Privates Beach is named not for its exclusivity but for a permissive attitude toward nude sunbathing. This small patch of paradise on the California coastline is adored by locals, and anyone is welcome to enjoy the clean and quiet spot. If, that is, they have a key costing $100 a year.

A 9ft iron gate blocks the path to a beach staircase, set among expensive hillside homes in the tony surf town of Santa Cruz, south of San Francisco. Yet by California law, all the beaches along its 840 alluring miles of coastline belong to the people, and the state is cracking down at Privates and elsewhere in a push to mitigate a growing divide between rich and poor.

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Three reports released in 2017 by researchers at Stanford Law, Berkeley Law, UCLA and San Francisco State University all found that residents along California coasts are more affluent and more white, and that there are significant physical and financial barriers for others who want to enjoy the beach – even though it is legally a publicly owned resource. “Because disadvantaged communities typically have fewer economic and recreational resources and opportunities, foreclosing any of the ones they do have will disproportionately affect them,” the Stanford researchers wrote.

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