OC Cities Seek Restraining Order Vs. Gov. Newsom's Beach Closures

DANA POINT, CA — City officials are scheduled to appear in court Friday to seek a temporary restraining order against the executive order put into place by Gov. Gavin Newsom which closed all of Orange County’s beaches beginning on Friday.

In a news release issued Friday, city officials are claiming that Newsom acted without constitutional or statutory authority by issuing the order and is infringing on the rights of local governments to control their own beaches.

The Dana Point City Council held an emergency meeting on Thursday, when it voted 4-1 to move ahead with action against the governor’s office, CNN reported. In the release Friday, city officials said they were disappointed that they were not consulted or afforded the opportunity to speak with state officials over concerns before Newsom’s directive was issued.

"In a response to (Newsom's) directive, the city felt it needed to take immediate action", city officials wrote in the release. “However, we are hopeful that the state would afford the City the opportunity for dialogue on any other specific recommendations the state may have for the city in order to arrive at a collaborative solution to achieve the mutual goals we all share.”

CNN reported that Huntington Beach is also seeking a restraining order against Newsom's office after the city council there voted 5-2 Thursday night to direct the city's attorney to seek the restraining order.

Huntington Beach Mayor Lyn Semeta called the governor's mandate "jarring", CNN reported.

"Given that Orange County has among the lowest per-capita COVID-19 death rates in California, the action by the State prioritizes politics over data, in direct contradiction of the Governor's stated goal to allow science and facts to guide our response to this horrible global pandemic," the mayor said in a statement.