Malibu Beach Access and the 99%

Is public property public property?   Malibu has some wonderful beaches and these are supposed to be public property.  Nearby home owners have effectively privatized these beaches by making it difficult for beach visitors to park and to know where the public paths to the beach are actually located.  Facing this asymmetric information problem, an “app maker” named Jenny Price has created a new map ap that educates the beach visiting public about where they can access the beach.

By state law, California beaches are public property, though the dividing line between private property and public beach is as changeable as the high-tide mark and the easements a homeowner is granted for development rights. And the beachfront homes in Malibu tend to be crammed together, making it impossible to catch even a glimpse of long stretches of the beach, much less walk onto it.

“I sort of see this as one of the most egregious problems we have with public space in a region that’s plagued with problems with public space,” Ms. Price said as she walked along Carbon Beach, lined with glistening estates, the only sign of life being the clip-clip-clip of the occasional landscaper.”

This article highlights that thanks to  human ingenuity that the 99% and the 1% will continue to interact!