Beaches Will Be Closed In Malibu Friday thru Monday, as Fireworks Danger Looms

Beaches will be closed in all of Los Angeles county from Friday … over the Fourth of July weekend … in the Monday.

But now the question turns to the Santa Monica Mountains … and Pacific Coast Highway … and the dangerous activities expected there.

Los Angeles County shows deputies say the beach team we’ll be enforcing $1000 trespassing fines on all the beaches … including so-called private beaches reached by access ways.

By order of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors … any point from the high tide line out to sea is off limits from 1201 Friday morning until midnight Monday night.

This comes as LA County measures an alarming spike in the number of COVID 19 cases.

Officials are now warning that 1 out of every 140 people in L A County are likely unknowingly infected with the virus.

That is a huge increase over last week’s projection … of 1 in every 400.

And the increased case number is not related just to increased testing … officials say.

Rather … the surge is proof that community transmission has increased.

The rate of people testing positive for COVID-19 is now approaching 9%.

49% of the bars in L-A County … and 33% of the restaurants in the county … are not adhering to social distancing protocols … as of last week.

Additionally, inspectors found that workers at 54% of bars … and 44% of restaurants … were not wearing face masks or shields.

So … back to Malibu.

Where does this LA county wide beach closure leave Malibu???
Santa Monica’s pier will probably be closed … beaches will be closed … and it is likely that many restaurants will be closed.

But trails will be open  … the state and federal parks will be open. 

And the hills will probably be full of people … lighting fireworks.

Malibu officials plan to have the arson watch volunteers out … as many as 30 people looking around for people lighting fireworks illegally.

Frankly … big deal.

Last summer … we watched as people were setting off bottle rockets and sparklers right in front of the

Illegal fireworks are blamed fo a brushfire that broke out above Ventura last night.

It was not a big fire … it was out in an hour.

The brush fire was in Grant Park … the area below the Serra Cross that towers over the city.

Fireworks had been heard in the area.

The incident was reported around 6:24 p.m., with smoke visible below the cross, radio traffic indicated. A utility webcam showed a cloud of smoke emanating from the area.

Ventura Fire Department crews stopped the fire’s forward progress by 6:43 p.m. and had a line around the fire before 6:50 p.m., when they switched to mop-up operations.

Typically, at this time of the year, Southern Californians are making plans to visit one of the dozens of fireworks shows put on throughout the region. This year, however, has hardly been typical, and most of those shows have been quietly canceled.

The ongoing pandemic has prompted the cancellation of most summer events that draw big crowds, and fireworks shows are no exception.

Canceled in-person fireworks shows include:

• Americafest in Pasadena. Cancelled.
• Grand Park + Music Center in Downtown LA – cancelled.
• Marina Del Rey’s 4th Of July Fireworks Show – cancelled.
• Hollywood Bowl’s 3-night Fireworks Spectacular with the Beach Boys – cancelled.
• Fairplex in Pomona – cancelled.

Most fireworks shows are highly publicized in the weeks leading up to the Fourth of July, but this year, events were simply labeled “cancelled” in online event listings or removed without explanation

Irwindale Speedway, however, is moving forward with a drive-in-style event.

Fireworks of any kind are illegal throughout much of the region because of the high wildfire danger. But some cities allow for the sale and use of “safe and sane” fireworks.

Supervisors chairwoman Kathryn Barger says fireworks cause brush fires, house fires, and millions of dollars in damages every year.

Not to mention injuries, and even death.