California’s beaches are public, but on the sands of Malibu, one billionaire has been accused of stealing a slice of paradise — or at least a few scoops of it — for himself.

A lawsuit filed last week alleges that Mark Attanasio, billionaire businessman and owner of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team, has been using excavators to dig up sand from Broad Beach and carry it back to his house as part of an ongoing construction project.

“This case is about a private property owner using a public beach as their own personal sandbox and the disturbing conversion of a public natural resource (i.e., sand from Broad Beach) for a nearby homeowner’s personal, private use,” the lawsuit says.

    • @voracitude
      link
      9127 days ago

      And it should be several hundred times the cost of replacing that sand, so that it’s a more economically sound move to not break the law and destroy the environment while they’re at it.

        • @[email protected]
          link
          fedilink
          626 days ago

          10%?

          Minimum wage is $15080. A speeding ticket can be $209-$409. That’s 2%. He should be fined a percentage of of his wealth equal to (cost of his douchebaggery)/(minimum wage yearly)*100. Multiply by 10 for a fine

      • FuglyDuck
        link
        English
        1127 days ago

        Start with the cost of reparing/fixing/whatevering the beach; then add a fine based on income. 10% of monthly income sounds about right for this.

        same with financial crimes. they seize any profits and then fin the shit out of them, based on their earnings for a given period.

        speeding tickets, same. monthly income percentage.

    • Ebby
      link
      fedilink
      3227 days ago

      Better yet, require public access to wherever that sand was placed!

      • The Pantser
        link
        1727 days ago

        Haha would be amazing if just a group of beach bums set up camp on the public sand.

    • @9point6
      link
      7
      edit-2
      26 days ago

      I think it’s only fair they fine him the maximum potential value of the materials.

      Sand made of silicon, which is used to make CPUs

      You can spend 25 grand on an intel Xeon weighing about 50g

      A scoop of sand is probably 50kg = 25 million

      How many scoops were taken?

  • Flying Squid
    link
    5027 days ago

    Stealing sand, stealing indigenous land in Hawaii for your private bunker, never paying taxes, getting away with rape… when you’re rich, they let you do it.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      926 days ago

      Ooh, crossover moment!

      The beachfront homeowners in Hawaii are notoriously parasite foreigners from the other 48 states, literal local crime bosses, or just old plantation money.

      They buy up all these mansions and act like the beaches are their property, blocking public access easements and building illegal seawalls that accelerate beach erosion, and harassing groups of middle schoolers on conservation field trips. Because of course they don’t have jobs.

      The beach is not theirs. In Hawaiian culture, beaches are sacred and for the people. This is enshrined in state law. ALL beach in the state is public property.

      The state has (had) the most beautiful culture and environment I’ve ever seen in the world. And it’s well past ruined by colonization.

      Hawaii is one of, if not the most, solidly Democrat state in the entire nation. I’m sure just one more election and they’ll get right to work!

      • Flying Squid
        link
        426 days ago

        John Oliver just did a segment on what billionaires are doing to Hawaii. That’s why I brought it up.

    • @snekerpimp
      link
      727 days ago

      Well, it’s either justice or a yacht, which would you pick?

  • @venusaur
    link
    37
    edit-2
    26 days ago

    Everybody should go to Carbon Beach. Millionaires have been illegally blocking access for years. It’s a public beach and they’re finally paying for it in a lawsuit. Go ruin their day. Realistically they’re probably at some other expensive property across the globe.

    • Rentlar
      link
      fedilink
      1427 days ago

      〽 Anywhere the sand goes

      Property rights don’t matter

      To meeeeee~

    • @cheese_greater
      link
      4
      edit-2
      26 days ago

      This is the only correct solution. Otherwise, deterrance is never actuated

  • @gedaliyahM
    link
    3
    edit-2
    26 days ago

    Well then where is he supposed to steal his sand? China?