The $1.6-million penalty, which was reached as part of a settlement with the hotel, is the second-largest in the history of the coastal commission.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay was ordered to pay $1.6 million in penalties Thursday for failing to provide public access to its nearby beaches.
All beaches in California are open to the public, with rare exceptions, but the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Half Moon Bay did not make that clear and at times prevented easy access, the California Coastal Commission ruled, the Mercury News of San Jose reported . Rooms at the hotel can cost $1,000 a night. In addition, although the hotel is required to have a free public parking lot with 15 spaces and keep another 25 spaces public in its garage, valets would park cars of hotel guests and golfers in public spaces or refuse public access to those spaces, the commission said.“Perhaps creating the illusion of a private beach helps justify the exorbitant cost of the rooms,” said Mandy Sackett, state policy director for the Surfrider Foundation, an environmental group.
The company also agreed to expand the beach parking lot to 22 spaces, install signage stating that the beaches are public, better train its staff and post the information on the hotel’s website.
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