Friday, May 27, 2005

Geffen Shares His Beach

According to Yahoo!, you can now visit David Geffen's beach:

Twenty-two years after mogul David Geffen promised to let the public onto the beach near his mansion, a walkway was opened and activists savored their victory under the watchful eye of security cameras and a guard.

...The DreamWorks co-founder, who did not attend the ceremony, agreed in 1983 to build a pathway across his property in exchange for permission to remodel his seafront mansion. Geffen built the paved walk but then refused to unlock its gates, arguing that the beach lacked necessary parking, lifeguards or restrooms to accommodate the public. He and the city of Malibu sued the state Coastal Commission in 2002 over its alleged failure to conduct a proper environmental analysis.

In April, however, Geffen turned over the gate keys to the group Access for All. He also agreed to reimburse California and the nonprofit group $300,000 in legal fees. The pathway was monitored by video cameras and a security guard to keep visitors off private property.
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What a heartwarming story!

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