Malibu's celeb homeowners try to block public beach use

The Guardian ^ | 9/13/2015 | - Elizabeth Day

[MarvinStinson]

“Just because you buy the front house, doesn’t mean you own the beach,” says Tony Salaza. “The beach is for everybody.”

He gestures towards a sweep of architect-designed houses to his left.

Over the past few years, many of Malibu’s 13,000 residents have been watching with alarm as public access rights to the 27-mile coastline have come under threat.

Many celebrities and multimillionaires own sprawling Malibu homes overlooking the Pacific, including actors Robert Redford and Angelina Jolie, the rapper Dr Dre, the director Rob Reiner and media mogul David Geffen. In an effort to protect their privacy, some homeowners have now taken matters into their own hands by employing security guards to patrol the sands in front of their houses.

Twice in the past few weeks, members of the public have been asked to leave Malibu’s Escondido Beach by a uniformed security guard who wrongly claimed they were on private property and threatened them with a fine for trespassing.

That area is treated as a private riviera … the most egregious example of privatisation of public land in Los Angeles.

Of late wealthy homeowners have taken to erecting their own “No trespassing” signs and putting out traffic cones to discourage people from parking their cars. The hiring of private security guards is the newest skirmish in a long-running battle.

Noaki Schwartz of the California Coastal Commission, tested the waters herself with her six-year-old daughter and a friend. Within minutes of sitting on the sand, says Schwartz, a uniformed guard with a clipboard walked over.

“He was polite but pretty firm and said I was trespassing and needed to leave and if I didn’t leave, I would be fined $1,500 and probably get a citation for trespassing.”

[beethovenfan]

I agree completely about Redford. He’s a sour dried-up prune of a man. He will soon step off the planet; then who will get his mansions?

[snooter55]

Nailed It !!

[Leaning Right]

(Backs out while bowing respectfully.)

LOL

On second thought, I shouldn't be laughing. The scenario you described is exactly what would happen.

[MarvinStinson]

And they are zillionaire communists, thugs, psychos and fags.

They are the “elite.”

[truth_seeker]

In California it is my understanding that “private” property extend only to the “mean high tide” line, and that the rest going seaward is “public,” owned by the state in most cases.

[Carthego delenda est]

“Texas does allow driving on the beach, which IMHO is not such a good thing.”

Many years ago I’d go and do the beach bum thing, camping out, fishing, drinking, and beach combing on the southern portion of Padre Island. This was before the Nature Concervancy bought a bunch of it (so I’ve been told). I loved being able to drive north in the wet sand until I found myself suficciently far enough away from civilization, and would stay sometimes a few months at a time. I don’t see any harm that the vehicles do to the sand, and unless one knows the secret, ya can’t drive into the dry sand without getting immediately stuck.

[MarvinStinson]

That is correct.

I had to excerpt the article, but full article goes into that in detail.

[Carry_Okie]

Malibu's celeb homeowners try to block public beach use for the millionth time

Fixed.

[John S Mosby]

You think David Geffen and Robert Redford: “worked hard to get where they(sic) are.”? Redford... for years was a boy toy actor/stud to an old broad who paid his way (guess that IS hard work of a sort). Geffen... major queer, and uh, agents don’t work, they “take” a percentage. Now, Geffen as a manager— maybe so. But remember, he gifted the world with Joni Mitchell, who now resides in a hospital, with “fibers” under her skin and terminal emphysema.

The public, namely the United States, owns and has legal access to the area between the high and low tide waterlines. US citizens anyway. The “rich” should make arrangements on their private property to ensure their safety, and have guards with them if they want to cavort. This ain’t josef goebbels land of the elite. Nothing these people do gives special value to them. And now, this ain’t DU— cause DU believes and says what you say about these “more equal” pigs on the Animal Farm.

[snooter55]

Ignore my Private Property signs and No Trespassing signs and walk across my lawn and I’ll show you some “Common Law”. I’m no king to speak of for sure, but I DO rule over what I’ve worked hard for and pay waaaaay too many tax $$$$ to keep ! It’d be good eatin’ fer the dogs too ;o)
Just this past week-end, some canoer’s thought my camp outhouse was for public use - you could literally see the pee dripin’ from her shorts as she was running back towards the river with “Hammer” right on her trail. No respect for folks private property anymore.
Yes, I realize this has nothing to do with the Pacific ocean or overpaid actors. Just in a sharing mood today.
LYMI !

Snoot ;o)

[MarvinStinson]

I used to belong to a hole in the wall gym (weights) where everyone had their own key and could come and go anytime they cared to.

A white Washington, DC cop was always there when I was, and we both used the same equipment so we were always in each other's way and hated each others guts.

He never said a word to me and fumed silently while he waited for me to finish with equipment he was waiting to use. I always kept my eye on him.

One day when we were the only ones there he acted very different. He was all smiles and seemed to be SO HAPPY.

As I went through my workout he just sat and smiled and smiled.

Then, when I finished one exercise and sat down for a moment, he said to me "You know, I'm a DC cop."

"Yeah, I know," I said.

He smiled and smiled further, and then said, "I was assigned to protect Robert Redford at the National Press Club today.

"He's about five feet five--and he has a TERRIBLY broken out face."

I never saw anybody so happy. He smiled and smiled and repeated that to me several more times.

He wanted SO BADLY to tell someone else that he forgot our longtime mutual dislike for once.

By the next time we were both there we were back to our usual unfriendliness.

[Don W]

What part of “public property” are you having difficulty with?

The beach belongs to the public. Some folks are trying to deny all access to said public areas by LYING about fines and making false claims of ownership, sending rent-a-cops to bully visitors.

These same rent-a-cops are then using actual public employees to enforce their technical theft, so they are stealing both the beach AND public money (the cop’s wages) so their employer can keep their ill-gotten gains.

You support this?

The homes were most definitely NOT there before the beach was a public area. Why else would, and how else COULD there be mandated public access ways?

I’m not certain about this particular area, but where I live, everything below the highest storm tide line is considered public land. Only government institutions can bar access to beach/waterfront areas.

[AAABEST]

It would be annoying to have all those people walking along your back yard...

It's not their backyard. Coastal beach access to the public is a riparian rights principal in real estate law that goes back for centuries. You NEVER own the beachfront when you buy the adjoining real estate.

Leaving the law aside, it's amazing to me that anyone could think that because Hollywood elitist buys beachfront property they immediately have the right to not be "annoyed."

If they're worried about their privacy, being annoyed or even being shot at, then let them build their gilded mansions somewhere else.. like in a gated community.

[moehoward]

As I say, one needs to go through considerable trouble to excersize their "rights".
I used to live down there and am somewhat familiar with how it works. If you look at your picture of Broad Beach, there's not any easy access between those houses. There is public access though. The top pic shows that access at Broad Beach. The second shows where it ends at high tide, which is important because public access in those areas is 25' above high tide. And the third shows how absurd that is in some areas. As you point out there are huge open areas all along the coast, Zuma to Dockweiler which have both ample parking and plenty of open beach.

[moehoward]

"... a boat service that dropped people off from the seaward side might also work."

Now that would be highly entertaining to see.

[Osage Orange]

LOL!!!

The beach is NOT their property....

[Osage Orange]

You are dense.

They chose to buy a place there.

They don't own the beach.

Kinda like buying a home backing up to a Wildlife area..or a park.

[Osage Orange]

Good post

[FreedomNotSafety]

I don’t trespass, but since your in a sharing mood, I have tipped the occasional owner occupied outhouse.

[FreedomNotSafety]

The ocean is not a public park. Public areas and public access areas should be open and not closed down lightly or for the concien not private individuals. We have enough instances of government trying to restrict our movements don’t play into their hands.

Freedom of movement is as important right as any constitutional right.