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Letting People Own Up To The High Tide Mark Seems A Bit Too Generous
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There are a couple of ways to look at the story of the billionaire venture capitalist who bought a stretch of land south of Half Moon Bay on California's coast for $34 million and closed the beach, which had previously been open to the public, and now wants the state to give him $30 million for the land if it wants the beach to become public again. One way is that beaches shouldn't be private, ever. The other is that the guy DID pay a LOT of money for the land, which WAS privately owned, and if the state wants to keep it open, it needs to pay market rates even in eminent domain. (The state says the value is a lot less; if he paid $34 million, you can't blame him for wanting as much as he's asking.) Bottom line, though, is that beaches ought to belong to everyone, and I say that as someone who lives a half-block from the ocean. Nobody should own the sand. (New York Times)
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