Newport Beach council votes to keep beaches open, despite crowds and rebuke from Newsom

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The scene at Newport Beach on April 28. The Newport Beach City Council rejected a measure that would have closed its beaches for three consecutive weekends in May. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Bicyclists ride past mostly closed businesses on April 28. Any visitors to the city’s beaches will see an increased presence of police officers and lifeguards, and the council supported citing anyone who doesn’t follow the social distancing order. ( Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Rusty Renk, standing, was among those at a special meeting by the Newport Beach City Council. The council advised city staff to maintain beach access with additional enforcement of social distancing. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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The council action followed a busy weekend in Newport Beach as thousands of visitors sought to escape the Southern California heat wave. Pictured is an aerial view April 28. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Some areas were closed. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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The city said in its news release that it would “continue to communicate the critical importance of responsible social distancing and adherence to the governor’s ‘stay at home’ order during the upcoming weekends.” (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Outside the council meeting, opponents of beach and business restrictions made their presence known.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Other visitors expressed their views in other ways. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Another view of the beach April 28. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

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Visitors walk past a statue of fallen Newport Beach lifeguard Ben Carlson on April 28. San Clemente, which also saw its beaches filled with visitors over the weekend, deferred taking action on a similar bid to close its beaches. ( Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

By Jaclyn CosgroveStaff Writer

April 28, 2020 8:53 PM PT

The Newport Beach City Council on Tuesday rejected a measure that would have closed its beaches for three consecutive weekends in May.

Instead, the council advised city staff to maintain beach access with additional enforcement of social distancing. Any visitors to the city’s beaches will see an increased presence of police officers and lifeguards, and the council supported citing anyone who doesn’t follow the social distancing order, according to a city news release.

The council action followed a busy weekend in Newport Beach as thousands of visitors sought to escape the Southern California heatwave.

“The vast majority of the beach visitors this weekend were practicing social distancing, but many were not,” the city said in its statement.

The sudden increase in visitors generated significant stress to neighborhoods, as all city parking lots in the beach areas remain closed. The Oceanfront Boardwalk, Newport and Balboa piers, and the Wedge beach area are also still closed.

The city said in its news release that it “will continue to communicate the critical importance of responsible social distancing and adherence to the governor’s ‘stay at home’ order during the upcoming weekends.”

San Clemente, which also saw its beaches filled with visitors over the weekend, deferred taking action on a similar bid to close its beaches.

On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom chided weekend beach crowds in Ventura and Orange counties, calling them an example of “what not to do” if the state wants to continue its progress fighting the spread of COVID-19, which would allow an easing of statewide and local stay-at-home orders.

“This virus doesn’t take the weekends off, this virus doesn’t go home because it’s a beautiful sunny day around our coasts,” he said.

The counties pushed back, saying that most of those who hit the beach followed social distancing protocols, staying six feet apart on the sand.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.