Marine fisheries, Martin’s Beach access bills vetoed

SACRAMENTO — Proposals to allow experimental fishing permits and raise funds for public access to a Northern California beach were vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown in early October. California’s top executive, however, did sign a bill into law calling for the creation of a Spiny Lobster Commission. The series of vetoes and approvals came as California’s current legislative calendar nears its end; Brown has been reviewing approved bills since Oct. 1. Senate Bill 42 Brown’s veto of Senate Bill 42 (SB 42) comes at an interesting time. The bill sought to launch a fundraising campaign to help California raise enough money to create an easement through Martin’s Beach near the San Francisco Bay Area – only weeks after a state appeals court ruled the owner of private beachfront property there must allow coastal access to the public. State Sen. Jerry Hill introduced SB 42 in December 2016. The bill specifically proposed to create a Martin’s Beach subaccount, which would collect funds to help create a public access route and right-of-way easement through a beachfront property owned by billionaire entrepreneur Vinod Khosla. Access to a stretch of beach adjacent to Khosla’s property, which is located just south of Half Moon Bay, had been the center of...