The beachfront mansions on the Malibu beaches represent the much admired paradise of LA Confidential. But there’s trouble in paradise. For two reasons. First, Malibu’s Broad Beach apparently isn’t so broad anymore, and is shrinking and vanishing at an incredible pace due to a rise in the sea level (climate change…).

Secondly, there’s a class war going on for control of even this increasingly smaller sliver of sand. It’s a complex mess, as to which part of the beach is public, and which part is private and meant only for the snotty owners of the mansion along that section of the beach.

This confusion has resulted in misunderstandings between beachgoers and property owners, with the police being called in to evict truculent beachgoers who just want to enjoy a day out on the beach, and don’t take kindly to being told by some rich Studio A-lister and his security staff to clear out.

The LA Times has a neat primer which rounds up all the problems faced by Malibu’s Broad Beach and the other California’s beaches, including the shortage of sand due to the damming of rivers and streams, and statistics and scientific predictions about how fast the sea level is rising (4 ft in 100 years), and what impact its having on the beachfront (50 inches of land lost for every 1 inch of sea-level rise).

Basically, the sum of it is that you’ll be jumping off the seawall straight into the water. And sand will be something which is kept in the museums, and shown on film. Ironic…

Speaking of class war over beach access, here’s a good story, which pits an ordinary Father of three children against the Ritz-Carlton in Naples, FL. Apparently, the Ritz-Calrton is one of these beachfront resort-type hotels in Naples, but without a private beach reserved for hotel guests.

Problem came up when the hotel’s security asked Ginsberg and his three young children to leave because they had dug a 6-by-3 hole in the sand on Vanderbilt Beach. The hole was right behind the Ritz-Carlton resort.

Technically speaking, its a public spot, and the Ginsberg family had every right to dig a hole there for playing in the sand. After they were ‘ejected’, Ginsberg ended up protesting up and down the beach. Some of the hotel’s guests were enjoying the beach right next to where the hole was being dug, and they were a bit miffed with the hole, and the hole could have possiblyended up as a bit of a safety hazard for anyone who might wander by.

Who’s at fault here? Difficult question…

Malibu Beach photo by Derek Purdy via flickr (creative commons).

Posted on January 1st, 2009 by Thomas
Filed under: Los Angeles