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MRCA Names Carbon Beach Accessways for Defenders of the California Coast

May 7, 2024

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Carbon Beach Accessways named for California Coastal Commission Coastal Access Manager Linda Locklin and Supervising Deputy Attorney General Jamee Jordan Patterson each of whom, for more than 40 years, have championed keeping California’s beaches and coastline accessible to everyone

 Malibu, CA (May 7, 2024) – On a stunning spring day, with a commanding view of 1.5– mile long Carbon Beach, a crowd of long-time colleagues and admirers gathered for a fitting tribute to two women who have worked effectively and strategically for over 40 years to ensure that the spirit and law of the California Coastal Act is upheld such that all people have access to the Coast.

Carbon Beach East Accessway, opened to the public after a protracted battle in 2005, will be named for Linda Locklin, the Coastal Commission’s Coastal Access Program Manager since 1990. Carbon Beach West Accessway, opened to the public after an extended fight in 2015, will be named for Jamee Jordan Patterson, the Attorney General’s Litigation Liaison to the California Coastal Commission since 1990. Each accessway will feature a commemorative plaque and new signage. In addition, , under the brown rectangular “Coastal Access” marker familiar to travelers on Pacific Coast Highway will be new signs with “Via Jamee” at Carbon Beach West, and “Via Linda” at Carbon Beach East.

Linda Locklin, an accomplished swimmer and rower, joined the California Coastal Commission staff as a planner in 1977. As Coastal Access Manager for the past 34 years, Linda has worked to protect and provide new public access opportunities to beaches statewide, especially on the 21-mile Malibu Coast in Los Angeles–the most populated county in the state. In this role, Linda works to ensure public easements across private property, such as the Carbon Beach Accessways, are opened to public use as promised in development agreements.

Supervising Deputy District Attorney Jamee Jordan Patterson, a UCLA and Loyola Law School graduate, has handled numerous cases for the Coastal Commission at all levels of the courts, both state and federal, from trial to appeal, including several cases before the California Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, and the United States Supreme Court, specializing in public access cases.

Some of those cases include:

Ackerberg v. Coastal Commission (access in Malibu)

Barrie v. Coastal Commission (access in Del Mar)

Whaler’s Village Club v. Coastal Commission (access in Ventura)

Kretowicz v. Coastal Commission (access in La Jolla)

Lagunita v. Coastal Commission (access in Laguna Beach)

San Diego Navy Broadway Complex Coalition v. Coastal Commission (access in San Diego)

The California Coastal Commission was established by voter initiative in 1972 (Proposition 20) and later made permanent by the Legislature through adoption of the California Coastal Act of 1976. A primary purpose of the Coastal Act is to maximize public access to and along the coast and maximize public recreational opportunities in the coastal zone consistent with sound resources conservation principles and constitutionally protected rights of private property owners.

The Commission is committed to protecting and enhancing California’s coast and ocean for present and future generations. It does so through careful planning and regulation of environmentally-sustainable development, rigorous use of science, strong public participation, education, and effective intergovernmental coordination.

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) is committed to providing maximum public coastal access to the spectacular Malibu coastline where the Santa Monica Mountains meet the Pacific Ocean. In partnership with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the MRCA manages a robust Coastal Access Program within the City of Malibu that includes 12 Malibu beach accessways and two coastal overlooks along various Malibu beaches, as well as Lechuza Beach, Escondido Beach, and Carbon-La Costa Beach.

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) is a local government public entity dedicated to the preservation and management of open space and parkland, wildlife habitat, coastal access, watershed lands, and trails in both wilderness and urban settings, and to ensuring access to public parkland and coastal resources. The MRCA works in cooperation with other government partners to acquire parkland, participate in vital planning processes, provide natural resources and scientific expertise, and complete major park improvement projects. The MRCA manages and provides ranger services and fire protection for almost 80,000 acres of parkland that it owns and that are owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy or other agencies.

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