Defiant city officials hold emergency meeting to consider suing Gov. Newsom over his order to close beaches

The battle over California's beaches ramped up on Thursday when Huntington City officials sought to consider the option of suing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom over the order in response to the coronavirus threat.

Bill Melugin of Fox 11 Los Angeles reported that city officials were calling an emergency meeting to discuss possible litigation.

The agenda claimed that the order to close Orange County beaches "severely impacts the Public Health and Safety of the community," and constituted "an immediate threat to disrupt public services facilities."

Newsom gave the order after several reports of Californians flocking to the beaches as temperatures rose.

The agenda said city officials would confer to discuss "the threat to the security of public services and the right of the public to access public services and facilities related to COVID-19."

Melugin had published on Wednesday a leaked notice of the intention of the governor to shut down beaches prior to the official announcement.

Newsom only ordered the shutdown of Orange County beaches after receiving pushback. He called the demonstrations at the beaches "disturbing."

Critics of the lockdown orders have pointed to lower infection cases and deaths than were predicted by various virology models propagated in the media. Proponents of the lockdowns have argued that the lower statistics prove the measures have been successful.

California has more than 50,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus, and more than 2,000 deaths.

Here's Newsom's beach order:

Beaches in Orange County must temporarily close, Newsom sayswww.youtube.com