The Surfrider Foundation is organizing a workshop to solicit input from the beach-going community about the particulars of restored public access to Martin’s Beach. The workshop will be held on Monday, July 20, 2015 at the Pacifica Community Center (540 Crespi Drive, Pacifica) from 6pm to 9pm.
Public input from the workshop will inform negotiations between the California State Lands Commission and Silicon Valley billionaire and property owner Vinod Khosla. The Commission is tasked with negotiating an agreement that will restore public access to Martin’s Beach, as required by California Senate Bill 968, signed into law last year.
Recently, news media reported an “opening” of Martin’s Beach for the summer. However, no official announcement of the opening has been made from the Khosla camp, and it is not clear to the public which days the gate will or will not be open. At best, this appears to be a seasonal, selective opening of the gate to visitors, so it's important for the public to continue to support and be active in efforts to permanently restore public access.
This workshop is an important opportunity for the public to play an active role in restoring access to their beach! Public input collected from this workshop will be vital to understanding the public's needs and wants with regard to restored access.
The workshop will consist of updates on efforts to restore access to Martin’s Beach and roundtable discussions of various aspects of access such as hours and days of operation, accessibility, amenities, allowable uses, and access fees. Participating members of the public will be asked to write down and submit their opinions on these subjects. Representatives from both the State Lands Commission and Coastal Commission will be present at the workshop and provide updates to the public on their agencies’ roles in restoring public access.
Please attend to make your opinions known and voice heard!
See below for flier, and click here for the draft workshop agenda.
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| photo credit: Ed Grant |