Landmark ruling to open California’s exclusive beaches

Tourists will soon be able to access to some of the most exclusive beaches in the world after a landmark ruling in California. According to The Times, some of California’s best beaches will soon be opened to the public after the billionaire music boss David Geffen lost a three-year legal fight to prevent surfers walking across his Malibu estate. He is also being forced to open a nine feet-wide pathway across his property, allowing access to the beach. The newspaper reports that, while all sand below the “high tide line” belongs to the public – in theory at least – many well-heeled homeowners bar access to the beach. It continues: “After this week many of these homeowners will have to get used to public sanitation facilities, litter and tourists with radios and bottles of suntan lotion.” The action group that forced the opening of the pathway is now looking to repeat the trick at 100 more sites along the southern California coast, at places such as Santa Barbara and Laguna Beach, The Times reports. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd www.newsfromabroad.com