While we definitely see some very hot temperatures at the beach, most of the time the beach can be a very cool, if not outright chilly, location. In So CA, we have something called "June Gloom" where most of the days start off with cloud banks covering everything through downtown generally through midday, and often the beaches don't get sunny at all. It's definitely not unheard of to wear a long sleeved top over a bathing suit here for May, June, and likely some of September and October.
I am familiar with the beaches and deserts of southern Ca, having lived here my entire life. Those steps down to the beach, and the "road" from a parking area down to the surf are fairly common. Just north of Santa Monica the shore gets craggy and cliff-y, and if you drive along Pacific Coast Highway, there are many places that have parking areas and then steps down to a beach.
The sand itself is too white and too...'beachy'...(sorry, I can't think of a better way to say it) for this to be desert, and the shrubbery is also something which can easily be found at the coastline. The man in one of the photos is wearing swim trunks, covered by a shirt, and the chairs next to the ladies are very common beach chairs; they fold small enough to fit into most car backseats or trunks.
Alcala was known to frequent the beaches, wasn't he? I mean, Julie J, and lots of beach photos were taken. And he was in Los Angeles at several different points for relatively long stretches of periods.
I think that these photos were taken probably just north of Santa Monica, in the 20-30 or so mile stretch between SM and Ventura county lines, at the beach.
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