Will Santa Cruz County Beach, Park Closures Extend Even Longer?

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Santa Cruz County Sheriff Jim Hart said he supports prolonged closures of local beaches and parks, which will be closed to the public from April 9 to 15. County officials will reassess the order early next week to determine whether it should be extended, Hart said.

Hart's remarks came Wednesday during a press conference on the heels of the announcement Tuesday evening that all Santa Cruz County beaches and parks would be closed ahead of the week that covers Easter and part of Passover — a popular time to head outdoors.

Hart said he had been advocating for the closures over the past few weeks and liked that the state's stay-at-home order did not have an end date to "give people false hope." He said he worries that more people will flock to beaches during the spring and summer months, when Santa Cruz County typically sees an influx of visitors.

"I think we're in for the long haul on this thing," he said.

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Most residents have respected the shelter-in-place order, but the sheriff's office issued 80 tickets for people defying the order, Hart said. Last Saturday locals received 23 of the 24 tickets the sheriff's office issued to people not following the shelter-in-place order.

Among those cited in recent weeks were a group of young people passing around a marijuana bong while parked in a car, Hart said. There were multiple people from multiple households in the car.

Anyone who violates the order could be subject to a $1,000 fine or jail time.

The order on beaches and parks also applies to people using park facilities, such as basketball courts, and surfers. The county has jurisdiction up to about a mile out from the shoreline, Hart said.

Deputies will not paddle out or take boats to surfers on the water who are purposely ignoring the order, but they will issue tickets when surfers return to land, Hart said.

Hart said the sheriff's office has enough staff to meet the additional demands imposed on law enforcement as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Deputies are seeing a 20 percent increase in calls for service this week, though call volume held steady for the past few weeks, he said.

Deputies are trying to handle as many non-emergency calls as possible and have been asked to walk around business districts they patrol to check door handles and ensure everything is secure, Hart said. Deputies are trying to ensure they only arrest people who need to be in custody to protect inmates and jail staff from falling ill.

"As long as our staff stays healthy, we're in really good shape," he said.

Full coronavirus coverage: California Coronavirus: Latest Updates On Cases, Orders, Closures