Professor Frank Comments for Los Angeles Times on Supreme Court Petition

Professor of Environmental Practice Richard Frank ’74 commented for the Los Angeles Times on the petition filed with the U.S. Supreme Court by Silicon Valley billionaire Vinod Khosla asking the justices to review a California court’s decision regarding public access to his beachfront property. Khosla is challenging the applicability to his property of development permit requirements under California’s Coastal Act. The California Coastal Commission and public access groups contend that he cannot deny public access to the property without state approval.

Should the Supreme Court grant review, a decision in the case could well have a “sweeping and catalytic effect on public access law and property rights more generally,” Frank said. Khosla’s arguments in his petition for Supreme Court review are “artfully crafted in an effort to capture the attention of at least four justices,” Frank said, and it “certainly is plausible that the Court could grant review in this case, given the quality of representation and the issues involved.”

Frank is a leader in the field of environmental law and the founding Director of the California Environmental Law and Policy Center at UC Davis School of Law.