LOS ANGELES — With Southern California in the midst of the year’s first big heat wave, Los Angeles County’s stay-at-home order will face a major test as all 72 miles of the region’s coast remain closed.
Record-high temperatures were reported Friday at Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport, where a high of 99 degrees broke the old record of 93 degrees set in 1965, and at UCLA, where a recording of 87 degrees broke the old record of 86 set in 2001.
Things are expected to cool off Saturday night, but temperatures will remain above normal, in the 80s, for the next seven days, said Mike Wofford, a meteorologist with the weather service in Oxnard.
Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, has said repeatedly that the beaches must remain closed to prevent an overflow of visitors who might be carrying the coronavirus. She has asked L.A. residents not to crowd beaches in neighboring Ventura and Orange counties.
“We have high rates of illness and a lot of people in our county who are dying. We know it’s best right now for us Angelenos to stay home, or stay outside [in] your own yard or your own neighborhood,” Ferrer told the media Wednesday. To do otherwise, she said, would increase the risk of bringing the infection to L.A. “And we absolutely don’t need that.”
L.A. County reported 1,035 additional coronavirus cases on Friday and 52 new deaths. Long Beach, which has its own health department, also reported an additional two deaths and 22 cases Friday, bringing the county’s total to 850 deaths and 18,539 cases.
Most Ventura and Orange County beaches are open, but officials in both counties warn visitors to either stay away or to abide by social distancing practices.
The city of Ventura eased a hard closure on parks and beaches this week in effort to help residents stay mentally and physically healthy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Under an amended ordinance, residents can now access the city’s beaches, pier, promenade and parks as long as they keep their distance from one another and remain active. People can walk back and forth on the pier or the sand but are not allowed to sit down, or stand against the railing to fish, for example.
“The city has some of the lowest COVID-19 rates in Ventura County because of the hard work and sacrifices made by our residents,” Ventura Mayor Matt LaVere said in a statement.
The city’s ordinance includes provisions that give police authority to indefinitely close off an area if visitors ignore rules three times. For example, if the promenade becomes overcrowded and residents ignore physical-distancing guidelines, police can shut down the area for 24 hours.
As of Friday, Ventura County had reported 476 total coronavirus cases and 16 deaths.
Many Orange County beaches are also open but officials left in place parking restrictions that will reduce access. Some cities, including Laguna Beach and Seal Beach, have closed their beaches.
Popular Newport Beach surfing destination the Wedge remains closed, but people still flocked to the beach on Friday.
“We’re kind of tired of being in our houses,” said Brett Polley, 20, of Irvine. “We’ve been keeping up with the news lately … and we really believe that this heat wave will drop people out, weaken the virus at least.”
Huntington Beach elected to keep its coastline is open, though the pier, beach parking lot and some metered parking remain closed.
“Really, this isn’t the time to come to the beach,” said Angie Bennett, spokeswoman for the Huntington Beach Police Department. She said police and the city’s Marine Safety Division would each have extra patrols at the beach this weekend.
On Friday, as her friends prepared to surf at 11th Street, Natalie Peart said she felt safe visiting the beach.
“We’re in California; we’re the most chill people,” said Peart, 23. “Everyone’s social. Nobody wants to give that up, you know?”
One county official opposed keeping the beaches open, noting that the region has been inundated with people from L.A. and San Diego counties and the Inland Empire.
“When you take a look at the folks that are coming down, they’re not only not adhering to safer-at-home policies in their own communities, they’re not even staying in their own counties. Especially with the warm weather, I think it’s going to be problematic,” Supervisor Lisa Bartlett said this week.
Poll results released Friday indicate that the majority of Californians support the stay-at-home directive.
Among those polled, 75% want the order to continue as long as it’s needed, according to a California Health Care Foundation/Ipsos survey. Only 11% wanted to stop the stay-at-home order, while 13% had no opinion.
Statewide, California has recorded more than 41,000 cases of the coronavirus, and more than 1,600 people have died.
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(Wigglesworth and Vega are Times staff writers. Szabo writes for Times Community News.)
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