The Cynical Rhetoric Of Class War

In California, the beaches belong to everyone. No private landowner along the coast can legally block the public from beach access. But a private landowner can sure try. Billionaire Vinod Khosla bought 53 coastal acres south of San Francisco six years ago for $32.5 million, then locked the gate on the access road locals had been using for decades. A coastal protection nonprofit group has since taken Khosla to court. Khosla, a private equity kingpin, told reporters earlier this month that activists challenging him are offering up only “the cynical rhetoric of class warfare — when all they really want is to permanently and irreparably upset the balance between public access and private property rights in our state.” What about the 1976 state law that guarantees the public beach access? Says Khosla: “I disagree with that.”