Hundreds of people from across Southern California descended on Pacific Beach Sunday, dismissing government warnings about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and demanding that businesses be allowed to reopen.

The rally was the latest in a series of events across the country, attended largely by supporters of President Donald Trump.

A similar but much smaller event was also held Sunday in Imperial Beach. On Saturday, between 75 and 100 people gathered at a rally against beach closures in Encinitas and three people were arrested for refusing to follow public health orders. No one was cited at the Imperial Beach demonstration Sunday, a sheriff’s spokesman said.

1 / 14 Protesters gather near the boardwalk in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 2 / 14 A protester stands on the boardwalk during A Day of Liberty rally in Pacific Beach on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 3 / 14 A healthcare worker stands in silence as a protester carries a Covid is a Lie sign during A Day of Liberty rally in Pacific Beach on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 4 / 14 A San Diego Police officer wears a mask as protesters gather near the boardwalk in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 5 / 14 Protesters stand along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 6 / 14 A protester holds a sign during A Day of Liberty rally in Pacific Beach on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 7 / 14 Protesters gather near the boardwalk in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 8 / 14 Protesters stand along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 9 / 14 Protesters drive along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 10 / 14 A skateboarder films protesters along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 11 / 14 Protesters stand along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 12 / 14 Protesters stand along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 13 / 14 Protesters stand along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune) 14 / 14 Protesters stand along Mission Blvd. in Pacific Beach during A Day of Liberty rally on Sunday, April 26, 2020. The protesters were against the government shutdown due to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred/K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)


The events came despite a recent announcement that beaches would reopen throughout much of the county on Monday. After heated debate, Encinitas officials decided on Sunday to open its Moonlight Beach for limited use only, including walking, running, surfing and swimming. Carlsbad voted to keep its beaches closed at a special meeting Saturday but will revisit lifting restrictions on its shoreline on Friday at its next City Council meeting.

While some areas are easing restrictions, new cases continue to be reported in the San Diego region, with the local caseload growing by 100 patients and reaching 3,043, according to figures released Sunday. There have been 111 deaths, with no new fatalities reported Sunday.

Also on Sunday, city officials announced that two people being sheltered in the San Diego Convention Center had tested positive for COVID-19. They are the first positive cases among more than 660 sheltered residents, staff and volunteers who have been tested, officials said in a statement. On person was taken to a county-managed hotel an the second person, who initially left the shelter, was located and put in a county-managed hotel room for isolation. Public health investigators will work with shelter staff to determine if there were any “significant exposures” to others at the convention center that required retesting or evaluation.

Elected leaders stressed that beach access will remain somewhat limited and urged beachgoers to follow the rules.


In the city of San Diego, boardwalks, piers, parking lots and Fiesta Island will remain closed. Stopping or lying on the beach will be prohibited, as well as boating. Surfing, swimming and single-person kayaks will be allowed in the ocean, but swimming will not be permitted in bays.

“The only way beaches can reopen and stay open is if the regulations developed by public health officials and regional lifeguards are followed,” Mayor Kevin Faulconer said in a statement. “Public health concerns from overcrowding led to the closure of beaches in the first place back in March, and decisions will continue to be made with the goal of protecting the well-being of every San Diegan.”

× Protesters gathered in Pacific Beach for A Day of Liberty rally on Sunday afternoon. The protesters were against the government restrictions due to the coronavirus.

The prospect of having limited access to some beaches did little to appease protesters in Pacific Beach on Sunday. About 300 people, some waving American flags and wearing red “Make America Great Again” hats, crowded onto the sidewalks along Mission Boulevard at Garnet Avenue.


Trucks and motorcycles looped around the block honking while protesters chanted into bullhorns and carried signs that read everything from: “I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery” to “Herd immunity only solution” to “I just want to surf” to “COVID is a lie.”

Most people didn’t wear masks or follow the state’s official social distancing guidelines that require people stay at least six feet apart. Some brought small children to the event.

“I don’t feel that government has the right to tell us, the individuals, how to live our lives,” said Gardner Osborne, a 53-year-old accountant from Pacific Beach.

Osborne attended the event with his wife and young son. While they all wore face masks, he said he wasn’t concerned about his family getting sick.


“I’m not,” he said. “I actually feel that we go the virus in February before the news hit, before the media brought the whole issue up.

“This is more a sign of respect for fellow citizens that may be concerned about it,” he added of the face covering.

Smiling under the brim of an American flag hat, Skyler Evans, 36, of Oceanside, said she believes that social distancing has worked but that it’s time to lift restrictions on businesses.

“Where do you go with this?” she asked. “I mean, you’ll have soup kitchen lines eventually.


“Why is Home Depot open, and a small mom-and-pop shops isn’t?” she added.

The rally also drew a crowd of onlookers including Khopper Evans, 27, of La Jolla, who said he didn’t agree with message of the protest.

“Everybody’s just has to be patient,” he said through a face mask. “I understand that people want haircuts or to get their nails done or to go to the bars and all that, but do we really want to risk everybody’s health when we don’t have this COVID-19 under control?”

It wasn’t just San Diegans in attendance. Many people drove hours to join the event, including John Gimino, 58, of Los Angeles. He said it was the first protest he’d been to in years.


“When I look at the data and really compiling it just objectively, it’s going to end up being no different than a bad flu season,” he said. “Very few people (and) reporters are looking at that and reporting it. Now that we have statistical data, I think it’s time we open things up.”

Ronda Reveles, 30, made the trip from Corona with her 3-year-old son. She said this was the first such protest she’s attended, although she has participated in rallies concerning vaccinations.

“This is all tyranny,” she said. “The government is trying to enforce fear on us, and I don’t live by fear. I live by my lord and savior.”

Dozens of San Diego police officers monitored the three-hour event, which lasted until around 4 p.m.Authorities reported issuing one traffic citation and making two arrests for public drunkenness.


“As the police department does with every protest, we were present today to ensure the right of those to safely and legally express their constitutional rights and to protect the safety and welfare of those in the area,” Capt. Matt Novak told a small gathering of reporter after the rally.

Law enforcement officials were still considering whether to take action against the organizers, he added.

“Any charges, including violations of the county health order, that may come from this event for individuals including the organizers will be evaluated once reviewed by our detectives and the City Attorney’s Office.”

Naomi Israel, 27, is facing misdemeanor charges for organizing a similar protest in downtown San Diego last week. She also helped spearhead Sunday’s event in Pacific Beach, according to Facebook page promoting the rally as “A Day of Freedom.”


Staff writers David Hernandez and freelancer Barbara Henry contributed to this report.