SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — On Wednesday night, a memo was sent to the California Police Chiefs Association saying Gov. Gavin Newsom was planning on closing all beaches and state parks on May 1 to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The memo was passed on to police departments throughout the state as a way to give chiefs enough time to prepare for Newsom’s announcement.
Many communities had already shut down their coastline, although some had reopened access in recent days with tens of thousands turning out to beaches in Orange and Ventura counties.
This caught the governor’s attention.
“Those images are an example of what not to see,” Newsom said.
After much thought and push back from municipalities in the state, the governor chose to only close beaches in Orange County, allowing all others to open provided they follow COVID-19 distancing precautions.
Newsom stated his decision to close beaches in Orange County was predicated on science and data.
“My job as governor is to keep you safe,” Newsom said. “When our health folks tell me they can’t promise that if we promote another weekend like we had, then I have to make this adjustment.”
Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner issued a statement critical of the governor’s decision saying “this is not the way to make public policy.”
“These decisions should be made by the local jurisdictions because the government that governs best is the government closest to the people,” the statement read.
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