With the feverish attempts to make all beaches in California open to the public, why not use the same half-baked logic and mandate all grassy front yards be public parks? Wherein lies the distinction? Private citizens can expect to own their own homes with no obligation to open their yards (front, back or side) to the public. Statewide, we have an abundance of parks designated for the use and enjoyment by our citizens. In every instance they have minimum essential ingredients in common: rest rooms, drinking fountains, ample parking, provisions for trash, security on premises or proximity to same, and in many cases recreational amenities with professional staff and the ability to purchase food and/or beverages. These same distinguishing features characterize what most people would classify as a “public beach.”
The cry to make all beaches so-called “public beaches” is flawed in its very concept. Sand and water alone does not make a “public beach.” In reality, very small portions of the California coastline, in general, and the 27 miles of Malibu, in particular, are suitable to becoming “public beaches,” even if the State were to buy up every single home fronting on the water. If one were to apply the same stringent standards to a “public beach” that one would expect from a public park, a close examination of Malibu’s shoreline would prove that such criteria would exclude most if not all of the sites being considered by the Coastal Commission for public access.
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