Surfrider meeting to control Martin's beach: our City, Monday, July 20, 2015

Will our Planning Commission audience lose a few NIMBY complainers who choose the alternative of attending this meeting?

Half Moon Bay Review/Esther Hahn , 7/16/15.Martin's Beach now open - for a price. Khosla institutes charge to park."

Memo to Vinod Khosla:  Surfrider is
now in control of your private beach.

The fight for permanent public access to Martin’s Beach isn’t over yet, but the gate to the beach has opened with some regularity for the summer. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., beachgoers can drive halfway down the hill to pay $10 and park in a dirt lot on the property owned by Vinod Khosla, a billionaire venture capitalist who had previously closed access to the public beach.

Khosla has indicated that he sometimes can’t find a parking attendant to collect the fee. On those days the gate won’t be open, but visitors will still have the option to park to the side of the gate and walk the full length of the path to the beach for free.

....  With the objective to make access permanent, the Surfrider Foundation is hosting a public workshop from 6 to 9 p.m. on Monday at the Pacifica Community Center, 540 Crespi Drive. Representatives from the California Coastal Commission and State Lands Commission will be present to receive public input for negotiating agreements with Khosla.

“We want long-term protection of public access which can be accomplished by successful negotiations and a binding agreement,” said Stefanie Sekich-Quinn, the California policy manager for Surfrider. “This workshop will allow the public to voice their opinions and be active participants in restoring access to their beach.” The workshop will also present updates on efforts to restore access and the various aspects, such as hours and days of operation, allowable uses and access fees. “There’s still the chance that it could work out (in which) Khosla can be a good guy,” Caughlan said. “It could be a win-win for everyone.”    Read more. 

Reference -  Surfrider's Announcement of 7/20/15 meeting.  Related - Surfrider Foundation 7/16/14,"Closing arguments made today in the Surfrider Foundation's lawsuit against Vinod Khosla." For Fix Pacifica article reprints, see search this blog, "Martin's Beach".    Note photograph is from the referenced Surfrider's Announcement above. 

Posted by Kathy Meeh