closing down these areas it will deter the large crowds, a move that has been mostly welcomed here in Half Moon Bay."
Earlier in the week, Governor Gavin Newsom announced, "I don't want to close big, beautiful open spaces -- not when we're encouraging people to go outside with intention and purpose, but we can't see what we saw over the weekend happen again."
California's official COVID-19 Reponse Plan permits residents to exercise outdoors "as long as one is maintaining a safe distance of 6-feet or more."
Though beach closure laws are blurred throughout the state, cities urge California residents to abide by their local laws to avoid fines, possible jail-time, and the spread of COVID-19.
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