A fight over access, private development, and Malibu sand could produce an unusual result.
The public may end up gaining an oceanfront parcel from Mark Attanasio, the billionaire businessman who owns the Milwaukee Brewers and was accused of taking sand from a public beach.
Attanasio has agreed to donate a Malibu-area property valued at $2 million under a proposed settlement, the California Coastal Commission said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Here's what to know
Authorities' scrutiny dates to 2024, when workers on a development tied to Attanasio were accused of digging sand out of Broad Beach and hauling it onto his beachfront property. The allegation prompted both a lawsuit and a California Coastal Commission investigation.
According to the commission, the work was done without permits, damaged environmentally sensitive areas, and partially interfered with public access along the beach. In place of a financial penalty, Attanasio agreed to buy and then turn over an oceanfront lot near Big Rock Beach so it can be kept for public recreation.
Lisa Haage, chief of enforcement for the California Coastal Commission, said the proposed deal stands out because it would give the public something the agency seldom secures in a settlement.
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"We're very excited because we rarely have the opportunity to dedicate a whole parcel to the public," she said, per the LA Times.
She said the access issue is especially acute in Malibu, where long rows of private beachfront homes can make reaching the shore difficult.
More background
The land slated for donation is not the same property as Attanasio's Broad Beach home. The separate lot is near Big Rock Beach, about 14 miles to the east, and measures 5,135 square feet with 70 feet of beachfront.
A triplex once stood on the Big Rock Beach site, but it was destroyed in the Palisades fire. If a public agency ultimately takes title, the parcel would be set aside for recreation, with the details of its future use to be decided later.
Because eastern Malibu rarely offers chances to secure open shoreline property, commission enforcement counsel Robert Moddelmog said the prospective transfer is notable.
"For decades, people have been asking why public agencies can't buy some of these lots in eastern Malibu, but historically, it's been a wall of houses," he said, per the LA Times.
The dispute is unfolding against a backdrop of ongoing erosion in this stretch of Malibu. Broad Beach has repeatedly lost sand to heavy surf, storms, and high tides, and in 2015 a $31 million replenishment project won backing from celebrities including Dustin Hoffman, Ray Romano and Pierce Brosnan.
What's being done?
Under the proposed agreement, Attanasio would also have to restore the affected section of shoreline and replace the sand officials say was removed. Regulators said the excavator carved out a large cavity in the rocky intertidal area.
Officials said fish, sea stars and other species use that zone as habitat.
Haage said the property transfer could give the public an uncommon presence along one of Southern California's most exclusive beachfront stretches.
"This is a better way to resolve the situation than settlement money sitting in a pot somewhere," she said.
Moddelmog likewise characterized the potential acquisition as highly unusual.
"It's rare that new acquisitions like this can happen," he said.
Where can I learn more?
Similar clashes have played out in other cases, with wealthy property owners reshaping beaches, dunes and waterways that the public and local ecosystems rely on. Those disputes show how fights over access, unpermitted construction, and environmental damage can draw lawsuits, enforcement action and community backlash.
• At Malibu's Broad Beach, workers allegedly bulldozed restored sand to expand space beside a mansion.
• At Sandbanks Beach in the U.K., wealthy mansion owners fenced off a public shoreline and ignited community backlash.
• In Avalon, N.J., officials challenged construction disturbing protected dunes beside a palatial home.
• Along River Lugg in England, vandalism on an industrial scale prompted prosecution over development.
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