Malibu Asks For Crowd Control On County, State Beaches – Governor Says No, Use Common Sense

City of Malibu officials began asking for crowd control help along the coast at noon Saturday, officials said Sunday.

And at midday Sunday, the National Park Service closed the gates to Solstice Canyon, a hiking location that was jammed with hikers Saturday. But clouds and cooler temperatures led to a much-quieter scene.

“We need County and State to close their properties and enforce closures: beaches, the pier, parks and all related parking lots,” said Mayor Karen Farrer.

“Today,” she added.

L.A. County’ Department of Public Health did not change the regulations, as of midday today.  City officials sent out a message that the county had updated its order only to say “Public MUST social distance while on beaches & trails.”

On Saturday, calls were made by Malibu officials to the sheriff, county supervisors, state legislators and the governor, council member Mikke Pierson said.

“Mikke and I have been responding to residents and appealing to county and state officials nonstop all weekend,” Farrer told KBUU News Sunday midday.

As late as 5:30 Saturday night, the governor was defending his decision to keep beaches open.

A reporter asked the governor, if is there a scenario in which we could get some sort of order restricting access or shutting down to beaches or other public gathering spaces?

“I hope not that would defeat the purpose of meeting this moment I think with got to meet this moment.

I think we are going to meet this moment I have more confidence in the people of the state of California. This is a remarkable moment.

We are the largest state with the first to begin this kind of home isolation and it’s going to take a little bit of time. We’re not even 48 hours into this process going to see how this plays out in the next days. It’s incumbent on us to move quickly change all of our behaviors.

But I want to have people be able to be free to walk their dog, I just don’t want them to walk their dog with there are hundreds others concentrated.

I want people to be able to be free to take a deep breath, fresh air, get some exercise, take a nice walk, hike, out in nature, walk along on the beach.

Or walk along the beach. Just not with thousands of other people.

Again it’s not a mixed message it’s simple common sense.”

But from Marin County to San Diego, government agencies were unprepared for a wave of people driving to the ocean Saturday to take advantage of the governor’s order to “go out and get sunshine.”

In Malibu, “it was a total breakdown of the governor’s orders to stay home and observe social distancing,” one city official says.  “The huge crowds led to serious doubts about social distancing.”

Large crowds of beachgoers were reported at the Malibu Pier, although a photo widely circulated on social media showed only about 20 persons on the 400-foot-long pier.

Seventy-five degree weather along the coast was a magnet to thousands of inland residents, leading to complaints on social media that the Malibu coast was being “overrun.”

“We have asked for help,” one city official told KBUU News. “We have been working on it nonstop to close down all public parking lots.

“It’s trickier on Pacific Coast Highway – we don’t own it or control it.”

As late as last night, however, the governor was defending his order to keep beaches open from Imperial Beach to Arcata.

Malibu officials have been on the phone with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and said they expect the state government to change the rules.

Late Saturday, the L.A. County sheriff’s commanders at Malibu-Lost Hills said they saw very few cases of improper social distance rule conduct.  The lieutenant in command said deputies reported that large crowds were at the beaches, but were behaving in accordance with the governor’s direction to go out and get sunshine without violating social distancing rules.

Deputies did go to lines of people at some overcrowded businesses to ask people to stand further apart, said Lt. Evans.

The bottom line, from Mayor Karen Farrer.

“The predicted rain will no doubt help keep people away, but as soon as it gets sunny again, Malibu will go back to bring the destination it’s always been.”

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed Novel Coronavirsus in Los Angeles County reached 352, with the addition of 59 cases Saturday.  There have been four deaths.

No cases are reported in Malibu city limits, but one case was reported at Pepeprdine University, which lies outside the municipal boundaries.  Presumably, that it one of the three cases reported in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Five cases are reported in Santa Monica.