A Carlsbad homeowner fined $1.4 million over coastal access and environmental issues last week has opened the driveway gate at the heart of his violations.
The gate provides the only access to John Levy’s custom-built home along the Buena Vista Lagoon, just south of the Oceanside border. It’s also the entrance for a trail to Carlsbad’s North Beach and a connection to a short nature trail along the lagoon.
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Both footpaths have been on Carlsbad’s master trails map for years. However, until Sunday, the entry on Mountain View Drive was closed and locked to the public. The California Coastal Commission on Thursday gave Levy three days to open the gate permanently and 120 days to completely remove it.
The city posted signs at the Mountain View entrance and along the beach trail over the weekend advising people to stay on the path, don’t litter, wear helmets when riding bicycles and follow other public safety regulations.
Trail signage is seen near an open gate and road that lead to John Levy’s house along Buena Vista Lagoon on Oct. 14, 2025, in Carlsbad, CA. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“The requirement to have the gate open is a condition of the cease-and-desist order issued by the California Coastal Commission,” said Amy Ventetuolo, Carlsbad’s communication and engagement director.
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“As such, the Coastal Commission will be the agency responsible for enforcing that requirement, not the city of Carlsbad,” Ventetuolo said. “We’re still in the process of reviewing the Coastal Commission’s recent decision and will be meeting with their staff to better understand their position.”
With the gate open, anyone can drive onto the public easement. However, there’s no legal parking, and a locked chain across the dirt road prevents vehicles from driving from the paved driveway to the beach. Levy’s house is fenced and has another gate at the edge of his property.
The Coastal Commission determined years ago that the Mountain View gate illegally blocked the public. Last week, after much back and forth with Levy and multiple attorneys, it ordered Levy to open the gate within three days or face an additional penalty of $1 million.
Levy has long maintained he does not control the gate because it’s built on land owned by a neighboring homeowners association. He has an easement across the property that provides the only access to his home.
“I am not blocking public access,” Levy said again Tuesday.
Also, he said, the gate is not specified as a public access point in either the original development permit issued by the Coastal Commission in 1983 to subdivide the property or a permit issued by the city in 1998 to build his home.
Levy declined to say Tuesday whether he intends to take the issue to court.
Carlsbad beach lifeguards have used the gate to patrol the North Beach area for several years. Police, fire and public works officials also have access, Levy said.
A map showing John Levy’s property and the open space easements around it. (Courtesy California Coastal Commission) (Courtesy California Coastal Commission)
Without the Mountain View gate, the nearest entrance to North Beach is from a steep stairway that is not handicapped accessible from Ocean Street at Rue Des Chateaux. Lifeguard vehicles would have to come from at least a mile away at Pine Avenue or Tamarack Avenue.
Commission staffers said the Mountain View gate also offers better handicapped access to the beach and the lagoon. Levy said the driveway is too steep for handicapped use.
Levy lives most of the year in New Zealand and only occasionally stays in the Carlsbad house. For a while, he offered it as a short-term rental that became popular as a wedding venue known as Levyland.
Complaints about noise, illegal parking and outdoor lighting ended weddings on the property. Among other alleged violations covered by the $1.4 million penalty are the construction of an unpermitted pickleball court, the development of a private parking lot and staging area, and the maintenance of a fence and locked gate on the lagoon access trail.
Levy asked for last week’s hearing to be continued to allow more time for his attorneys and the commission to study the hundreds of pages of reports, letters and other documents on the issue. The commission declined to grant a continuance.