map no. 3: Malibu

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Geffen Beach
How to (almost) tresspass on a billionaire’s (almost) private beach

(Photo: California Coastal Records Project)

One by one, Malibu’s private beaches are opening up to the rest of us, and none with more fanfare than the stretch of sand in front of David Geffen’s house. For years, the billionaire sued to thwart a deal he struck in 1983 with the Coastal Commission to trade public beach access across his property for a permit for a swimming pool. But he lost. Today, behind a white carved door (22132 PCH) alongside Geffen’s home, there is a sandy path to the beach.

But depending on where you spread your towel, you might be trespassing—or completely within your rights. “We have this crazy patchwork of easements because all these rich people in their multimillion-dollar homes get upset about lookie-loos peeking into their houses,” says Nancy Hastings, Southern California field coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation and an open-beach activist. Keep your towel between the lines and wave this map in the face of Geffen’s goons and you’ll be fine.
-V.G.

Next: The L.A. Art Crawl