The hotel has until May 23 to provide photographic evidence that the barricades have been removed or face financial consequences
- Hotel Laguna was accused of blocking public beach access without the required coastal development permit
- California Coastal Commission ordered the hotel to remove unauthorized sand berms and warning signs
- The hotel faces a $11,250 daily fine if the barricades and signage aren’t removed by May 23
A popular California hotel is getting reprimanded by state officials for setting up barricades around a beachfront for its guests.
According to a letter obtained by PEOPLE, from the California Coastal Commission (CCC) to Hotel Laguna in Laguna Beach, Calif., the violation is described as “construction of a sand berm and installation of signage within the coastal zone without a requisite coastal development permit,” or CDP.
In the letter that was issued on May 8, the CCC outlines that the “berms,” or raised strips of land, violate the 1976 Coastal Act, which the commission is powered to enforce. The legislation was enacted as a means to protect the 1,000-mile California coastline in an effort to “manage conservation and development of coastal resources.”
By cutting off a section of the public beach, the hotel is hindering the CCC from its duty of providing “maximum public access to the coast,” the letter says…