Film: Coastal Clash

In July an important dedication took place at Carbon Beach (aka Billionaires’ Beach) in Malibu. After years of the public being obstructed and chased away, the Carbon Beach West coastal access way opened-a 10-foot-wide concrete walkway that cuts between two exclusive Malibu homes making this beach accessible to the public.

Battles are being waged over California’s coast between public access rights and private property owners and land developers and their high profile legal teams. One case is headed to the California Supreme Court. The battles will likely grow as ocean levels rise and as the beaches disappear.

Coastal Clash, produced by KQED in 2005, covers the battle for public access rights to the California Coast as well as some of the issues created by beach armoring such as seawalls and beach “nourishment”. We will have handouts and discussion on these topics but most importantly: Who’s coast is it, anyway?
909 12th Street, Sacramento. Info: 916-448-7157, sacpeace [at] dcn.org