Ten feet of land might not sound like much, but in Portlock, it might as well be a mile or a moat: insurmountable. Impenetrable.

There are so many things wrong about the recent deal to transfer ownership of the strip of beachfront land in Portlock to the same homeowners who have made it a sport to keep people off the beach while pretending to adhere to state law regarding public access.

To start with, point a finger at the City & County. On at least two occasions, the landowner, Kamehameha Schools, offered the parcel to the city, which expressed no interest.

Note that this was a "transfer," a conveyance of the land, and not a sale. The only cost would have been for bureaucratic paperwork, estimated to be around $10.

And what of Kamehameha Schools handing out ali'i trust land to the wealthy few? It may not fit with the schools' education mission, but would it have been so hard to hold on to that 'aina? At least until the city could be shamed into doing the right thing. Sure, the parcel is "remnant" land, but in Hawai'i, there is no such thing as a useless scrap when you're talking about beachfront property.

It wasn't just a strip of grass and sandy dirt that was handed over, it was power. The power to exclude.

As part of the deal, the homeowners have promised to preserve public access to the little beach, loved by families and fishers, beachcombers and beginning surfers.

They've promised before, but it didn't mean much.

In the past, the homeowners association has put such promises in writing and then the people in the big houses have turned around and put up more gates and signs and cameras and locks. Unpermitted gates. Scary signs. Keep out.

Can these people be expected to act in the best interest of the public?

Public access means taking all comers.

And while not every Portlock beachfront owner has been viciously guarded, and indeed a few have been quite hospitable over the years, the fact remains that there is a long list of skirmishes between homeowners and would-be beachgoers.

This would have been best put in the hands of the city or the state — gee, how often can you make a statement like THAT?! Where's Jon Yoshimura with the locksmith when you need 'em?

It is shocking that in our enlightened age, another public beach came under the control of private interests, and this time, the rich guys didn't even buy it. The land was given away.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.