Legislation would guarantee beach access
“Seeking to answer the public-access quandary at Martin’s Beach once and for all, state Sen. Jerry Hill introduced legislation this week that could ultimately call upon the government’s powers of eminent domain to claim a private road to the secluded and beloved coastal spot.
The proposed legislation would order the State Lands Commission to seek negotiations to purchase the private road from billionaire owner Vinod Khosla in 2015. If no deal can be reached by the start of 2016, Hill’s legislation would order the state to seize the road from Khosla using its eminent domain privileges.
Hill said the goal of his bill was to restore the public access to the beach as soon as possible.
“This is a solution that would gain access that the public rightly deserves sooner rather than later,” he said. “This would be purely for public use, and that’s exactly what eminent domain is supposed to be used for.””
Noak, Mark. Half Moon Bay Review 13 February 2014.