After a six-year legal battle with the California Coastal Commission,
\nthe fate of a retired Corona del Mar couple\u2019s beachfront picnic spot
\nand thatched palapa lies with California’s 4th District Court of Appeal.<\/p>\n
A Santa Ana courthouse was packed with supporters of Ocean Boulevard
\nresidents George and Sharlee McNamee on Thursday as a three-judge panel
\nheard arguments in the couple\u2019s case, which has grown from a
\nsquabble over a barbecue and some picnic tables into a fight between
\nthe rights of private property owners versus the public\u2019s access to the
\nbeach.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cI\u2019d really lose a lot of respect for the court if they
\nrule against them,\u201d said Hank Reuter, 14, the McNamees’ grandson, who
\nattended the hearing with his family, wearing his Boy Scout uniform. \u201cIt
\nshould be up to you what you want to do with your private property."<\/p>\n
The Coastal Commission ordered the McNamees to tear down their beach oasis
\nin 2004. Set on a private portion of beach at the base of a cliff above
\nCorona del Mar State Beach, the McNamees\u2019 patch of sand includes two
\npicnic tables, a shower and bathroom, storage lockers, a built-in
\nbarbecue, palapa and some flowering plants. The commission ruled that
\nthe amenities are not a coastal development and that the improvements
\nmislead beachgoers into thinking that the entire beach is private.<\/p>\n