California officials sue billionaire over access to beach

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California officials are suing a billionaire who has been fighting for more than a decade to keep a secluded beach to himself, a move designed to ensure that the public always has access to the scenic stretch of sand.

The lawsuit filed Monday on behalf of the California State Lands Commission and Coastal Commission seeks a court order demanding that Vinod Khosla remove all gates and signs on or near the only road to the beach that runs through his private property.

The lawsuit contends that without court orders, Khosla will keep imposing improper restrictions to public access to Martins Beach near Half Moon Bay, about 35 miles south of San Francisco.

“This case goes to the heart of California’s public access mandate,” California Coastal Commission Chairman Steve Padilla said in a statement.

"We cannot allow this to be chipped away each time someone purchases beachfront property — it’s a dangerous precedent for the future of public access in California.”

The dispute is one of several in California over who is allowed to use the coastline, which is often accessed through neighbourhoods and private property.

The state Constitution guarantees public access to all beaches below the high tide line.

This legal battle dates to 2008, when Khosla — a venture capitalist who co-founded the Silicon Valley technology company Sun Microsystems — bought an 89-acre coastal property for $32.5 million and closed a gate, put up a no-access sign and painted over a billboard at the entrance that had advertised access to the beach.

The previous owners had allowed public access to the beach for a fee.

​Khosla’s attorneys said the cost to maintain the beach and other facilities far exceeded the money the fees brought in.

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