Yes. Ownership of a high-value coastal property does not change the underlying rule, any co-owner generally has an absolute right to force a sale through a partition action, regardless of sentimental value or how long the family has held the property. If the property was inherited and qualifies as "heirs property," the Partition of Real Property Act may add extra steps, including an independent appraisal and a right of first refusal for co-owners who did not file.
The legal mechanics are the same, but investment and business-purpose co-ownership disputes more often involve disputed contributions, management fee claims, and side agreements about who handles leasing or repairs. Those issues get resolved in the same accounting phase of the partition case, but they tend to be more heavily contested than a straightforward inherited-home case.
Cost depends on how contested the case is, an uncontested sale resolves far more cheaply than a case fighting over accounting credits or a claimed ownership dispute. California law gives the court discretion to pay attorneys’ fees and costs of partition out of the sale proceeds before the remaining balance is divided, which is often the more realistic cost picture for co-owners weighing whether to file.