About a half-century ago, signs that read "danger" and "keep out" were posted to keep visitors away from a secret Malibu beach.

The signs, however, didn't stop Los Angeles Times staff writer Jim Rainey from sneaking in. This year, the chain-linked fence that stood for decades suddenly disappeared. Rainey went back to his childhood spot to find out how it happened and what it means. In an interview for "LA Times Today," he joined host Lisa McRee with more.

Rainey said he would spend his time snorkeling and body surfing with his friends and family at the secret Malibu beach throughout his youth.

"Well, I was fortunate," he said. "You're right. I was very privileged as a kid that there was a fence up there. But we used to find a way down to the beach. And I spent hours and hours and hours there from my elementary school days until I went away to college. The really sweet spot that pretty much was for decades, a private beach, but that changed recently."

Before the fence was taken down, officials say it stayed up because they were trying to come up with plans to put stairs, trashcans and bathrooms on the beach.

"Then what happened is, some of the residents thought the fence wasn't good enough and wasn't keeping out enough people because it had holes in it," Rainey said. "So they went ahead and replaced the fence. And that happened back in May. So we've had an entire summer where this little spot, this little beach, has suddenly been thrown open, and all sorts of people from all over LA and really all over the world have discovered it. And it's just kind of a little gem down there, and people have been enjoying it this summer."

Some locals believe the removal of the fence will bring trash and crime to the area.

"When you open something up to the public, there's going to be people who are inconsiderate, who leave trash," Rainey added. "One thing that is a too common problem is some folks go off under people's houses. It's just kind of common sense. You probably wouldn't want someone under your house inland, so it's not a good idea to go under folks' houses who live on the beach. There are easements there that say a lot of the sand is public. And, pretty much where the wet sand is in most cases is always public. But since they've opened it up, the problems, according to the Caltrans folks who monitor PCH and the sheriff's department, say they've had a few problems, but it hasn't been out of proportion to a lot of the rest of the coast there. Some of the homeowners, though, tell me that it's terrible because using the underside of their houses as bathrooms and that they're in danger. And yeah, so there's clearly a difference of opinion about what happened since the beach became open a few months ago."

Visitors should know that the law doesn't allow them to trespass under people's homes, even for shade.

"There's a privacy buffer around these homes on the beach," Rainey said. "It often is just 10 feet. But I tell people, you know, stay as far away as you can. These are people's private homes, and there is no reason to get right up close to their back or their stairs. So stay 20 feet away if you can, in most cases."

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