For generations, Californians have been promised something simple and sacred: access to the coast belongs to everyone.

That promise was broken at Thornton State Beach near Daly City when a private landowner erected an eight-foot fence that cut off the only public path to the beach and surrounding trails. The fence blocked access to a 58-acre stretch of coastline protected by California State Parks since 1955 — land that thousands of people use each year for hiking, horseback riding, and enjoying the ocean.

Even more alarming, the fence was accompanied by threatening signage warning people they could be shot for trespassing. While that sign has since been removed, the fence remains, and so does the damage: families locked out, emergency access disrupted, and a clear message sent that public rights can be overridden by private force.

California law is clear. The California Coastal Act prohibits private landowners from blocking public access to the coast, especially without permits. Thornton State Beach is not private property, and no individual should be allowed to intimidate the public or restrict access to land that belongs to all of us.

This is about more than one fence. If this kind of behavior is allowed to stand, it sets a dangerous precedent across the state. Today it’s Thornton State Beach. Tomorrow it could be any stretch of California’s coastline.

Residents, local officials, and advocates are calling for swift action: the fence must be removed, access restored, and the Coastal Act enforced. Public beaches only remain public if the law is upheld and violations are addressed quickly and decisively.

California’s coast is one of our greatest shared treasures. It should never depend on the goodwill of a private landowner to remain open.

Sign this petition to demand that Thornton State Beach be reopened and to say, clearly and collectively: California’s beaches must stay public.