A crowd enjoys the warm weather at Santa Cruz Beach, in Santa Cruz, California, on July 30, 2023. “We get these heat refugees a lot,” said Jason Hoppin, a public information officer for Santa Cruz County. Any Santa Cruz beach without guards, he said, “is much more dangerous because nobody’s there to help or see or prevent you from getting in trouble.” The Santa Cruz Wharf closed to the public following the collapse of a part of the wharf during high surf last week, in Santa Cruz on Dec. 30, 2024. A surfer rides a wave at Steamer Lane, a well-known surfing spot, with the Santa Cruz Wharf in the background, on July 3, 2008, in Santa Cruz, California.