Letters to the Editor: What are O.C. cities thinking keeping their beaches open?

To the editor: For the Huntington Beach Police Department spokeswoman to say that what officers observed at city beaches on Saturday was people staying in their own groups and at appropriate distances from others is amazing. What a disconnect from reality.

I get that the officers patrolling the beach on a hot day have an impossible job, one that was made even worse by the city’s decision to leave the beaches open.

Yes, the parking lots are closed, which is helpful. But I have been riding my bike for 10 days now on the Huntington Beach bike path (with a mask on the whole time) and have seen the crowds get larger each day. By my count, no more than 15% of the people have been using masks, and while some practice social distancing, many do not.

With other beaches closed, Huntington Beach is getting more visitors from out of town, which just adds to the problem. The city needs to address this issue as soon as possible, because right now, it looks like we are leading from the rear.

Bruce Fischer, Huntington Beach

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To the editor: Members of the Orange County Board of Supervisors should ask beach cities and state parks in Southern California to open their beaches and share the responsibility for helping people to recreate. This would relieve some of the pressure on Orange County, which has continued to welcome beachgoers.

People are coming to Orange County beach cities from elsewhere in Southern California because the beaches in San Diego and Los Angeles counties are closed.

Other places can share the benefit and the burden. Open the Los Angeles and San Diego beaches and offer people places to recreate closer to home. If a city wants to keep its own beaches closed, then it should contribute to the enforcement of social distancing rules at the beaches that are open.

Laura Curran, Newport Beach

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To the editor: Instead of completely closing beaches and hiking trails, authorities could post signs reminding people of social distancing rules and issue citations for egregious disregard. This makes much more sense than the current overreach in Los Angeles County.

Michael Laurence, Sherman Oaks