Billionaire builds beach access app

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — A tech billionaire whose elaborate wedding in a redwood grove violated California rules has helped create a smartphone app that shows users a map of more than 1,500 spots where people can get to the coastline.

Sean Parker, co-founder of file-sharing service Napster, agreed to help make the YourCoast app after he built a large site resembling a movie set for his 2013 wedding in an ecologically sensitive area of Big Sur without proper permits.

However, the California Coastal Commission determined the construction in a campground area wouldn’t harm the environment and the wedding was allowed to proceed.

Parker, a former president of Facebook, also paid $2.5 million in penalties, which helped fund hiking trails and other efforts to increase public access to the popular tourist area. It was a rare high-profile coastal violation case resolved with cooperation rather than a legal fight.

Parker told the Los Angeles Times by email that he was excited to work on the project because he “thought it would provide the greatest value to the public.”

The centerpiece of the app is a map of 1,563 public access points that the commission tracks along coastal California. Clicking on a particular access point shows photos of the path to the beach — which can be hard to find — and whether it has amenities such as parking, access for visitors with disabilities, restrooms or fishing facilities.

Users can submit updated photos or report violations to the commission. If people are visiting a remote area, they can save the map and information on their phone if they lose service.