California sues Silicon Valley billionaire for public access to scenic beach

California state Monday sued a Silicon Valley billionaire in a legal battle to fight for the public's right to access a scenic beach near Half Moon Bay south of San Francisco.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed the lawsuit on behalf of the California State Lands Commission and the California Coastal Commission in San Mateo County Superior Court.

California officials demanded in the litigation that billionaire Vinod Khosla, a co-founder of tech firm Sun Microsystems in Silicon Valley, allow public access to Martins Beach, a crescent-shaped stretch of sand near Half Moon Bay in San Mateo, about 56 km south of San Francisco.

Khosla, also a venture capitalist, bought the coastal property in 2008 for about US$32.5 million and kept the public out of the beach by putting up signs of "No Trespassing" at the only entrance leading to the beach in 2010.

However, California officials, beach goers and visitors contend that the beach has been used as a "public beach since at least the early 1900s," and questioned the legality of Khosla's enclosure of the beach to private purposes. The billionaire has been fighting for his right to what he called his "purchased" property over the past 10 years of legal battles.

California Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, who is also chair of the State Lands Commission, insisted that the beach belongs to the general public.

"California's coastline belongs to everyone," she said. "This lawsuit is a critical part of California's ongoing efforts to ensure public access and to protect the public's rights to access its golden shores."

Dori Yob Kilmer, an attorney for Khosla, vowed to defend the billionaire in the lawsuit.