Their Own Private Malibu

"The state of California controls all beachfront below the mean high-tide line, and tries to keep most of it open for public use. But private property lying between the nearest road and the wild surf sometimes blocks ocean aficionados from frolicking freely. The CCC used to frequently demand that landowners grant easements along property between the road and the sea for public access. This practice was curtailed by the U.S. Supreme Court's 1987 decision in Nollan v. California Coastal Commission, a landmark case restricting government's ability to take private property without compensation."