Sean Parker’s beach app is a penance for coast violation
Surf and sand lovers got an atonement gift Thursday from tech billionaire Sean Parker who launched a mobile beach app that is the product of one of the most idiosyncratic punishments ever devised for running afoul of the California Coastal Commission.
The free YourCoast app was developed by Parker, the co-founder of the online music service Napster, as penance for his lavish $4 million wedding five years ago in the redwoods of Big Sur, a phantasmagoric shindig that had stars galore but, it turned out, no permit.
“This is a case of turning lemons into lemonade,” said Lisa Haage, the Coastal Commission’s chief of enforcement. “We negotiated a creative agreement with a willing partner of great ability and expertise that will widely benefit the public. We literally ended up working with some of the world’s best tech engineers to create something that everyone can use and enjoy.”
The Apple device is essentially an iPhone
version of the commission’s YourCoast website, providing information about 1,563 beaches in California, including maps, photographs, access points, parking availability, bathroom locations and even dog-friendliness ratings.
The app includes hidden pocket beaches, nature trails overlooking the ocean, scenic campgrounds and places to kayak, surf or paddleboard.
Among the beaches listed is Martins Beach, the subject of a series of bitter legal fights since Vinod Khosla, another tech billionaire, bought the Half Moon Bay property in 2008 and closed the only public-access gate to the cove. The app says Martins Beach is “currently closed.”
Parker, the first president of Facebook, agreed to the unusual high-tech settlement after his June 2013 marriage to Alexandra Lenas at the Ventana Inn & Spa campground in Big Sur. The spot was not supposed be closed to the public without a Coastal Commission permit.
The swanky nuptials, attended by Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris and a diorama of the well-to-do, involved plopping a stage, dance floor and faux Roman ruins that would make a Hollywood set designer proud into the campground, which is surrounded by redwoods and under the Coastal Commission’s jurisdiction but owned by the Ventana Inn.
Parker later told The Chronicle that he and his wife love redwoods and had sought advice from conservationists and the property owner on how to minimize their impact on the land. He said he was told he did not need permits.
The Coastal Commission cited Parker for disrupting public access to the campground and potentially harming sensitive habitat, violations that carry penalties of between $1,000 and $15,000 a day.
The commission staff said the owners of the Ventana Inn were responsible for the misunderstanding and the closure, but also said in a report that Parker had indemnified the hotel against damages and took responsibility.
In addition to the app, Parker and his wife created a $1.5 million grant program for eight conservation programs dedicated to the restoration of the coast and public access in Monterey County. It included $345,000 for the San Francisco-based Save the Redwoods League, which is rebuilding a section of Big Sur’s popular Pfeiffer Falls Trail that was damaged by a 2008 wildfire.
Parker also agreed to fund several groups serving at-risk youth in the area and make an educational video. The total amount of damages paid was $2.5 million, according to the agreement.
Jennifer Savage, California policy manager for the environmental group Surfrider Foundation, said the app shows pathways to little known beaches and coves, including routes through neighborhoods that residents aren’t always eager to share because they consider the beaches their own.
“Certainly to have something so good come out of what was a bad situation is a fantastic outcome,” Savage said. “The harm that was done has been fixed and this is something that will benefit people who use the California coast for a long time to come.”
The free app can be shared on social media; photos of access points can be added by the public; and users can call it up even in remote areas without cell coverage, officials said.
Parker is also helping Coastal Commission staff develop a version that works on an Android platform.