A pair of TikTok videos showing property owners blocking off beaches in Malibu and Laguna Beach to the public have sparked a frenzy on social media, though it was not immediately clear whether any laws were broken.
The videos, which were posted by different users over the past week, raise similar issues of public access to beaches, as California beachgoers clash with property owners over who can be on the beach and where. The videos have tens of thousands of likes and hundreds of thousands of views.
The California Coastal Commission did not immediately take sides, saying it was reviewing the videos.
“The Coastal Commission is investigating both incidents to determine if they involve a violation of the Coastal Act,” said Sarah Christie, a spokeswoman for the agency.
The videos reignited the debate over beach access in California, where the California Coastal Act of 1976 gives residents a fundamental right to the state’s beaches. But residents don’t have access to all the sand. The law says members of the public have a right to the beach beyond the mean high tide line, which is generally considered the wet or moist sand zone of the beach.
In the first video, posted Friday, a homeowner at Victoria Beach in Laguna Beach yelled at beachgoers, telling them they were on his private property while trying to enjoy the beach.
“Get the fuck out of here!” the woman yelled at the family, which included a child. “Get out of here right now!”
The woman set up a rope barricade to block off a section of the sand. It is not entirely clear whether she is standing on wet or dry sand.
“Karen in Laguna Beach expanding property into a public area,” wrote the woman who posted the TikTok.
Victoria Beach was once a hidden gem among Laguna locals, but it has become a popular spot for people to post on social media. A long, steep staircase with an entrance hidden in a residential neighborhood leads to the beach.
The second video, posted Monday, shows a sign at Lechuza Beach in Malibu, stating that the beach is private property.
“This beach is on private land. Trespassers will be prosecuted,” the sign reads.
“A big lie,” says the man who posted the Tik Tok.
In the video of Playa Lechuza, the sign appears to be on wet sand, which would make it open to the public.
“The beach belongs to the people. It’s free, open space. It belongs to all Californians. And that’s enshrined in the state constitution and the Coastal Act,” said Mandy Sackett, senior California policy coordinator for Surfrider, a coastal protection organization. “Homeowners think the beach belongs to them because they have expensive real estate, but it really belongs to everyone. We see that all too often.”
