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This Land Is Really Your Land
Malibu Public Beaches


Next month, the Los Angeles Urban Rangers will again be leading safaris to the beaches of Malibu. The safaris are free and scheduled as follows:

SUN Aug 2, 11:00am-2:30pm
SUN Aug 16, 9:00am-12:30pm
SAT Aug 22, 3:00pm-6:30pm


Spaces are limited, so e-mail info@laurbanrangers.org with your name, the number of people and preferred date as soon as possible.

The beaches you'll be touring are all public. In fact, all that stretch of wet Malibu sand are yours, mine, ours. All that awesome views of the Pacific, blocked from the road by developments that line the beaches, are your right.

But there seems to be a concerted effort by private property owners to obfuscate the lines of ownership, making the public feel like criminal trespassers in some exclusive enclave of millionaires and celebutants. If you aren't met by security guards at the very few public access entrances, this after navigating through barriers just to get to public parking lots, there are signs warning you that you are passing through “private property” and entering a “private beach.”

Thankfully, the Los Angeles Urban Rangers will show you how to hunt for these hidden entrances, spot the illegal signs, and map out the public-private beach boundary. There will even be a public easement potluck, one of the many activities you can do (legally) in your beach.


POSTSCRIPT #1: By demand, the rangers have added a fourth (sunset) beach safari: SUN Aug 23, 4:00pm-7:30pm.

POSTSCRIPT #2: A homeowner is seen and heard in this YouTube video calling participants in a Malibu Beach safari “a bunch of scumbags” and the ranger leading the tour “an ugly old lady.” The same guy later shouts at the group: “Go back to the valley!”
3 COMMENTS —
  • Anonymous
  • July 8, 2009 at 11:09:00 AM CDT
  • have you stopped to think that the only people who would be interested in this type of thing are people who's sole purpose is not to enjoy the beautiful beaches of malibu but rather to intrude, and spy on the "famous people" who live there. you do realize that they are the ones who put up those fake private property signs and there intension is not to protect "their" beach, they just want to enjoy the beach in peace like any one else can on any other beach. im not saying to not come on this "safari" (haha wait your walking through malibu not the outback) if you actually plan to enjoy the beaches. just please DONT BRING YOUR CAMERAS!!!


  • Unknown
  • July 8, 2009 at 6:35:00 PM CDT
  • i had the great opportunity to listen to emily scott lecture about experimental geography and urban rangers. they have a nice balance between playfulness, sarcastically using the park ranger theme and terms like "safari", and an earnest exploration of urban areas as an ecosystem, complete with bald eagles and human conflict issues. i especially like the guided tour of central valley as you drive from san francisco to la.


  • Anonymous
  • September 15, 2009 at 6:59:00 PM CDT
  • To Anonymous above, if you build your house along the edge of a public beach then you have no right to block access or otherwise deny people the right to be there with cameras etc. If they believe they are being harassed by photographers then let them use anti-harassment laws to prevent this. Are you prevented from visiting Central Park with a camera because "famous" people live within view?


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