Wealthy elites on the California coast appear to be placing “fake” private property signs on public beaches near their oceanfront mansions to expand their super-privileged lifestyle for free.
The epicenter of the ongoing battle between regular beachgoers and owners of the luxury resorts in pricey Malibu is Lechuza Beach, a thin strip of sand that is open to the public through three access points, according to California State Coastal Conservancy.
But judging by a sign one TikTok user found while walking along an otherwise pristine beach, some left thinking they were trespassing.
The signs that are shown in Your video Please read in capital letters: ‘PRIVATE PROPERTY’ and ‘THIS BEACH AREA IS ON PRIVATE PARCELS. TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED’.
As he walked along the beach, the man behind the camera said of the sign: “This is free land, anyone can be here… This is a scam. A Karen scam.”
Pictured: The sign on Lechuza public beach stating that the strip is “private property”
Aerial view of stunning Lechuza Beach in Malibu, California
The video then cuts to the middle of a confrontation between him and an unknown older man holding a bottle of Bud Light who is trying to knock his phone out of his hand.
“You just attacked me by grabbing my phone,” the TikToker said.
The older man objected to being recorded without his permission, to which the TikToker reminded him that they were on public property.
“You’re not on public property,” the older man said.
But according to the California Coastal LawAll beaches are open to the public up to the mean high tide line, i.e. where the sand becomes wet.
In the TikTok video, it appears the “no trespassing” sign is placed firmly in the wet sand — in other words, well beyond the high tide line that California law says is considered public.
The sign even says: ‘PUBLIC ACCESS ALONG THE MEAN HIGH TIDE LINE.’
It’s unclear who posted the private property sign, though it calls the protected property “Malibu Encinal Homeowner Beach Lots.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to the Malibu Encinal Homeowners Association to determine the possible origins of this sign.
Pictured: The mystery man who allegedly grabbed the TikTok user’s phone and insisted he was trespassing on private property
Lisa Haage, chief enforcement officer for the California Coastal Commission, said she is aware of the incident and is taking steps to address the general confusion about which lands are public and which are private.
“We have received reports of this issue and are investigating the situation,” he wrote in an email to SFGate.
‘Public access is a cornerstone of the Coastal Act and the commission takes these issues very seriously.’
This is not the first time Malibu has been criticized for trying to alienate the average beachgoer in favor of the beautiful mansions that line the shoreline.
The median home price in Malibu is $3.46 million, according to Zillow.
In July of last year, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), the public agency that owns Lechuza Beach, accused Malibu city officials of deliberately removing beach access signs so fewer people would visit.
“Don’t you wish you could find all of Malibu’s ‘secret’ public beaches? We do too!” MRCA wrote in an article. Instagram post criticizing the city.
“But when we put up public signage, the City of Malibu takes it down!”
This photo shows how close some of the houses are to the coast at Playa Lechuza.
Beach users at the Lechuza Beach public access point from Broad Beach Rd. in Malibu on June 29, 2014
A view of Broad Beach (also known as Lechuza Beach) in Malibu
This fight over who has the right to be on Lechuza beach It dates back to 2010when the MRCA first proposed adding the three public access gates that remain there to this day.
Even back then, state agencies accused property owners and homeowners associations of conspiring to restrict beach access.
One particularly visible attempt by an angry woman to ward off beachgoers from her Laguna Beach property went viral on social media earlier this week.
Shocked viewers shared a clip of the woman’s tantrum towards tourists outside her $6 million home on TikTok last week.
But the battle is not limited to beaches. Some property owners have gone so far as to try to cut off access to public trails that pass near their properties.
In March 2024, six residents of an affluent Santa Barbara County town were threatened with massive fines if they didn’t remove rocks they allegedly placed in a parking lot leading to a popular hiking trail. Gate of Saint Francis reported.
Failure to comply with notices from the Santa Barbara County Public Works Department would expose them to civil and criminal penalties, as well as a new $850 fine on their doorstep for each day they fail to remove the obstructions.
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