The California Coastal Commission on Thursday unanimously approved a $1.45 million penalty against the Orange County owners of an apartment complex in Pacifica who the commission said blocked public access to Pacific Manor Beach for more than a year.

The owners of Oceanaire Apartments on Esplanade Avenue allowed a beach trail to collapse that they were required to maintain under earlier permits with the commission. They failed to repair it, a seawall and a stairway down a 75-foot bluff that were damaged in a December 2016 storm, then, covered the beach with boulders and graded the sand illegally without a permit.

As part of the settlement, the largest ever issued by the Coastal Commission in Northern California, the owners of the properties, managed by Trinity Property Consultants and Redwood Construction of Irvine, will be required to open an interim trail to the beach, remove the boulders and submit plans to the commission for a more permanent solution.

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“This part of Pacifica has some of the most beautiful stretches of beach that are often unreachable because of the steep bluffs,” said Commission Chairwoman Dayna Bochco. “Settling this case and restoring public access is an important message that the coast belongs to all Californians.”