With beach chairs, coolers and umbrellas in tow, visitors braved heavy traffic and congested beaches to enjoy Laguna Beach’s coastline on the Fourth of July holiday.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures soared into the triple digits last week, causing a heatwave in Southern California’s interior areas and valleys, reaching as high as 115 degrees Fahrenheit in Palmdale on Monday, July 8. Along the coast, temperatures maxed out in the 80s, providing a relatively more comfortable contrast at almost 30 degrees cooler and prompting an influx of visitors to Laguna Beach.
A handful of residents voiced their concerns at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, saying the sheer number of visitors migrating to the coast negatively impacts the quality of life of residents, as well as other visitors.
“We know influencers have been exposing once secluded spots in Laguna for years, with photos taken off-season or carefully photographed,” said Mary Hurlbut, a fourth-generation Laguna Beach resident. “And then people arrive. I watched people arrive at Woods Cove, my beach, for decades, come down the stairs and stop because the beach is overrun…and the environment is getting trashed.”
The city’s first-ever Fourth of July drone show was also met with mixed reviews. Some residents said they enjoyed the change, while others lamented the loss of the traditional fireworks.
“I loved our new drone show,” said resident Jan Hobbs, who added that her out-of-town guests commented on how quiet Laguna Beach was. “I would have liked it to have been a little longer and more in line with how long the fireworks show was, about 25 minutes.”
The Laguna Beach Fire Department said investigators responded to nine firework related calls on July 4 and, overall, responded to a total of 33 calls for service.
“We handled 13 medical calls, a dumpster fire, a kitchen oven fire, two fire alarms, one automatic aid call into Dana Point, and six good intent calls,” said Crissy Teichmann, Laguna Beach Fire Department’s deputy chief. “It was a busy day in general for our four stations.”
The Laguna Beach Marine Safety Department was also extremely busy, handling 2,278 total rescues from July 4 to 7. On July 4, the department made 828 rescues.
“Marine Safety staff also made 41,134 preventative contacts over the holiday weekend,” Marine Safety Captain Kai Bond said. “Preventative contacts occur when lifeguards educate the public about beach and ocean hazards.”
The Indy requested information from the Laguna Beach Police Department regarding illegal firework related calls and animal control activity over the Fourth of July weekend, but as of press time has received no response.
