SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday that Orange County beaches would see a "temporary pause" after reports of overcrowding last weekend.
"We're going to have a temporary pause on state and local beaches down there," Newsom said, alluding to the scenes of beachgoers at Newport Beach and Huntington Beach last weekend.
Wednesday night, a memo from the California Police Chiefs Association was made public that expected Newsom to announce a statewide beach closure based on "well-publicized media coverage of overcrowded beaches this past weekend, in violation of Governor Newsom's Shelter in Place Order."
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"Bottom line: That was their memo. And that memo never got to me," Newsom said. "Those doing good work, we want to reward that good work and that behavior should be acknowledged ... that's where I've been the entire time."
Newsom said the state is working with Orange County officials to close beaches once again.
"We're guided by health, we're guided by your health and others," Newsom said. "The conditions last week, the images we saw on a few of our beaches, were disturbing."
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Newsom added that a one-size-fits-all approach will not work for California when considering each county's unique situation.
Once again Thursday, Newsom pointed to San Diego and Los Angeles as areas that showed proper precautions and a largely successful reintroduction to beaches. Local beaches have been allowed to reopen as long as they adhere to the county's social distancing and face covering policies.
Del Mar, which planned to reopen its beaches Thursday, will hold a meeting Friday to decide on reopening beaches.
