2024-05-02T09:57:06-04:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/102259076/a-battle-for-public-beach-access-continues Nicholas Korody 2014-06-19T17:56:00-04:00 >2018-01-30T06:16:04-05:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/og/ogf0x3pb4iyztzpf.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>"...these days, the future of this hidden beach on the San Francisco Peninsula is being fought in a courthouse 25 miles away, in a battle that has become the latest class-charged standoff involving a wealthy entrepreneur in this polarized part of California..."</p></em><br /><br /><p>The struggle being waged over Martin's Beach&nbsp;is just one in a long history of disputes over public beach access in California. While legally everything below the mean tide line is public, physical walk paths often have to be carved out of private property, something not perfectly accounted for in the law books. A <a href="http://www.malibutimes.com/news/article_68d596e6-5ad2-51bf-9b24-c2264996f48b.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">similar case</a> involved business magnate David Geffen in Malibu.</p><p>Meanwhile, on the activist side of things is The Los Angeles Urban Rangers, a group of urban explorers who develop tools and strategies to gain greater access to the city. One of their projects consists of leading tours along the Malibu coastline to <a href="http://laurbanrangers.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">"show you how to find, park, walk, picnic, and sunbathe on a Malibu beach legally and safely."</a>&nbsp;Included in their tours are activities like "a public-private boundary hike, sign watching, a no-kill hunt for accessways, and a public easement potluck."</p>