The heat and a holiday are a rough combination for Bay Area beach towns.
Beaches and parking lots were packed over the weekend as people looked for a place to beat the heat.
Monday was a foggy start to the day on the Peninsula coast near Half Moon Bay but the Dixit family was happy to to the beach early to beat any potential crowds.
“We are just trying to escape the heat. I live in San Jose and it’s pretty warm, 90 degrees plus,” said Sauraph Dixit.
Surfer Rafael Navarro, of Redwood City, was doing the same after what he saw on Saturday.
The holiday weekend and heat drove big crowds to the coast.
“I try to get out here early to beat traffic, and also because the wind is worse for surfing, but on the way back [Saturday] it was backing up past 280,” Navarro said.
The beaches were packed and parking was full in most areas, which led some to park anywhere they could -- even in "no parking" zones, and that meant a few holiday citations.
Residents along the coast are used to it, but say it was the busiest they’ve seen in some time.
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“When you’re trying to get out and there’s people parked behind your car and you can’t go to the grocery store or take your dog out then it becomes an issue,” said Brenda Walker of Montara.
Thousands of beachgoers are expected again Tuesday.
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said they'll have extra patrols out cracking down on drinking and driving, and illegal fireworks.
Pacifica allows safe and sane fireworks, but the rest of the county does not.
People can be fined $1,000 for lighting them off in restricted areas and people can also be cited $500 just for being a spectator at an illegal fireworks display.
“In the past years we’ve had many problems during the Fourth of July. We’ve listened to the communities' concerns and this is an attempt to better the community,” said Javier Acosta of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office. “There are some quality of life concerns we’re trying to address.”
San Jose has a similar spectator law in place now too. Officials ask people to enjoy the Fourth, but leave the fireworks to the professionals.
