As the Milwaukee Brewers begin their playoff run, the team’s owner, Mark Attanasio, embroiled in a legal battle back in California revolves around one of the state’s most valuable resources: sand.
In August, Attanasio’s neighbor filed a lawsuit accuse the businessman of stealing sand from Malibu’s Broad Beach and bringing it back to his property as part of a construction project to repair a damaged seawall.
Now the California Coastal Commission is getting in on the action.
The commission sent Attanasio’s attorney, Kenneth Ehrlich, a notice of violation in September, alleging that contractors working on Attanasio’s beach house were illegally excavating sand and using heavy machinery within state tidal areas.
The commission also said the construction project impaired public access to the beach, depleted the beach’s sand and threatened to harm marine resources.
The notice, which demanded a response by Oct. 7, asked Attanasio to stop all unauthorized development and also resolve the violations, which could include a monetary settlement.
This is not the first time Attanasio has been cited by the Coastal Commission for stealing sand.
Along with the notice, the commission attached an additional notice from 2008 that accused the Brewers owner of scooping sand from the beach for another house he owned a half-mile away.
The 2008 notice alleged that Attanasio built an illegal beach wall made of sandbags and metal poles along a public beach, planted invasive plant species on a sand dune and obstructed public access to the beach.
Attanasio sold the beach house to “Friends” co-creator Marta Kauffman last year for $23.6 million, records show.
“We’re glad the Coastal Commission is echoing what we’re trying to do as well, and we’re encouraged by the actions they’ve taken so far,” said attorney Tim McGinity, who is representing Attanasio’s neighbor James Kohlberg in the lawsuit. “This quote from the neighboring property owner confirms what we have said from the beginning: The beach cannot and should not be treated as a personal sandbox.”
The sand battle has been ignited a larger discussion about the private and public use of California’s beaches, as neighbors and cities fight over their share of a seemingly endless resource that is drastically shrinking in some areas.