California appellate court restores public’s right to coastal walkway in Rio Del Mar

In 39-page decision handed down Thursday by the state’s Sixth Appellate District, the justices recognized the county’s right-of-way easement and the public’s interest in a 37-foot concrete walkway along the backside of a row of homes next to Seacliff State Beach in Rio Del Mar. For years, the nearly quarter milelong stretch of coastal land along Beach Drive has been at the center of a dispute between the county and 27 homeowners with units along the path that claim the walkway as patio space.