Mark Attanasio, the billionaire principal owner of Major League Baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers, has reached a formal settlement with state environmental regulators following an extensive investigation into unauthorized excavation and construction activities along the Malibu shoreline. Under the terms of the agreement, the sports executive has agreed to relinquish a prime oceanfront property valued at $2 million to the public as restitution for coastal damage caused by his private construction project.
The regulatory action concludes a dispute that began in 2024, when state authorities discovered significant unauthorized earth-moving activities linked to Attanasio and his company, 2XMD Partners LLC. Regulators identified heavy machinery operating along the sensitive shoreline at Lechuza Point, a coastal landmark situated just north of Point Dume in western Malibu. The heavy equipment had been brought in to conduct major structural work adjacent to Attanasio’s luxury residential estate.
Investigators with the California Coastal Commission determined that the primary objective of the illicit project was to fortify Attanasio's private oceanfront property. The homeowner had engaged contractors to repair and reinforce a failing residential seawall that was threatening the integrity of the estate. However, the methods utilized to carry out the repairs bypassed required state permitting processes and severely disrupted public coastal lands.
To facilitate the heavy machinery's transit to the waterfront, workers erected unauthorized infrastructure in areas reserved for the public. The commission found that Attanasio’s team constructed an unpermitted private staircase leading down to the beach, alongside an unapproved revetment structure designed to allow excavators and industrial equipment access to the tideline. These installations encroached directly upon public access corridors along the coast.
According to official investigative findings compiled by the California Coastal Commission, the construction crew deployed large mechanical excavators directly into the public intertidal area. State inspectors documented workers removing substantial amounts of sand, natural beach cobbles, and large boulders directly from the public beach environment along the western edge of Broad Beach.
The commission’s September 2026 report detailed how the machinery scooped up these natural coastal materials and assembled them into large mounds across the sand. The extracted rocks, cobbles, and sediment were subsequently moved behind Attanasio’s private seawall, where they were repurposed as fill material to stabilize the residential barrier. The report noted that excavators were repeatedly observed digging deep into the beach to harvest backfill.
The unauthorized harvesting of coastal materials inflicted damage on a designated marine protected area. Regulatory scientists stressed that the rocky intertidal habitat at Broad Beach is a delicate and biologically diverse ecosystem. The commission pointed out that the excavated tideland serves as a home to sea stars, diverse fish species, and more than 1,000 distinct varieties of marine algae and invertebrates that depend on the natural boulder field for survival.
As part of the final enforcement resolution, Attanasio must undertake comprehensive restoration and remediation efforts at his own expense. He is legally obligated to dismantle and remove all unpermitted structures, including the private access staircase and the revetment, thereby clearing all physical obstacles that had hindered the public’s ability to traverse the shoreline.
In addition to removing the unauthorized fixtures, the agreement requires Attanasio to fully restore the missing sections of the natural boulder field. Contractors will be required to return the excavated tideland area to its original environmental condition, ensuring that the natural rock formations are reconstructed to support the local marine ecosystem and restore the habitat for native organisms.
The centerpiece of the regulatory penalty is Attanasio's agreement to surrender a valuable beachfront parcel located at Big Rock Beach in eastern Malibu. Situated well east of Point Dume and closer to the Pacific Palisades, the oceanfront property had previously been listed on the open market with an asking price of $2 million. The transfer grants the property to the public entirely free of charge.
The acquisition of the Big Rock Beach property is viewed by coastal planners as an important enhancement for public recreational space in the region. Coastal Commission documentation noted that along that specific nearly six-mile stretch of coastline, very few public accessways currently exist. Securing an entire oceanfront parcel will significantly expand opportunities for beachgoers to reach and enjoy the coast.
State regulators have indicated that the newly acquired parcel may eventually be improved to further expand public access to the shoreline. Potential plans discussed by the commission include the future construction of a public stairway, which would provide residents and visitors with direct and safe pedestrian access from the roadway down to the sand at Big Rock Beach.
The resolution was officially finalized following a commission vote that ratified the formal penalties and terms of the agreement against the baseball team owner. Following the confirmation of the settlement, California Coastal Commission Executive Director Kate Huckelbridge characterized the extensive agreement, the ecological restoration, and the transfer of public coastal property as a major win for Californians.
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