Viral video of homeowner sectioning off part of Laguna Beach from beachgoers sparks debate
A viral video out of Laguna Beach has recently sparked debate over the actual plot of land that beachfront homeowners truly own after a woman was caught on camera screaming at a family who were just playing in the sand.
Rosie Garcia says that she and her family were visiting from Oklahoma when the woman, who has since been dubbed "Karen on Laguna Beach" on TikTok, disrupted what was a peaceful day at the beach.
"I'm not joking around!" the woman can be heard shouting in the video. "It's not harassment on the beach, it's harassment in my whole property. Get out of here! Now!"
The yelling, paired with the fact that the woman actually brings out some rope to cordon off the strip of land, led the family to leave the area.
Even so, the woman's behavior continues to escalate, as she follows them while they leave, still shouting.
Garcia, who says she's over the incident now, did not want to talk about it on camera, but it has reignited what is a popular topic of debate for homeowners with beachfront property.
"I thought like, 'Is it really true? Does she really have the sort of authority over the beach?'" said James Buttery, who lives in Aliso Viejo. "From what I've read, it sounds like she doesn't. She seems to have gone kind of crazy about it. ... Even if it was sort of her property, she could have handled it a lot better."
California law says that "the boundary between public and private ownership along the tidal waterways is generally the mean high tide line."
Some attorneys who have worked beach access cases say that if the sand is wet, it's public land.
In a statement, the City of Laguna Beach says that "Laguna Beach Park Rangers spoke with the residents, informing them that such behavior is unacceptable regardless of property boundaries and reminding them that any beach related issues should be reported to the city for mediation."
Other residents say that the beach is busier than ever, with record numbers of visitors this summer, many of which have been leaving trash and toys in the sand. They believe that this could be a possible reason that the homeowner became so frustrated with the crowd outside of her home.
KCAL News has reached out to the woman believed to be the homeowner in the video, but she has not yet returned request for comment.
On Thursday, more than a week after the news made headlines, the woman was served with a notice of violation by the California Coastal Commission. They say that she verbally harassing the beachgoers and that roping off any portion of a public beach is illegal.
She now has two weeks to notify them with how she plans to proceed. If she does not comply with their request, they can charge her as much as $11,000 a day that the violation exists.
