All parking along PCH in Huntington Beach to close to help slow coronavirus spread

A small business owner is fed up over the lockdown and is calling on Southern California residents to join their planned protest the day all metered parking along the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach and all beaches within Huntington Harbor will close.

The “March for Freedom,” protest, hosted by Patriette Decals, is scheduled between 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Main Street near the Huntington Beach Pier. Decals is calling on people to demand a reopening of the economy.

Huntington Beach Police say they are well aware of the planned protest. 

The metered parking closures are effective Friday night in an effort to promote social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The move is an extension of a previous measure, which closed beachside metered parking between Sixth and Goldenwest streets, according to Eric McCoy, Huntington Beach's public information officer.

Any vehicle parked in a metered stall along either side of Pacific Coast Highway will be ticketed or towed. There will be additional patrols to assist with parking and overcrowding issues in neighborhoods near the beach, McCoy said.

FOX 11's Sandra Endo contributed to this report.