Judge throws out suit over beach access

LOS ANGELES -- A judge dismissed a lawsuit by entertainment mogul David Geffen alleging the California Coastal Commission does not have the right to require property owners to allow public access near their beachfront homes.

The ruling Friday dealt a blow to efforts by many of Malibu's wealthiest residents who have sought to keep the public off their private beaches.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge David Yaffe said he would hear two arguments on administrative issues if Geffen's attorney and the city of Malibu, which co-authored the suit, resubmitted them, said Steve Hoye, who has lobbied to open up a walkway to the beach next to Geffen's home.

Hoye's nonprofit group, Access for All, received permission from the state earlier this year to manage the walkway, which Geffen had promised in exchange for permission to expand his beachfront home.

"I was ecstatic because quite frankly, some of the issues that they are contending just went out the window," Hoye said.

The lawsuit also names Access for All and the California Coastal Conservancy, which oversees land transfers for the commission.

Calls to attorneys for Geffen and the city of Malibu were not immediately returned.

In September, California's Coastal Commission adopted a plan requiring a dozen or more pedestrian walkways along Malibu's 27 miles of coastline.