[owenjones]

| But it's the law in California that you can't cut off public access to the coastline or alter it willy-nilly, and has been for a long time.

Really? What a great law!

[anigbrowl]

Obviously it's a little more complex than my one-sentence summary, but basically, yeah. I do think it's a great thing.

http://www.coastal.ca.gov/access/accndx.html

[nicw]

Kinda. All coastlines are public-access, but if you own the property up to the coast (say, a cabin on a river), you do not have to grant access across your property. So, you could walk down the river and hang out in front of this cabin, but you can't trespass across private property.

[anigbrowl]

Correct, but if there's a pre-existing easement (right of way) you can't buy the property and then close it off. I mention it in this context because of the agreement the inn had signed to make its parking area available to campers and hikers, which it appears to have reneged on.