IT’S NOW UP TO A JUDGE TO DETERMINE IF A SAN MATEO COUNTY LANDOWNER WILL HAVE TO RESTORE PUBLIC ACCESS TO A POPULAR BEACH. BILLIONAIRE VINOD KHOSLA BOUGHT 53 ACRES AT MARTINS BEACH NEAR HALF MOON BAY IN 2008, AND LOCKED THE GATE LEADING TO THE COAST. PRIOR TO THAT, THOUSANDS OF SURFERS AND SWIMMERS HAD BEEN USING THE TRAIL (THAT THE GATE IS ACROSS) TO ACCESS THE BEACH. THIS CASE IS LIKELY TO BE LOOKED AT AS A KEY TEST OF A 1976 LAW THAT MADE ALL CALIFORNIA BEACHES ‘OPEN TO THE PUBLIC’.
