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The sight of dozens of cars parked along Pacific Coast Highway near County Line beach last weekend got phones ringing and social media posts piling up.

With some beaches and parks closed over COVID-19 concerns, many wanted to know why something wasn’t done to stop groups there.

The answer was complicated.

A patchwork of agencies are responsible for the small stretch near the Ventura and Los Angeles county line. One manages the beach, another the highway and a third the parking enforcement.

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Overlapping jurisdictions added challenges as multiple agencies have rolled out a mix of beach and park closures one by one over the past few weeks.

One closed parks but left trails open. Another closed all trails. Some closed parking lots but left sandy beaches open. In others, the beach closed but people had access to street parking.

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Late last week, a new set of closures rolled out as authorities try to limit gatherings.

As of Thursday, all California State Parks areas are closed in Ventura County until further notice.

The city of Oxnard and Channel Islands Harbor closed beaches for Easter weekend, typically a busier one outdoors. Those beaches were expected to reopen.

More changes

Parking rules also changed in some areas on both ends of the county, including near County Line beach, where orange cones and temporary no-parking signs went up early last week.

When parking was available, it upped the challenge of keeping beachgoers away from closed sites, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said last week.

"We looked at ways to restrict parking to give us leverage to keep people showing up to begin with," he told county supervisors Tuesday.

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Last month, Los Angeles County officials issued a closure for beaches and trails in a COVID-19 public health order.

Orders from Ventura County and the state, however, have been less restrictive in that area.

Gov. Gavin Newsom had initially said spending time in the outdoors was OK as movie theaters, gyms, malls and museums were ordered to close.

He tightened restrictions after parking lots overflowed with cars and groups of trail- and beachgoers congregated at some spots.

Different orders

By closing parking lots at beaches and parks, the intention was to let people in the neighborhood continue to walk to those places.

It was not for people to travel somewhere to go hike a trail or go to a beach, said Dena Bellman, a public information officer for California State Parks.

Locally, walking or going for a run on the beach did not violate Ventura County's public health order, said Ashley Bautista, a county spokesperson. That is, as long as people avoided groups and could maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others, called social distancing.

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Public Health Officer Dr. Robert Levin wanted to limit people coming together, she said, but still wanted them to have options to get out and exercise.

"The real intention here was to (say): Enjoy your life, but stay away from other people," Bautista said. "It's unfortunate that beaches became an area where people were congregating."

Levin gave guidance, she said, as local agencies decided what steps to take.

When groups showed up, state and local agencies started to close parks, beaches and trails. They have urged people to stick to their neighborhoods and to avoid groups.

The next week or two is critical for preventing the spread of COVID-19, said Craig Sap, district superintendent for California State Parks. "We encourage people if they want to recreate, do it close to home."

Cheri Carlson covers the environment for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at cheri.carlson@vcstar.com or 805-437-0260.