Billionaire Vinod Khosla loses bid to end California public beach access suit

NEW DELHI: Indian American venture capitalist Vinod Khosla faced another setback in his 15-year battle to restrict public access to a well-known surfing spot south of San Francisco, which is accessible through his private property, as per a Bloomberg report.California state judge issued a tentative ruling rejecting Khosla's request to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a state agency on Friday, where the agency argues that the billionaire does not have the right to close Martins Beach to the public.After purchasing the property for $32.5 million around the Pacific beach in 2008, Khosla installed a gate on the road leading to the crescent-shaped cove. His attorneys argue that, as the property owner, he had the right to do so unless he was offered adequate compensation. Khosla fought the case up to the US Supreme Court, which declined to hear his appeal of a lower-court ruling in favor of the Surfrider Foundation in 2018.According to Bloomberg, in the tentative ruling on Friday, Superior Court Judge Raymond Swope said that state officials had provided sufficient evidence to support their claim of public access, allowing the case they filed in 2020 to proceed. The State Lands Commission is seeking a court order to prevent Khosla from blocking the road to the beach, arguing that the public "has acquired access rights" to the land based on historical use and California law.At a hearing scheduled for Monday in Redwood City, Khosla has the opportunity to request the judge to reconsider his ruling.