When the gates finally opened on the access path to Carbon Beach, Jayna Mims and her eight-month-old son scampered across PCH and cut through the estate of mogul David Geffen. "I've lived here 12 years and have never been able to cross the street and go to the beach," she told the Times. "We could see it and smell it, but we couldn't touch it." Geffen did not attend Thursday's ceremonial opening, but he had cameras and guards monitoring beachgoers to make sure they stayed on the public sand and off his property. Geffen agreed 22 years ago to open the path, but it took a court case to force the issue this year.

Also: One of the state's lawyers in the case, Daniel A. Olivas, is a new litblogger at La Bloga, a site for "Chicano Literature, Chicano Writers, Chicano Fiction, News, Views, Reviews."