Closed Pacifica Beach Visitors Chased Away By Police, Volunteers Enforcing Public Health Order
PACIFICA (KPIX 5) -- Police officers and a group of police volunteers in Pacifica on Friday were actively enforcing the public health order closing beaches for the holiday weekend, rolling up to surfers in ATVs to remind them of the order.
Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Two surfers at Linda Mar Beach got in a few waves before the officers came around their spot.
Surfer Frank Close said officers who had been watching him for a while approached him as he came out of the water. "Yeah, we were watching them too!" said Close. "They told us that the beach was closed until Monday and not to come back or it's going to be a misdemeanor."
Surfer Cole Garrison met with a police volunteer when he tried to get in on a side trail, who told him, "No, you can't surf here. You can go down that way but you'll be meeting with PD and all that stuff."
"They didn't let me get on the beach," said Garrison. "With the COVID shutdown at the state beaches, they had to shut down and turn me away."
Pacifica residents who came down to see the empty beach had mixed reactions. "I think that if you can get here without using the parking lot, you should be able to get on the sand or in the water," said resident Tim Close.
Resident Denis Robichau came down on her bike. "Our next-door neighbor was telling us that he was here this morning and it was really crowded and the police weren't doing anything," said Robichau. "Now they are!"
Linda Mar expanse was a challenge for only two officers and a handful of volunteers to keep clear, but most folks were behaving and not giving them a hard time. Locals say they are expecting a lot more people this weekend.
