Coastal Restoration

Frustrated beachgoers this summer will finally have a remedy against anyone who blocks public access to California's shoreline.

Lawyers for a billionaire landowner who closed a popular surfing beach told a San Mateo County judge on Thursday that the Silicon Valley titan did not violate public access laws and in fact had every right to block beachgoers from trespassing on his property. The Surfrider Foundation has accused venture capitalist Vinod Khosla of flouting the California Coastal Act when he blocked the only road into Martins Beach, a sandy, 53-acre haven along the coastal cliffs about 6 miles south of Half Moon Bay. The lawsuit, filed in March 2013, accused the then-unidentified owner of the limited liability company of painting over a billboard welcoming people to the beach, putting up a locked gate in front of Martins Beach Road and hiring armed guards to keep people out - all technically property development that changed coastal usage and required permits from the California Coastal Commission. The public is still technically allowed to use Martins Beach, but the closed gate means the only way people can get there is from the ocean, which the surfing group claims is a violation of public access provisions in the coastal act. Locals were outraged, and officials, including Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, ordered the gate reopened on grounds that the owner had not obtained a permit to block access. Seeking explanation"We want to ask Mr. Khosla what his intentions were when he bought the beach - why he conducted himself in a way that he felt he could close down the beach," said Joe Cotchett, the lead attorney for the surfing group, who also said he had no desire to embarrass the defendant.

Louisiana is known as the Sportsman's Paradise, and its a moniker that's well-deserved. Natives have heard all their lives about unfettered coastal subsidence that gobbles our marshes, turning them from fish nurseries and bird rookeries into vast, open-water nothingness. That...

The billionaire landowner who bought a popular beach in San Mateo County and then locked out the public was evasive and uncooperative when questioned Monday about his decision, stating repeatedly he "did not recollect" conversations, letters or legal documents. Vinod Khosla testified during the civil trial in San Mateo County Superior Court that he did not remember why he set up two limited liability companies to buy Martins Beach, what amount he paid for the property, when he bought it or why the decision was made to keep the public out. The Silicon Valley venture capitalist remained calm but gave no ground during the intense questioning - sometimes tinged with disbelief and sarcasm - by the lead attorney for the Surfrider Foundation, which sued Khosla for blocking the only access road to the beach. The lawsuit, filed in March 2013, accused the then-unidentified owner of the limited liability company of painting over a billboard welcoming people to the beach, putting up a locked gate in front of Martins Beach Road and hiring armed guards to keep people out - actions that Cotchett said constitute development and require permits from the California Coastal Commission. The public is still allowed to use Martins Beach, but, because of the closed gate, the only way people can get there is from the ocean, which the surfing group claims is a violation of public access provisions in the coastal act. Surfrider claims these uses established a pattern of public access that the new owner did away with when he closed the gate and put up a sign reading, "Beach closed, keep out."

LOS ANGELES >> A judge Thursday continued an injunction against the Whittier oil project but denied a petition to void the deal entirely between the city and its oil partners.The results of an hourlong appearance before Los Angeles Superi...