The border between Long Beach and Seal Beach may be a little starker come Monday, May 11, as two different policies governing each city’s beaches go into effect.
The oceanfront in Seal Beach will reopen at sunrise Monday as a “beach in motion” – for activities such as running, walking and surfing. People, though, will not be able to pitch a tent or lay out a towel for sunbathing and hanging out.
In Long Beach, meanwhile — like the rest of Los Angeles County — the sand will remain completely off-limits. The paved bike and pedestrian path that winds through the city’s beachfront will, however, open up.
But Seal Beach City Councilman Joe Kalmick, who represents the city’s beach neighborhoods, said he’s not concerned about hordes of Long Beach residents trekking down south on Monday.
“Since Long Beach doesn’t have waves, surfers who live there have always come to Seal Beach and will continue to do so,” he said. “But we don’t expect a huge influx. With parking lots closed, surfers would have to schlep their boards for blocks.”
Long Beach representatives did not respond to a request for comment on how the differing policies may affect the city north of the border.
But Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said in a Wednesday afternoon, May 6, briefing that police, firefighters and lifeguards would continue to enforce the city’s beach closures.
When asked about the differing policies on Wednesday, Garcia said, “What’s happening down south is: They’re looking at their own indicators, and we’re looking at ours.
“Long Beach,” he added, “is just not there yet.”
Kalmick, in Seal Beach, said the city will still keep a close eye on its own indicators as it slowly moves forward with lifting beach closures.
“People argue that Seal Beach has a lot of sand area, which allows for social distancing,” he said. “But the problem is that beach goers tend to congregate. We will start with a soft opening and monitor people’s willingness to follow these procedures, and then move on to the next step. In the final phase, we will reopen the parking lots and pier.”
Even as Seal Beach is moving more quickly than its next-door neighbor, Kalmick said the city is being cautious.
“All along, the city has taken a conservative approach,” he said. “We have a large population of older residents, so we take the pandemic very seriously. If we can just put up with the inconvenience of limited beach use for this small slice of our lives, fewer people will die.”
Staff writer Hayley Munguia contributed to this report.
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Seal Beach unconcerned about influx of Long Beach residents as cities move toward differing beach policies - Long Beach Press Telegram
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