Score one for the public and the surfers and everybody who was ever met at Paradise Cove by someone telling them they had to pay money to get to the beach. Paradise Cove operators Kissel Company got in big trouble for using all sorts of crafty measures to deter people from using the beach for free, which is illegal under state law, and now they're going to have to knock it off, says the LA Times. The California Coastal Commission and State Lands Commission sent Kissel a letter on Halloween outlining all the violations and warning Kissel that failure to comply could result in $11,250-a-day fines. So now they're listening.
In the letter, both commissions told Kissel that they may no longer charge a $20 walk-in fee, or have a locked gate keeping people off the pier, or have signs posted that discourage surfing (like those big surfboards that say "No Surfing"). In exchange, they'll allow Kissel to keep charging $40 for parking in their lots, but that's it. The gate blocking the pier is now unlocked and the agreement between the agencies and Kissel is in effect now. "This is a triumph for public access and proof that the threat of fines is a very effective enforcement tool. We've never seen a violation of this magnitude resolved so quickly," the chairman of the California Coastal Commission says.
· Agreement reached in Malibu beach access dispute [LAT]
· Paradise Cove In Hot Water for Charging People to Surf [Curbed LA]
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