{{Short description|Beach in San Mateo County, California}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox landform | water = | name = Martins Beach | type = Beach | image = File:Martin's Beach (44942914911).jpg | caption = Pelican Rock at Martins Beach | elevation = 0 m | elevation_ref = | pushpin_map = United States San Francisco Bay Area#USA California#USA | pushpin_relief = | map_caption = | pushpin_label_position =left | location = San Mateo County, California, US<ref>{{GNIS|1659070|Martins Beach}}</ref> | coordinates = {{coord|37|22|31|N|122|24|31|W|type:landmark_region:US-CA|display=inline,title}} }}

'''Martins Beach''' is a beach located in San Mateo County, California, named after local landowner and farmer Nicholas Martin. The beach is accessible only via Martins Beach Road, which runs from Highway 1 through privately held land. Billionaire Vinod Khosla, the current owner of the land, has sought to establish that he has the right to refuse access to the public.

==Background== left|thumb|Martin's Beach, c. 1970

Martins Beach is made up of two shallow coves surrounded by sheer and overhanging cliffs. The coves are divided by "Pelican Rock", a tall and sharply pointed rock cone surrounded by a narrow spit of tidepools.<ref name="Erskine">{{Cite web |last=Erskine |first=Ron |date=2017-07-14 |title=Battle of the Beach |url=http://southvalley.com/battle-of-the-beach/ |access-date=2017-07-19 |work=South Valley Magazine}}</ref>

Once part of the Rancho Cañada de Verde y Arroyo de la Purisima, the beach and the land around it were purchased in the 1850s by Nicholas Martin.<ref name="Clifford">{{Cite news |last=Clifford |first=Jim |date=2018-10-22 |title=Who Was the Martin in Martins Beach? |work=Daily Journal |location=San Mateo |url=https://www.smdailyjournal.com/news/local/who-was-the-martin-in-martins-beach/article_da70263e-d5a4-11e8-ab70-e369c2a8b8fa.html}}</ref> Martins Beach has historically been a popular family beach and surf spot.<ref name="Erskine" /> {{As of|2014}}, there were 45 leased beach cabins.<ref name="surfers">{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Fimrite |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Surfers-sue-over-blocked-beach-access-4349486.php |date=2014-06-22 |title=Surfers sue over blocked beach access |access-date=May 13, 2024 |work=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref>

Since the early 1900s, the Deeney family, the land owners, allowed the public free access to the beach, but charged to park vehicles. In the early 1920s, the Deeneys leased the beach to the Watts family. They managed the beach and visitor amenities, including Watts Inn on the beach, which still stands. Also included was paid parking by the highway. In the early 1990s, the Deeneys took over management of the beach. They allowed use of the beach in exchange for a parking fee.<ref name="Surfrider">{{Cite web |title=Martin's Beach |url=https://www.surfrider.org/pages/timeline-open-martins-beach |publisher=Surfrider Foundation}}</ref>

==Legal conflict over access== In 2008, Vinod Khosla purchased the property adjacent to the beach, gated the single road running through it to the beach, and after 2010, prevented public access despite a San Mateo County judge's ruling that he must open the gate.<ref name="Erskine"/><ref name=LAT/><ref name="KQED">{{Cite news |date=2020-01-13 |title=The Never-ending Battle Over Martins Beach Explained |publisher=KQED |url=https://www.kqed.org/science/1955623/the-neverending-battle-over-martins-beach-explained}}</ref> Since then, there has been an ongoing legal battle to reopen the beach to the public under the legal theory of implied dedication<ref name="Kaur">{{Cite news |last=Kaur |first=Harmeet |date=2020-01-07 |title=California Is Suing a Silicon Valley Billionaire for Blocking Public Access to a Beach |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/07/us/california-lawsuit-vinod-khosla-beach-trnd/index.html |access-date=2020-01-08 |publisher=CNN}}</ref> and the California Coastal Act.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Fimrite |first=Peter |date= 2014-05-13 |title=Martins Beach billionaire evades questions on stand |url=http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Martins-Beach-billionaire-evades-questions-on-5472928.php |access-date=2014-07-27 |work=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref>

Khosla cites the Fifth Amendment ban on taking of private property without "just compensation".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bowles |first=Nellie |date= 2018-08-30 |title=Every Generation Gets the Beach Villain It Deserves |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/technology/vinod-khosla-beach.html |access-date=2021-02-19 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> The first lawsuit was brought in 2014 by the Surfrider Foundation.<ref name="surfers" />

In 2016, Khosla offered to sell a small slice of the property for a public beach path for $30&nbsp;million, about as much as he spent on the entire property in 2008.<ref name="LAT">{{cite web |first=Steve |last=Lopez |url=https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0424-lopez-khosla-beach-access-20160424-column.html |title=A billionaire is willing to bring back public access to Martins Beach—for a price |work=Los Angeles Times |date=April 24, 2016 |type=opinion }}</ref>

A court subsequently ruled that Khosla may not close the gate without obtaining a permit from the California Coastal Commission. The Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal,<ref>{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Rogers |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/10/01/martins-beach-u-s-supreme-court-denies-appeal-of-billionaire-vinod-khosla/ |title=Martins Beach: U.S. Supreme Court denies appeal of billionaire Vinod Khosla |work=Mercury News |date=October 2, 2018 |orig-date=October 1, 2018 }}</ref> but in 2019 an appeals court ruled that the former owners' permitting access had not established a right of public access.<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=Woolfolk |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/11/26/martins-beach-court-hands-silicon-valley-billionaire-win-in-public-access-fight/ |title=Martins Beach: Court hands Silicon Valley billionaire win in public-access fight |newspaper=Mercury News |date=November 27, 2019 |orig-date=November 26, 2019 }}</ref>

In 2020, the Coastal Commission and the California State Lands Commission brought a new lawsuit against Khosla;<ref name="Kaur" /> a trial is scheduled to begin in 2025.<ref>{{cite news |first=Katie |last=Dowd |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/battle-bay-area-billionaire-private-beach-trial-19453520.php |title=Battle over billionaire's private Bay Area beach access goes to trial again |website=SFGate |date=May 12, 2024 |access-date=May 13, 2024 }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==Further reading== * {{cite web| url = http://www.coastal.ca.gov/access/pr-access-facts.pdf | title = Some Facts About Public Prescriptive Rights | publisher = California Coastal Commission | work = Coastal Public Access Program | year = 2001}}

==External links== *{{commons category-inline|Martin's Beach|Martins Beach}} * [https://www.californiabeaches.com/beach/martins-beach-half-moon-bay Martins Beach] at California Beaches

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Category:Beaches of San Mateo County, California Category:Land disputes Category:San Francisco Bay Area beaches Category:Tourist attractions in San Mateo County, California