For years, access has been an issue at Blocker Beach, an area popular among divers and fishermen.
If you’re a visitor to this area, if you’re not miliar, you would have no idea there’s a beach on the other side, said Linda Locklin, coastal access program manager.
California’s Coastal Act of 1976 ensures beach access, but regulators have run into years-long legal battles with homeowners in several cases.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Beach pathways along the state’s 1,100 miles of coast are typically managed by a patchwork of state and local agencies as well as nonprofits.
pacific coast highway california Beach Access Advocates Decry Delays to Malibu Beach Plan,Of the 111 beach accessways in Southern California, only 67 have opened access, according toa report presented at a Thursday meeting of the California Coastal Commission.
Beach access and development in Malibu have been issues for years. Most recently, the Coastal Commissionrejected a plan by U2s The Edgeto build five homes in the hills.
The commission, created to plan and regulate the use of land and water along the coast, also has had to contend with some property owners who post ke no parking and private beach signs to keep out visitors.
Officials plan to take their Blocker Beach proposal this summer to the County Supervisors for approval. If it’s approved, it could take a year to complete, Baker said.
The meeting came as advocates for beach access at Dan Blocker County Beach, an 11-acre site in picturesque Malibu, were pushing officials to open it up.
Working with local groups, the commission was able to open a pathway in 2005, but manydesirable stretches of sandalong the coast still lack adequate access, Locklin said.
Follow NBCLA for the latest LA news, events and entertainment:Twitter:@NBCLA// Facebook:NBCLA
One of the stops was the eastern end of Carbon Beach, which is dotted with mansions. From Pacific Coast Highway, a cluster of development blocks the sea view.
The commission has long sought to mandate as much access to beaches along theCalifornia coastas possible, sometimes against the wishes of wealthy homeowners who want to keep the sand to themselves.
Members of the commission tookthe unusual step of visiting several exclusive beaches on Thursday, including some that lack proper public access to the shore.
.postToFBArticlePage background:transparent url( no-repeat scroll 0 0;display:block;left;14padding-5width:70text-align:right.postToFBArticlePage span padding-0margin-3display:blockslideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToTwitterArticlePage span, slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToFBArticlePage span margin- 0 slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToTwitterArticlePage a, slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToTwitterArticlePage a:link, slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToTwitterArticlePage a:visited, slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToFBArticlePage a, slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToFBArticlePage a:link, slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToFBArticlePage a:visited C3C7C7.cebookRecommend 777777;display:block;left;font-mily:georgia;10bold;22line-100 0 0 5text-transform:capitalize;vertical-align:top;width:100margin-1pxpacific coast highway california.user-interaction .cebookRecommend, .shareLarge .cebookRecommend width:auto; width:auto; overflow:visible; overflow:visible html .user-interaction .cebookRecommend, html .shareLarge .cebookRecommend overflow:hidden; width:122.imwarelist width:43830left
Since 2004, [adult school] Amazon fremont adultschool (0) 2011-12-26 9:4:40 the county made a number of large-scale beach improvements -spending$15 millionon Will Rogers State Beach and $17 million at Dockweiler State Beach. The county has responsibility for maintaining state beaches in L.A. County, Baker said.
rightRailWidget visibility:hiddenrightRailWidget rrFeatured margin-15px !importantrightRailWidget rrFeaturedStoryContent 10px 0px 0px 20px !importantrightRailWidget rrFeaturedStoryContent featuredAssets width:260px !important; 146px !important; overflow:hidden !importantrightRailWidget rrStoryListItems width:278px !important; padding-left:10px !importantrightRailWidget rrStoryListItems ul li 168px !importantrightRailWidget .relatedContentHeadline width:260px !importantrightRailWidget .relatedContentthumbnail width:260px !important; 146px !important
The commission took a four-hour bus tour around Malibu as part of its regular meeting in Santa Monica. Commissioners wanted to see firsthand the exclusive beaches and talk about access issues.
The site is named after Dan Blocker, who played Hoss Cartwright in the hit TV series Bonanza. In 1979, the property was donated to the state by Blocker’s Bonanza co-stars, Lorne Greene and Michael Landon.
Getting additional funds has been difficult, Baker said. We’re frustrated with length of time it has taken.
Locklin presented a report that found of the 111 beach accessways in Southern California acquired by the commission, only 67 have opened.
.postToFBArticlePage background:transparent url( no-repeat scroll 0 0;display:block;left;14padding-5width:70text-align:right.postToFBArticlePage span padding-0margin-3display:blockslideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToTwitterArticlePage span, slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToFBArticlePage span margin- 0 slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToTwitterArticlePage a, slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToTwitterArticlePage a:link, slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToTwitterArticlePage a:visited, slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToFBArticlePage a, slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToFBArticlePage a:link, slideshow .yahoo_buzz .postToFBArticlePage a:visited C3C7C7.cebookRecommend 777777;display:block;left;font-mily:georgia;10bold;22line-100 0 0 5text-transform:capitalize;vertical-align:top;width:100margin-1.user-interaction .cebookRecommend, .shareLarge .cebookRecommend width:auto; width:auto; overflow:visible; overflow:visible html .user-interaction .cebookRecommend, html .shareLarge .cebookRecommend overflow:hidden; width:122.imwarelist width:43830left
Steep-terrain and environmental considepacific coast highway california Beach Access Advocates Decry Delays to Malibu Beach Planrations for the beach, which sits at the foot of a steep bluff, make development there costly, she said. The county department also had other development priorities, projectsthey say had a bigger impact for the public.
In 1995, the state transferred the property to Los Angeles County.
.tb, .t-count, .t-count a background: url( no-repeat scroll 0 -1px transparent !important
In 2004, the county received a grant of $700,000 to make improvements, but the funding fell short of what was required to make improvements, said Carol Baker, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors.
It’s disappointing to me that such a large entity as L.A. County can’t come up with a million bucks to open this beach, said Malibu City Councilman Jefferson Zuma Jay Wagner, an advocate for beach access. They iled to uphold their end of the obligation.
Plans for the $4.8 million project at Blocker include picnic tables, restrooms, a parking lot for 14 vehicles, and a ramp down the bluff.
In order to get the project off the ground, officials hope to acquire a piece of private property nearby Blocker Beach they say they need to make the improvements, Baker said.
.tb, .t-count, .t-count a background: url( no-repeat scroll 0 -1px transparent !important
