While local police officers and firefighters remained on duty Monday, many said the unexpected cool weather offered them a brief respite and a chance to enjoy the Labor Day holiday while in uniform.
“Actually it wasn’t too bad for a holiday weekend,” said Newport Beach Sgt. Jeff Brouwer. “The weather kind of slowed things down for us a little.”
Both Costa Mesa and Newport Beach authorities Monday said it was a routine weekend, as far as holidays go, with no major incidents to report.
The same could not be said for the days leading up to the weekend, with two people dying in traffic accidents and one man dying after suffering a heart attack off the Newport Beach shore.
Through Monday afternoon though, the holiday that traditionally marks the end of summer was anything but hectic, police said.
“It’s been a quiet day, an average Monday,” said Costa Mesa Lt. Paul Dondero. “I think people are just trying to enjoy the holiday ... As far as people not getting along and causing problems we haven’t had anything yet. We’ll see what the evening brings.”
Newport Beach fire officials said they experienced an expected increase in calls with the holiday weekend, but nothing worth note, said Capt. Ron Gamble.
Even at the beach, where lifeguards were preparing for the last big rush to the sand and waves before heading back to school, officials said it was relatively uneventful.
“It’s what we’d expect for a holiday,” said lifeguard Battalion Chief Jim Turner.
Crowds were initially lighter than usual, Turner said, but as soon as the gray skies burned off, the crowds came in droves.
“It was wall-to-wall people at Big Corona,” Turner said. “The water was about 75 degrees in the afternoon and the surf was gorgeous. It was a pretty stock Labor Day weekend. You couldn’t ask for anything better.”
More than 80,000 people hit the Newport Beach coast Monday, Turner estimated.
Lifeguards performed more than 200 rescues over the three-day weekend, he said, with about half of them coming Sunday, he said.
Only a few injures were reported at the beaches over the weekend, Turner said, including one man sent to the hospital as a precautionary measure Monday after he landed on his head while body surfing.
JOSEPH SERNA may be reached at (714) 966-4619 or at joseph.serna@latimes.com.
