Labor Day Turnout : Beaches, Parks Jammed With Holiday Crowds

Southern California enjoyed the final hours of the final summer holiday at beaches, in the mountains and deserts, in parks and amusement centers--and in traffic--Monday as the long Labor Day weekend wound at last to an end.

About 1.8-million people visited beaches from Zuma to Newport during the day, and the Coast Guard said 50,000 more got offshore in private boats, ranging in size from an eight-foot sailboat to converted minesweepers.

Space was at a premium on Orange County sands, with more than 100,000 people at Huntington Beach, where lifeguards were kept busy rescuing swimmers, lifeguard Matt Karl said. No major injuries were reported.

Comfortable temperatures of about 75 degrees in the air and 67 degrees in the water attracted crowds that overflowed parking lots, forcing many motorists to park in residential areas near the city beach, as well as farther south at Huntington Beach State Beach, lifeguards said.

There were about 30 rescues at the state beach, which attracted 50,000 to 60,000 beachgoers, lifeguard Jim McMillan said.

In Laguna Beach, lifeguard Casey Coogan said, 60,000 people--twice the normal weekend crowd--poured onto the sand and into the surf.

Those who did not flock to the beach seemed to crowd into county parks, including Irvine Park in Orange, where rangers closed the entrance to auto traffic at 1 p.m. because there was no more room to park cars.

Irvine Park ranger Darrell Bennett estimated the crowd there to be 7,000 after 2,200 cars had entered the park.

“That’s almost as big as Easter,” Bennett said.

However, there was parking space to spare at Mile Square Park in Fountain Valley, where about 1,100 tickets were sold, attendant Nick Mastrocola said.

Other recreation facilities reported overflow crowds.

Spokesmen for Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and Six Flags Magic Mountain said their crowds were from 5% to 10% above Labor Day levels in recent years.

Aquatic amusement parks said the heat--and perhaps the looming of the first day of the school year--left them filled to capacity throughout the day.

Operators of resorts in the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountains said they were booked for the weekend, with restaurants and scenic attractions going full blast throughout the day. Desert spas were also operating at capacity.

Labor Day is an annual celebration of the pride, dignity and contributions of the nation’s work force. It has been observed in various ways since the early 1880s and became a legal holiday before the turn of the century.

But not all the celebrators seemed to know why they had the day off.

Secretary Judy Starks, 32, said: “Labor Day? All I know is that I have a three-day weekend before I have to head back to work. Call me an informed citizen.” She was rubbing suntan lotion on her arms under a sky full of kites and amid clusters of children making sand castles at Santa Monica Beach.

“Somehow,” she said, “Labor Day just doesn’t have the same significance as Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. Those holidays seem to have a reason. You got me as to why they call this Labor Day.

“It’s just great to have the break from a routine. I plan on catching up on some chores after soaking in the sun.”

Vickie Blois, 24, who was taking a day off from her job as a customer service manager at a Los Angeles restaurant, said: “It just seems to be there--just a paid day off from work, but I’ll take them any time without asking why.

“Let’s talk about a holiday without a purpose,” she said, turning up the volume on her radio. “Labor Day is the perfect holiday because it falls right in the middle of the summer--when you can get the most out of a day off from work.”

Of course, some people didn’t get the day off.

‘Prevent Chaos’

Lifeguard Albert Roche, 32, said: “I look forward to Labor Day the whole year. It’s the ultimate challenge, because the beaches (are) all filled to capacity, and you try to prevent chaos and save lives.”

“Hey, it sure beats working at McDonald’s. On a day like today, you forget about trying to enforce all the beach ordinances, and you concentrate on just making sure people don’t kill themselves in the water.

“The pressure doesn’t get to me. I get more stressed out on the freeways these days.”

Air quality wasn’t as nice as the weather, however. The South Coast Air Quality Management District posted a first-stage smog alert at in central Orange County, where the Pollutants Standard Index levels reached 205.

“Unhealthful for sensitive people” warnings occur when the PSI registers from 101 to 199. A first-stage smog alert means the air is unhealthful for everyone; that occurs when the PSI registers 200 to 275.

Traffic remained light through midday, but law enforcement agencies said they were expecting problems beginning in late afternoon and lasting well into the evening as holiday crowds turned homeward.

By Monday afternoon, however, officials were guardedly optimistic.

The traffic death toll throughout California rose to 41 as the last hours of the holiday trickled away, but this was down eight from the tally for the same time last year, and a spokesman for the California branch of the National Safety Council called it “a hopeful sign.”

“Maybe people are taking it just a little easier,” John Pope said. “We can always hope.”