With his agreement to buy the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks for $9.6 billion, Silicon Valley billionaire Vinod Khosla’s attention has drifted up the Pacific Coast. As part of the deal, first reported by Sportico, Khosla has agreed to give up his minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers.
He soon could be relinquishing something else in the Bay Area.
For nearly two decades, Khosla has been embroiled in a battle over public access to Martins Beach, a popular surfing and recreation spot in the unincorporated San Mateo County. The fight has made him a lightning rod for many locals—a reputation unlikely to be helped by his acquisition of the rival Seahawks.
In 2008, Khosla paid $32.5 million to acquire 53 acres overlooking the beach, which is located near the city of Half Moon Bay, Calif. The purchase was made through two limited liability companies, Martins Beach I and Martins Beach II, which obscured his ownership for a while.
Two years later, Khosla closed off his property to beachgoers, preventing the public from reaching the shore by the route that had been used for decades. The decision sparked protests and set off years of litigation involving community groups, beach access advocates and, eventually, the state of California.
