{"id":961,"date":"2013-06-21T12:42:55","date_gmt":"2013-06-21T16:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com\/blog\/?p=961"},"modified":"2023-08-24T05:55:18","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T09:55:18","slug":"california-beaches-how-public","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mysecuritysign.com/blog\/california-beaches-how-public\/","title":{"rendered":"California beaches: how public are they?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"malibu-colony\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As a Californian with a mother from the Bay Area and a father from Orange County, I’ve enjoyed a good deal of picturesque, western beach stretches both north and south. \u00a0As a child, I remember being in awe of their beauty and the fact that everyone could enjoy them for free.<\/p>\n

I remember asking my dad, “Who owns the beach?” \u00a0Expecting to hear the name of some rich individual like Bill Gates or some well-known company, I was surprised by his response: “The state owns the beaches. \u00a0It’s all public property. \u00a0The government and the voters decided a long time ago that everyone has a right to access and enjoy the beach.”<\/p>\n

Despite my father’s claim and a\u00a01976<\/a> \u00a0state law that upheld and enforced parts of the California\u00a0Constitution<\/a>\u00a0granting rights of the public to California beaches, many stretches of coastline are functionally private, due to the efforts of powerful and wealthy beach residents.<\/p>\n

In the last 20 years, Malibu has held out\u00a0as one of these last, remaining pseudo-public enclaves. \u00a0As result, it has become the spotlight of a contentious debate<\/a> between its\u00a0beach-side\u00a0residents and the masses who want access to some of California’s most beautiful beaches. \u00a0So how exactly are Malibu’s beaches pseudo-public?<\/p>\n

For one, many residents contend that the sand and water in front of their homes are part of their property. \u00a0Taking that away from them would not only diminish the value of their homes, but according to them, rob them of their property.<\/p>\n

\"beach<\/a>

In Malibu, public beach accesses like these are few and far between (images via Southern Resort<\/a> and CampGroundSigns.com<\/a>).<\/p><\/div>\n

In order to be truly public, beaches must have easy accessibility for the masses. \u00a0You would assume that you could simply walk up to public beach without a problem, but that’s not the case in Malibu, a suburb of L.A. \u00a0The city proper is known for being spread out, poorly planned and overly congested. \u00a0Malibu is no exception.<\/p>\n

Beachfront homes in Malibu, although spacious, are packed tightly together<\/a>\u00a0so that owners can\u00a0maximize\u00a0the amount of beach on their property. \u00a0In keeping with the poor planning of L.A. County, this strategy has eradicated the space needed for easy access from the street to\u00a0California’s\u00a0sandy beaches. \u00a0A\u00a0gap-less\u00a0wall of multi-million dollar mansions\u00a0barricades the way.<\/p>\n

\"no<\/a>

Some wealthy Malibu residents erect counterfeit trespassing or parking signs to dissuade beach-goers. Sign available at MySecuritySign.com<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

Some narrow entrances exist, but they are few and far between compared to most parts of the coastline. \u00a0Furthermore, many residents try to obscure these passages with anything from bushes to locked gates. \u00a0They will deceive beach-goers by putting up faux No Parking or No Trespassing signs. \u00a0They even put up cones and construct fake garages to prevent people from parking by entrances. \u00a0Some signs claim they will call the sheriff on those who park and “trespass.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A Malibu sheriff<\/a> tells Jeff Bridges, The Big Lebowski, to stay out of his “beach community.”<\/p><\/div>\n

Legal battles between the two sides are ongoing, but the 1% wall seems to finally be crumbling. \u00a0Rich homeowners and celebrities, like David Geffen, seem to be losing the fight<\/a>, making concession after concession. You can bet they will do everything they can to find workarounds and make using the new entrances as hard as possible.<\/p>\n

Luckily, Jenny Price, an environmental writer and beach enthusiast, has built a strong counter-campaign for the every-man. \u00a0She’s designed an app called Our Malibu Beaches<\/a>. The app\u00a0uses maps of Malibu to show you\u00a0descriptions, \u00a0pictures and locations of its beaches. \u00a0It provides tips on parking, access\/easements to the beaches as well as the history of these pseudo-public beaches. \u00a0Many of the pointers are helpful in getting past the residents’ deceptive tactics to keep you off their beaches!<\/p>\n

Despite the app, access to many of Malibu’s best beaches remains\u00a0difficult. \u00a0With large distances between between access points, entrances are needles in a haystack. \u00a0Enjoying a day on some of these beaches may require swimming miles through the Pacific!<\/p>\n

\"Private<\/a>

A classic sign indicating a private beach. Available at MySecuritySign.com<\/a>.<\/p><\/div>\n

California’s legally public beaches will remain only partially public until more and more of Malibu’s elite and others up and down the coast relent. \u00a0Until then, some stretches of California beach will remind us of those of\u00a0Europe, like La Costa Brava –gorgeous but privately reserved for the rich.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A private beach<\/a>, la Costa Brava, Spain.<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

Like this topic? Check out our related products:<\/h3>\n