Politics & Government
Proposed Legislation Would Give Teeth to Coastal Commission
The proposed bill would give the California Coastal Commission the power to fine offenders of the state's Coastal Act, which ensures public access to beaches.
A vote on proposed legislation that would give the California Coastal Commission the authority to impose fines on violators of the Coastal Act could happen as early as this week, according to reports.
The bill, which is backed by state Assemblywoman Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, would give the Coastal Commission enforcement power through fines, according to the L.A. Times.
Some cases have been known to drag on for years, languishing in court, which is the only place the commission has been able to collect fees.
In March, the Coastal Commission came to an agreement with Carbon Beach property owner Lisette Ackerberg. As part of the agreement, Ackerberg will pay $1.1 million in fees and tear down part of a 9-foot wall to build a public access way on her property to Carbon Beach.
The agreement came after years of litigation surrounding the effort to open up the access way along a mile-long stretch of exclusive beach-front homes along the Malibu coast known as "Billionaires Beach." The exclusive stretch of beach is home to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, entertainment mogul David Geffen and former Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt.
"This image of a wall of private development along the coast in Malibu represented ground zero in terms of holding onto to access for the public. Sometimes with these small access ways there is a lot still be preserved, to fight for and to save," Coastal Commissioner Jana Zimmer said in March.
Since that agreement, a new app came out called "Our Malibu Beaches," which aims to show the public where to access Malibu beaches, even where fake "no parking" signs are posted. Media across the country narrowed in on Malibu as being on the front lines of the battle for Coastal Access, leaving city officials scrambling to provide a broader context.
"Malibu has a lot of people that moved here 40 years ago," Malibu Councilwoman Laura Zahn Rosenthal told NPR. "They are not rich. They are not celebrities. Most of Malibu is very, very welcoming."
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