More Orange County beaches have been given the go-ahead to open sections of coastline, with Huntington Beach, Seal Beach and Dana Point gaining approval from the state to allow limited access for recreation.
The California Natural Resources Agency made the announcement Tuesday afternoon that state agencies found the plans submitted by Huntington Beach, Dana Point and Seal Beach were consistent with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order and “beach access can be restored in these communities.”
“The plans include a range of measures to avoid overcrowding and enable safe physical distancing on the beach,” the announcement said.
Local residents should consult their city’s website for details regarding beach access.
San Clemente State Beaches are opening on Tuesday, as well as Doheny State Beach in Dana Point. Huntington and Bolsa Chica state beaches should be open by 1 p.m., State Parks Orange Coast Superintendent Kevin Pearsall. All will open for active recreational use, not hanging around on the sands all day. Parking lots will remain closed.
Newsom, during his noon update, spoke about working with Orange County beach towns to re-open.
He talked about how he worked with officials in Laguna Beach and San Clemente to reopen beaches, an announcement that came Monday after those cities submitted plans over the weekend.
“I couldn’t be more complementary of their local leaders,” he said, calling the process “collaborative and cooperative.”
He then talked about how just a few hours earlier, the state was able to make similar commitments in terms of protocol and procedures in Huntington Beach, Dana Point and Seal Beach.
“It’s the spirit of collaboration and cooperation that is necessary as we move forward,” he said. He noted the state is also working with county supervisors and Newport Beach, and “looks forward to subsequent announcements in that space.”
The only coastal city yet to gain approval is Newport Beach and officials there are wondering why.
Newport Beach also submitted a plan to the state on Saturday to safely reopen the city’s coastline, city spokesman John Pope said.
“We have been closely coordinating with Huntington Beach about strategies to enhance the management of our beaches,” he 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.”
Give that other cities’ plans have been approved for reopening today, he said “we hope to hear from state authorities shortly on whether Newport Beach will join other Orange County cities in a safe, coordinated approach to reopening the beaches.”
It’s also unclear if the approvals announced today will also allow for county beaches in the three towns to open, such as Salt Creek in Dana Point or Sunset Beach in Huntington Beach.
It is also unclear what this means for the lawsuit brought by Huntington Beach and Dana Point last week trying to block the state’s closure of Orange County’s coastline. Newport Beach leaders over the weekend voted to support the suit.
This story is developing, check back for updates.
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Huntington Beach, Seal Beach and Dana Point get state approval to reopen beaches, with limited use - OCRegister
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