Malibu Presbyterian Church Doesn’t Need Walls to Have Impact

• Despite Losing Its Edifice, Congregation Celebrates the Spirit of Giving

BY NICOLE KLIEST

Despite last year’s loss of their buildings to wildfire, Malibu Presbyterian Church donated $500,000 on Sunday toward a new teen center in central Los Angeles to support the World Impact Ministries.
On Oct. 21, MPC’s edifice was destroyed in the first of a series of two fires that claimed over 70 structures and burned thousands of acres of land, however this did not stop the church from staying faithful to their pledge.
Just two days after the fire, the church leadership announced their intent to follow through with their support for World Impact Ministries: a Christian missions organization committed to empowering America’s urban poor.
“While we have lost a building, we are still a church,” said MPC’s Pastor Greg Hughes. “We are proud to partner with World Impact. Together, we work toward a common vision—to serve our community, help those in need and, in turn, bring Christ’s love to the City of Los Angeles.”
The donation was given at the MPC’s Easter Services, which were held Sunday under a tent at Malibu Bluffs Park.
In addition to over 800 attendees, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, L.A. Councilmember Wendy Greuel, and Dr. Keith Phillips of World Impact joined together with the people of Malibu to celebrate the joyful holiday and the donation.
“Malibu Presbyterian made a commitment of $500,000 the night before their church burnt down. When that happened, my heart dropped,” said Phillips. “About three days later, Pastor Hughes called saying they would honor their commitment. It was stunning.”
World Impact will be converting a 9000-square-foot building to a community center for teens across the street from the new West Adams Preparatory High School, which opened in September 2007 at Vermont and the Santa Monica Freeway.
The center is scheduled to open in 2009. It will provide Bible study and worship classes. Additionally, it will provide academic tutoring, counseling, mentoring, leadership development, drama productions, college SAT prep classes, vocational planning and music classes.
“What Malibu Presbyterian did struck everybody in Los Angeles as an amazing act of compassion that can only be explained by the Church,” said Phillips.
MPC continues on a trajectory of optimism and sharing as members begin to choose architects, as well as deal with the complexities of rebuilding.
“Malibu Presbyterian has stood as a beacon of hope for 58 years,” Pastor Hughes said. “We are still here. We love our city, and we intend to continue to worship and serve the Malibu and Los Angeles communities for decades to come.”

As Old Malibu Goes Out, Some TriBeCa Comes In

• Another Sense of Somewhere Else Will Be Making Its Way to the Local Scene

BY BILL KOENEKER

While construction continues on the old Malibu lumber yard site as it is turned into a high-end boutique shopping center, which is owned by the city, discussion continues to focus on “the deal” that was made with the master leasing agent Richard Weintraub and Richard Sperber and what it portends for the city and local retailers.
The controversy around the $150 million deal continues. It was even debated briefly by city council candidates and championed by one outgoing council member as the “deal of the century,” yet it is still somewhat of a vague idea for most folks in Malibu.
Much attention has been focused on the local retailers who are sometimes described by critics as the “poster children” for how local businesses are being treated by city officials. Bernie Safire, the hairstylist and Denyse Mclean of McLean Gallery have been touted as taking space.
However, talk outside the city belies that homespun image. Listing information on a website by CB Richard Ellis, a Century City leasing firm, describes the mix of new tenants as Scoop, Intermix, James Perse Flagship, Mayfield, Tory Burch and other more urban-setting establishments.
The asking price for the remaining square footage of the 30,000 square foot project that includes two restaurants and retailers is reportedly between $18 to $23 per square foot.
Talking to the Los Angeles Business Journal, which described the transformation of the lumber yard as Los Angeles’ next hot retail project, real estate developer and Malibu resident Richard Weintraub insists he is not interested in the more mainstream high-end retail tenants like Gucci and Prada. He said it was going to be more like Melrose and TriBeCa in New York City rather than Rodeo Drive. Weintruab said they have turned down Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive tenants.
For those not in the know, TriBeCa, which is located in lower Manhattan, was described by Forbes magazine as the twelfth most expensive zip code in the United States in 2006.
Notwithstanding Weintraub’s comments, CBRE’s Jay Luchs, best known for his focus on leasing hot properties in the Beverly Hills triangle, is the leasing agent. Luchs has also completed recent deals on Melrose Place and other hip L.A. streets.
The two-story project sits on a 2.7-acre parcel and has been the object of lamentations by local residents who say they miss the lumber and hardware store for more than just two-by-fours and screwdrivers.
Current leasing plans posted by CBRE on its website, call for Safire, McLean and Clout all to be located on the less popular second level where there is still space available.
The ground floor, or most desirable locations, are expected to be filled by James Perse, Intermix, Tory Burch, Scoop and others, such as Lucky’s, J. Crew Malibu, Cos Bar, Vincie and Le Pain Quotidian.
The renewed interest in the deal is because the city council in more colorful language is calling the revenue stream a gold mine that is expected to be generated by all of the Melrose and TriBeCa retailers. “They can sell a lot of $700 jeans,” quipped Mayor Jeff Jennings, when the council was talking about how much more money was expected
Council members were told recently that the profit participation aspect of the leasing agreement might mean hundreds of thousands of dollar more than the original estimates.
While the staff and its consultants originally estimated that the city might get about $400,000 per year in the next 10 years, the amount could skyrocket to more than $800,000 or more annually, in addition to the base rent. The staff is currently projecting firm numbers at the council’s behest.
The agreement calls for the base rent to start at around $1.3 million and to increase up to $1.8 at the end of 10 years based on the Consumer Price Index. The lease is for 39 years with an option that would lengthen the agreement to 54 years. The projected sales taxes start at around $150,000 to almost $200,000 within 10 years. The figures are based on a 10-year financial analysis recently prepared by the staff.
Critics contend while the numbers pan out for the city—paying back its debt obligations—the deal allows the developer to pocket much more.
As originally structured, Weintraub and Sperber are paying about $3 dollar per square foot, investing about $8 million in rebuilding and maintenance and taking home anywhere from $20 to possibly $25 per square foot in the first year of operations, while offering a subsidy for 10 to 20 percent of the floor space for local retailers.
No one knows, of course, how much rent can be charged in the next 25 years or even 50 years, but trends suggest it will be more, especially if Malibu is any example.
Some of the city’s critics are also wondering how city council members can lament along with members of the community about the loss of locally owned businesses, if municipal government is going to set the bar for how much commercial rent to charge in Malibu.

Campaign Rhetoric Heats Up at City Council Meeting

• Accusations Exchanged with Longtime Critic Are First Noteworthy Flare-up

BY BILL KOENEKER

While campaign rhetoric has been kept to a minimum by the council candidates at the various forums, sparks flew at this week’s Malibu City Council meeting when one council member was asked to apologize for remarks made at the last council session.
Steve Uhring said he wanted an apology from Councilmember Ken Kearsley when he talked about “Ozzie Silna and his toadies.”
“That is a pejorative statement,” said Uhring, who ticked off a list of Silna’s extensive financial donations to the community. “The comments were below a professional level.”
Uhring charged that Kearsley made the comments because of Silna’s support for candidates that Kearsley has not endorsed.
Kearsley has given money and endorsements to council hopefuls John Sibert, Kathy Wisnicki and incumbent Pamela Conley Ulich.
Silna has given money and voiced support for Conley Ulich, but backs candidates Susan Tellem and Jefferson Wagner.
Uhring used the opportunity then to bash Kearsley’s candidates, saying Sibert “had left a trail” of bad planning decisions. He accused Sibert of embracing overnight camping by voting for the recommendations that were forwarded to the city council in its Local Coastal Program amendment. “You rejected that very same plan,” he added.
Similarly, reading from a history of local media headlines, Uhring charged that Sibert also voted for the La Paz shopping center, despite a report from the water agency that the project does not have an adequate water supply for fire protection. “John voted for it. Is this the decisions you want to see?” Uhring added.
Wisnicki also came under attack by Uhring when he accused the school board member of being absent for an important vote of the school district that involved BB Measure funding for Malibu. “Wisnicki was not even there,” he said.
Uhring ended by admonishing Kearsley. “Shame on you for using the council table [to insult Silna],” he said.
Kearsley was quick to respond, and Councilmembers Andy Stern and Sharon Barovsky also had words for Uhring.
Kearsley offered an apology to Silna and said he meant to insult Silna’s friends and followers.
But before Kearsley had a chance to reply, Stern took on Uhring and the opposing candidates by pointing out that Wagner did not live in the city when he first set sights on the council race.
Stern charged he had his paperwork initially rejected by the city clerk and only when he moved into the city by renting an apartment was he able to continue his campaign.
Stern accused Tellem of being silent on the LNG issue while Malibuites campaigned against it. Stern charged that Tellem did nothing, while her husband was working for LNG public relations firms filming the meetings and other activities at the alleged behest of the company that wanted to build a floating regasification facility off the Malibu coast.
Stern also noted that when he was running for office two years ago, and his wife, “who used to be in your crowd” was ill, Uhring wrote lies about him in a letter to the editor, saying Stern was “good at lying.”
Kearsley said council members get pilloried, beaten up and said sometime, “Enough is enough.”
He charged that Tellem sent him an e-mail, accusing him of insulting the voters of Malibu. He quoted the communication as saying, “‘Your term is almost up, so shut up.’ I am not going to shut up,” added Kearsley, who said he would offer an apology to Silna. “I did not mean to insult him, I insulted the people around him.”
Barovsky, who at first indicated that she did not want to get into the fray, quipped, “I still have a two-year sentence.”
She said there have been statements made that were not accurate because they were either “incidentally wrong or wrong by design.”
Barovsky insisted the planning commission did not vote for overnight camping, since it was simply making recommendations passed on to the council. “[Sibert] did not vote for camping,” she added.
Additionally, Barovsky defended Sibert on La Paz saying he had, with a majority of the commission, recommended the smallest possible development.
Barovsky also defended Wisnicki and said, as an explanation of her absence from the school board meeting, “She was in New York and fell and broke her nose. The doctor there treating her said she should not fly in a pressurized cabin. She came back and fought for the funds and, I might add, got them back.”
Barovsky, while acknowledging she “should not be using the council table for this,” nevertheless accused Tellem of writing letters in support of the LIP “which gave us camping.”
“She was supporting something she did not read,” she added.
Neither Mayor Jeff Jennings, nor Conley Ulich, who took part in the meeting by teleconference, made any comments during this segment of the meeting.

Linkages Are Critical for Wildlife in the Malibu Mountains

• Ways Must Be Found for Species to Navigate Varied Terrain

BY ANNE SOBLE

Five years of research and fieldwork on how to protect and enhance wildlife habitat in the Malibu mountains, and the rest of Southern California, culminated in a report issued last week that focuses on what will be a key word in the contemporary conservation lexicon—linkages.
The objective is a concerted multi-agency effort to protect pathways between habitat areas in parklands, including the Santa Monica Mountains National Re-creation Area.
The South Coast Missing Linkages Project is the effort of a partnership of public and private conservation entities with the goal of protecting some 70 travel routes for animals in an area that extends from Santa Barbara County to below the U.S.-Mexico border.
The emphasis is on protection of animals that are endangered or have small populations with a limited gene pool, including the mountain lions and bobcats of the Santa Monica Mountains.
The new plan focuses primarily on how to provide and protect linkages between the region’s national parks and forests.
The report suggests several ways short of public ownership of the land that could assure that pathways would be maintained, including easements and assistance programs for private landowners, such as funding to promote use of wildlife passable fencing and other tools.
The report describes the Santa Monica-Sierra Madre Connection, the inland to coastal connection that includes Malibu, as a “rich mosaic of oak woodland, savanna, chaparral, coastal sage scrub, grasslands, and riparian forests and woodlands, [that] has several major strands to accommodate diverse species and ecosystem functions”
In this area, Route 101 is a major barrier, and there’s an emphasis on plans for wildlife-specific crossing structures, such as alternative bridging to separate animals from vehicles. Culverts are another important option.
The report’s premise is “nature needs room to roam,” and the need to reduce the “tension between habitat fragmentation and conservation is particularly acute.”
Still, the outlook is positive as there are large swatches of land in public hands in the Santa Monicas. As long as ecological connectivity is an environmental priority, species can be saved.

Shark that Started Its Journey Off Malibu Gives New Meaning to Notion of Spring Break

• No Passport Required as Young White Released by Aquarium Heads for Points South

BY ANNE SOBLE

Shark watchers around the world are keeping track of the young white shark returned to the ocean by the Monterey Bay Aquarium six weeks ago that already has traveled past the southern tip of Baja California and is now basking in warmer waters off the Mexican mainland.
Caught off the local coast last August and acclimated in the 4-million-gallon holding pen off Point Dume for 24 days, the male white was trucked north to MBA’s Outer Bay exhibit and put on display for five months.
When the shark began exhibiting assertive behavior, he was prepped for release on Feb. 5.
Dubbed “Streak” by some of his fans, he is the first shark to carry two kinds of tracking tags.
Streak carries one tag that logs where he travels, as well as the water temperatures and depths. That tag will pop free on July 2 and transmit its data via satellite to researchers at the aquarium and at Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station, MBA’s partner in the white shark research project.
The second tag, being used for the first time on a released shark, is a Smart-Position-Only Tag that transmits the shark’s location via satellite when its dorsal fin breaks the surface of the water. It reports information every two days.
The pop-up tag will continue to collect data for three months, but the SPOT will report for six.
No one at MBA will speculate on how far the young white will travel, but there is no question that the growing number of people who are tracking him reflects the magnitude of human fascination with great white sharks.
The aquarium announced plans to acquire another young white to put on display this summer.

• The Publisher’s Notebook •

Some Malibu Talking Points

BY ANNE SOBLE

Well, well, well. There is some life in the current city council race after all. Admittedly, it wasn’t a major power surge, but the blandness of the forums and the homogeneity of the look-alike campaign literature (do that many political consultants really think their clients are so alike?) finally gave way to some emotion at Monday night’s city council meeting. As some of the greatest political communicators from Franklin Roosevelt to Ronald Reagan knew all too well, political rhetoric has to reach people’s hearts, as well as their minds. Too many Malibuites have been saying that neither are being engaged in the current council campaign. That might change. The Malibu Park Homeowners Association says it hopes to shake things up with a forum that won’t be a carbon copy of the earlier “question-from-the-card, answer-please, yawn” type forums, and actually allow candidates to question each other. As opposed to the highly masticated responses that have been offered to voters so far, there may even be spontaneous examples of how well people think on their feet and what their views are when they are not prepped from cue cards. Check the calendar for the time, date and place, and keep your fingers crossed that there will be opportunities to address real issues, not sensationalized or sanitized talking points.
We have to give Dick Van Dyke credit for taking the discussion of underwear purchase out of the closet, or should that be the top drawer? Nothing short of a beachside photo shoot for Victoria’s Secret attracts that kind of local attention to undergarments. What the city council race lacks in interest appears to be made up in the community’s ongoing dialogue about whose underwear will prevail in Malibu’s commercial hub. Communities that rally to defeat a big box behemoth have it easy compared to the Malibuites who are torn between substance and image as they look at the list of businesses that may be moving to Malibu. Comparing the vociferous outcry of a crowd opposed to a superchain whose employees are paid minimum wage to objections to stores where sales commissions may rival local real estate values rings hollow to many outsiders’ ears. “What’s wrong with you people?” asked a British reporter in town last week, when someone said there were too many pricey boutiques. Perhaps those “people” think Malibu is already a special place. It doesn’t need a label to prove itself.

Spring Arrives in Malibu with a Melange of Wind, Chill and Easter Break

•Beaches Undergo Annual Grooming Rituals in Case Holiday Weekend Draws Sizable Crowds

BY ANNE SOBLE

The vernal equinox takes place Thursday, March 20, and is marked in Malibu by its own form of spring fever, depending on the weather. With warm weather and the Easter holiday occuring what is thought of as early, preparation for an influx of beach visitors is in full swing wherever one looks.
Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors maintainance crews are visible all along the coast, nudging cobweb-filled lifeguard towers back into position before crowds start taking to the sand.
Beachgoers considering going into the ocean will find that the water is a chilly 52 degrees. County lifeguards note that, in addition to their influence on the water temps, winter storms have torn up the ocean floor, creating numerous “inshore holes” that, when located next to shallow spots, create rip-like currents that can imperil the unwary swimmer.
Still, the protective sand berms continue to be leveled, and recreation areas are being readied for volleyball and other sports that are sidelined by periods of winter rain. There will be a lot to do even if one doesn’t don a swimsuit.
In Malibu’s commercial areas, local businesses have used the winter hiatus to spruce up and prepare for the influx of visitors that can make a major difference for many of their bottom lines.
Though there are reports of morning fog for later in the week, and possibly even a few half-hearted attempts at drizzle, the weather forecasts for the start of spring should be an ideal transition from a winter that has been marked by strong winds and cold.
All that’s lacking is a way to deal with the holiday traffic.

Council Candidate Differences Emerge But Remain Shallow

• Two Forums Are Virtual Carbon Copies of Similar Policy Stances Devoid of Challenge

BY BILL KOENEKER

At last Wednesday night’s Malibu City Council candidates forum, sponsored by the Point Dume Community Association, and at the Saturday forum put on by the Malibu Township Council one of the council hopefuls summed up one of the challenges facing the five candidates vying for three seats in the April 8 election.
“Some say it is hard to tell us apart. Do you know the difference? Three of us are blonde with long hair, and we are wearing black suits. How can you tell one from the other? I am not sure we did a good job of that,” said public relations company owner Susan Tellem.
However, there were moments during these latest forums when differences between Tellem, incumbent Pamela Conley Ulich, school board member Kathy Wisnicki, planning commissioner John Sibert and self-described surfer and retailer Jefferson Wagner began to emerge.
The candidates at both forums were asked the same question then given one or two minutes to respond. Candidates were told the first five questions had been forwarded by the MTC board and other queries were submitted by the audience. There were no more than a dozen attendees at the MTC forum which was filmed for later broadcast.
VIEW PROTECTION
The candidates were told that one of the most asked questions submitted by the audience of 40 to 60 voters at Point Dume—the questions were chosen randomly—was whether they would be a strong advocate for homeowner view protection. That was the number one question also asked at the MTC forum. Wisnicki speaking at Point Dume said the query was “a loaded question,” and indicated since the issue is on the ballot as an advisory measure, she wanted to hear from the community.
At the MTC forum, Wisnicki said she had lived on Point Dume and understood the question, but at the same time wanted to talk to folks “on both sides of the issue.”
Tellem responded that view protection is a big issue, and she said the city definitely needs an ordinance. At the MTC forum, Tellem said she understood how Malibuites bought homes for their spectacular views. “It is important to have a view ordinance. A number of cities have enacted ordinances,” she added.
At the Point Dume forum, Sibert said he has dealt with the issue often and said the matter needs to be dealt with during the application process when a new house is sited, noting that the law does not allow that. “I support view protection. We need to consider views. The city makes it a civil [procedure] or [we could] make it a city law and the city do enforcement,” he added.
Wagner said he would support “any kind of view protection,” and added that he wants the city to consider reflection shed issues for solar panels. At the MTC forum, he added that each homeowners association has different issues and that would be important to take into account.
“Not only do I support it, we enacted one for the Malibu Country Estates,” said Conley Ulich at Point Dume. “They came to the city and asked if we could implement it.” The council member said view protection legislation should also be considered a safety measure since it has the effect of removing large trees that become fuel for wildfires.
The ballot measure on view protection, according to the incumbent, proved that the city council is listening. “There are pros and cons,” Conley Ulich said at the MTC event.
OVERNIGHT CAMPING
Candidates were asked how they would vote on the volatile issue of banning overnight camping in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Wisnicki, at Point Dume, said candidates cannot comment on how they would vote. “It is in the hands of the Coastal Commission. I believe the city made the right decision. We have to assert ourselves with the same passion as opposition to LNG,” she said. Later, at the MTC event, Wisnicki said, “This seems to be the hot topic. Overnight camping is permitted in the LCP. That is what Susan Tellem argued for. She must not have understood that,” she said.
Tellem, who noted at Point Dume she had led the charge to the city council chambers urging they consider the ban, said one of her colleagues voted to pass approval of camping on to the council and another candidate had been silent on the issue. “I fought the fire. I did not hear anything about the fire from Kathy. The Corral Fire made a big difference,” she added. At the MTC forum, Tellem said this was her issue since she lead the charge. Tellem said it took 69 people voicing their opposition before the council changed their position. “Pam was the resistance on the council. We still have to fight the Coastal Commission,” she added.
Sibert said the Local Coastal Program, “which was supported by one up here,” mandated camping. Defending his vote on the planning commission, Sibert indicated panelists said no to camping without a needs assessment and nothing but cold camping would be allowed. “We did not approve camping. I would not support camping,” he said.
Sibert agreed that efforts opposing it at the Coastal Commission level would have to be the same as the opposition to LNG. “I don’t think the Coastal Commission will care if there are not enough patrols,” he added.
Wagner, at the Point Dume forum, blamed the executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy for the problem. “Joe Edmiston. He seems to be a ruthless ogre. He obtains his funding to acquire property by increasing visitor counts. He has his realm. We have our realm. I opposed it from the very beginning,” he said. Wagner, at the MTC event, said he has experience with fire safety in the mountains and knows what it takes from first hand experience given his work with pyrotechnics in the film industry.
Conley Ulich said she had voted against overnight camping. She indicated she had met with Edmiston about a library issue. She said, “He told me, if I did not change my vote, he would not support the library [issue]. This is not just about all of us, it is about the environment. We cannot let this go forward.” At the MTC meeting, she said, “This issue has brought the community together. I have always opposed overnight [camping]. It is imperative when the Santa Anas blow there are restrictions. We can’t keep people away. Everybody has a right to be here and I want to protect all of you.”
CURRENT COUNCIL
The candidates, at the Point Dume meeting, were then asked what they thought of the current council membership. At the MTC forum, the council hopefuls were asked if they thought the council had been polite and respectful of the public.
Sibert said the council has done “some things pretty well.” He added that except for Conley Ulich, “They tended to function as a unit for their own agenda. We need to do things differently.” At the MTC meeting, Sibert said the council had been polite “sometimes yes and sometimes no. As a planning commissioner, I was always respectful. It is critical. I deplore [it] if the council or commission is rude.”
Tellem responded that, with the exception of Conley Ulich, the council does not listen to the community. “We had to fill the room to get them to vote [no on overnight camping],” she said. At the MTC meeting, Tellem said, “I do not think the city council has been respectful, especially during the meeting on overnight camping, they were not respectful. They need a PR person to speak on their behalf.”
Wagner said the council has failed in a number of ways, including its actions on water quality issues. At the MTC forum, Wagner replied, “I have been to a number of council meetings where I’ve noticed the moans and groans [of the council].”
Conley Ulich said she gives the council a B-plus. “Acquiring the Bluffs Park is huge. Legacy Park is a role model to the world, and we took out a lot of development. We have learned from our mistakes,” she said. At the MTC forum, commenting on council politeness, Conley Ulich laughed and said, “It depends on what day it is. That is a tough question, I can only speak for myself.”
Wisnicki said she sits on an elected body and is reluctant to criticize. “I know what a difficult job it is. Some things they have done well,” she said. At the MTC forum, she said the best part of the meetings for her is the public comment. “I can’t speak for the city council, but as a board member I know one of the greatest rights is to speak out. It is critical we do an effective job,” she said.
DISTRICT SECESSION
The council hopefuls were asked their views on a separate school district.
Sibert reminded the audience that the city council can only voice an opinion on the matter, but said he favors home rule. “But we need to study it. The demographics are changing. We need to take a hard look at it,” he added.
Wagner insisted Malibu needs a separate school district. “Everybody signed the document for exploring a school district. It is a good thing,” he added at the MTC event.
Conley Ulich said she too would support a separate district. “Malibu comes up with the short end of the stick. We see a pattern here. The city council also supported looking at this,” she said. At the MTC meeting, Conley Ulich likened it to when Malibu tried for cityhood. “Everybody told us we could not be a city. There is a will, there should be a way,” she said.
Wisnicki, at Point Dume, said she would try to give a “very quick answer to a very complicated issue.” She said, as a school board member, she is in a precarious position to comment. “We need to look at the feasibility. Can we afford it? Or can we continue to collaborate? We will be able to accomplish this,” she added. At the MTC forum, Wisnicki repeated herself about look- king at the economics. “This is now the time to explore it,” she said.
Tellem said she agreed with Conley Ulich. “Malibu is the illegitimate stepchild of the school district. We should be putting tax dollars into our own kids. The money should stay here,” she said.
WATER QUALITY
The five were also asked about water quality issues, especially in light of the lawsuit brought by the Santa Monica Baykeeper and the Natural Resources Defense Council against the City of Malibu and Los Angeles County.
Wagner said the reasons for the lawsuit are longstanding problems that have not been resolved and the city council has not moved fast enough. “We need to address the situation before they become lawsuits,” he said. At the MTC event, he said the lack of movement in enforcement issues brought on the lawsuit.
Conley Ulich said the city has done much, including acquiring Legacy Park for water quality issues, and the stormwater treatment facility is already online. “We are doing a lot like working on Marie Canyon and Paradise Cove,” she added. At the MTC forum, Conley Ulich said the city has come a long way. “They sued us, but they did not serve us. We are accountable for one percent of the runoff. We have made water quality a top priority,” she added.
Wisnicki said the city is dealing with four other agencies, and municipal officials need to work together with the county and collaborate with the other agencies. “The city has made great strides, but needs to work with other agencies,” she said.
Tellem said, “We have done too little too late. The council is sitting on its hands.” At the MTC event, she said the city attorney had said she was taking care of everything. “She was wrong,” Tellem added.
Sibert said the issues have been around for 20 years and just now are experts starting to get the answers. “We still don’t have all the information, especially about upstream,” he noted.
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Candidates at Point Dume were asked their views about commercial development in the Civic Center area. At the MTC event, they were asked if the city especially the planning commission, was too willing to approve any project before it.
Wagner said the city should draft a specific plan. The problem, he said, is that developers may begin to sue about what the other developer, who built first, got, if entitlements are not meted out. At the MTC meeting, he said that Conley Ulich was the “one lone dissenting voter for the last four years” on drafting a specific plan. “If I am elected there will be two dissenting votes,” he said.
Conley Ulich said she also supports drafting a specific plan, but the council instead opted for an ad hoc committee to meet with property owners. “I am tired of developers giving us the crumbs. We need a teen center and senior center,” she stated. At the MTC forum, she said the city council has voted to put off La Paz. “They decided to give the project to this council,” she added.
Wisnicki said the city does not have a Civic Center plan and there are projects in the pipeline. She said maybe more land could be taken out of development and the city needs to take care of traffic and groundwater. At the MTC event, she said there was a specific plan citizens created that was rejected. “They thought it would allow for more development,” she said. Wisnicki said she was misquoted by another candidate when she was talking about traffic generated by the proposed La Paz project. “I said I thought it was a ridiculous report by the traffic expert that traffic was so bad, that La Paz was not going to make it worse. We need to sit down with other entities for best solution for all parties.”
At Point Dume, Tellem said, “Kathy said the traffic can’t get any worse. It is getting worse.” Tellem indicated that there is the potential for one million square feet of development. “If there is a fire, there is a problem, we have only one route in and out of Malibu,” she said. At the MTC event, Tellem backtracked on the one million feet and later talked about how the specific plan was tabled not rejected because the developers said they would sue. On La Paz, Tellem said it was irresponsible of the planning commission to recommend approval of any plan given what the water district and neighbors had reported.
Sibert said the city had a specific plan that was not approved. “We can’t do another moratorium. That was already done. We need to sit down with the property owners. The fact is there is about a total of 390,000 square feet [of developable space],” he said. At the MTC event, he said it is important to remember that the specific plan cannot be resurrected. On La Paz, Sibert said “It was a train that left the station.” He said the problem is the water agency wants the developer to pay for the entire off-site water tank infrastructure. “They want the La Paz developer to pay for the entire thing,” he added.
SMC vs. SHERIFF
Candidates were asked if they support a college adjunct at the former sheriff’s facility, or would they rather see the sub-station return.
“I am with [Sheriff] Lee Baca on this one and oppose it. There is traffic and lots of problems with the building,” said Tellem. “We have college services at Pepperdine.” At the MTC forum, Tellem talked about how Baca did not even know about the plans. “The big problem is it is in the Civic Center.”
Sibert said it would be great to have Santa Monica College in Malibu because its services are different than Pepperdine’s. At the MTC event, Sibert said he supported it, while at the same time insisting the community needs a sheriff’s station. “I don’t see anything wrong with a school,” he added.
Wagner said the former sheriff’s station is an issue itself. “How could Lee Baca find out two weeks ago? The city pays the sheriff,” said Wagner, asking that the city and the agency talk.
“I don’t know where it should go,” said Conley Ulich. “I would support what the voters want. We could start with a trailer for the sub-station.”
Wisnicki said that 64 percent of Malibu students take courses in Santa Monica. “The station is already existing. It would be useful for the community. There could be a substation on campus. The county is willing to negotiate with the college,” she noted.
MORE DEBT
At the MTC forum, the council hopefuls were asked about if the city should issue more bonds and take on more debt for parks and other amenities or if it should be put to a vote of the people.
Conley Ulich said she voted against it though she acknowledged the revenue stream from the lumber yard rents is “becoming a money machine because of profit participation.” She said the extra unanticipated revenue could be leveraged out for parks, but she wants more firm numbers. “I agree we look at this. I would like to slow down. Look at Bear Stearns. I am not afraid to put that to a vote of the people. We have millions of dollars. Let’s let you decide,” she said.
Wagner said he wanted folks to remember the city is talking about indebtedness and needed more of a plan. He said if the city is getting so much for the leases then the community is going to lose some of its retailers. “I would put the future of indebtedness before the voters,” he said.
Sibert echoed what Conley Ulich said. “The rental income even without the profit sharing is more than enough. There is $2 million for $1 million of debt service. We are very set financially. Whether or not we can take on additional debt, I cannot answer that right now. I do not have the numbers. We have more than enough to cover [current] debt. I think we are doing well,” he added.
Wisnicki said the question is actually about certificates of participation and whether municipal officials should put the matter to the voters. She noted any other kind of bonds besides COPs requires approval of the voters “COPs are an efficient way to pay for these. I bring an expertise in the ways we can fund that. I am well qualified to make decisions,” she said.
Tellem said as a business person she looked at the matter very differently. “We cannot count on the economy. The city has lawsuits. Sharon and Andy talked about this. They talked about why this is not going for a vote. Sharon said the voters would never approve it. They don’t want the people to have a vote,” said Tellem,. who said that is why the city chose COPs.
LOSS OF LOCAL BUSINESSES
In a somewhat related question at the MTC forum, the candidates were asked what would they do since the city is now a landlord to reverse the trend of the loss of mom and pop stores.
Wagner said Conley Ulich sat alone on the council for the vote on a retail formula ordinance. “I would stand shoulder to shoulder with Pam for retail formula,” he said, acknowledging that as a retailer he would support it.
Sibert noted the city did require in the leasing agreement for the lumber yard that a certain percentage of tenants be local. “We can look at the retail formula, but we can’t do it in isolation. We need to sit down with the developers and tell them what we need. We need to negotiate, not litigate. Pam has looked at [retail formula] from the San Francisco ordinance. We are not San Francisco,” he said.
Wisnicki said she has been watching the issue over the last 12 years as businesses were being squeezed out. “Sherman and Jamie Lewis testified in favor of La Paz saying they thought [it would be] creating more commercial space for competition. They were right in some respects,” she said, adding the council created an ad hoc committee to look into the matter. “We can create what we want to see in Malibu. I would be open for retail formula,” she added.
Tellem said it is time for the community to tell the developers what they want. “Kathy is right. Sherman spoke for La Paz, but she was asking people look at me how can you keep me here,” added Tellem, saying nevertheless it is the selling of Malibu. “This is a big issue for me.”
Conley Ulich said she had been working on the issue for the last two years. “Michael Koss said I was looking for solution in search of a problem. I’m like Wayne Gretzky. I want to be in front of the puck. The local merchants give back to us,” she said.

Malibu Closely Watches L.A. Paparazzi Law for Possible Replication

• Support Grows for Concept of a Minimum Personal Safety Zone

BY ANNE SOBLE

Acknowledging that many legal attempts to curb what the City of Malibu Public Safety Commission calls “the increasingly intrusive actions of some paparazzi” have failed, its members are watching what happens with City of Los Angeles efforts to prevent aggressive behavior by paparazzi when photographing subjects that endangers the subjects and the general public.
Last month, the Los Angeles City Council urged the proposal of new restrictions on paparazzi, including requiring “a minimum safety zone of clear space that would protect public safety of streets, sidewalks, access points to emergency care facilities, access to private businesses and homes, and general orderly conduct when paparazzi converge on an individual or location” to take photos for sale.
The local public safety panel, as well as the city attorney’s office, has recommended that the city “review and track the City of Los Angeles proposed ordinance to evaluate its effectiveness [and] whether it is upheld in the courts before proposing a similar ordinance for Malibu.”
Los Angeles is expected to proceed with a motion this month that “would develop new restrictions on paparazzi to include a minimum personal safety zone of several feet of clear space between paparazzi and the individuals they are photographing, including their vehicles.”
Although there are already numerous state laws that address “invasion of privacy” and “reckless behavior” in this context, the proposed law classifies nonpermitted photography as a form of assault.
The Malibu commission will hold its next meeting on Wednesday, April 2, at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Municipal Mobile Home Commission Meets for the First Time in Five Years

• Counsel Says Tenants May Have Case for Rent Reduction

BY BILL KOENEKER

The meeting of Malibu’s Mobilehome Rent Stabilization Commission for the first time in five years last week became a sounding board for Paradise Cove tenants who had a litany of complaints about the condition of their park.
The meeting was deemed important enough that both City Manager Jim Thorsen and City Attorney Christi Hogin were on hand to oversee commissioners Les Moss, newly-appointed Sam Hall Kaplan, Peter Tompkins, Bruce Gordon and Kathy Greco, who was absent.
Hogin explained to both commissioners and the angry and frustrated crowd of about 40 residents, almost all from Paradise Cove, that the allegations about the deteriorating conditions of the park were serious enough to warrant further action.
“We have taken note. There are many things you have said that may be the basis for a rent reduction. Many of the issues raised about trash, roads, fire road access—a lot of them would fall under the ordinance. There are rights you have,” said the city attorney, who noted it would be up to the tenants themselves possibly through the homeowners association to submit an application for rent reduction for reduced housing services.
Hogin said the commission could not respond at this time, but could consider the tenants’ complaints through the procedure established by the rent stabilization ordinance.
“We have heard you. Sadly these are not new problems. The remedy is through the application process,” she added.
The municipal official said it would be up to the residents to document their complaints.
“You are hearing a lot of frustration from people, who have not had a forum. They have had no place to go. No one to listen to them, Yes, you have a narrow purview, but it is up to you to make that judgment if the landlord has not lived up to the obligations. Kissel has not lived up to the obligations or duties,” said Lon Porter.
Porter told the commission that anytime complaints are made towards the Kissel Company head Steve Dahlberg, he replies, “‘I’m just going to sell the park.’ He makes this threat,” added Porter, who was joined in unison by the rest of the room, “all the time.”
Tenants said that even though the septic system is supposed to be fixed, there are still terrible smells and at times sewage still pooling in places. Others complained how the bad odors forced them to move from their units, lose friends who won’t visit them anymore and endure conditions that aggravate allergies.
Others spoke about how they were not sure the rent increases that were called for in the rent control law are legitimate.
One tenant cited an example of the rent that was set at $450 and increased from $650 to $952 to $1613 to finally $1936.
A 13-year-old youngster said the trash cans were removed from near the beaches and he was no longer able to remove trash or dog feces from the beach.
Another coach owner mentioned how they have endured for over five years as the progress or lack of it continued for the sewer improvements. There were days when the winds blew, spreading dust tinged with sewage through the park and into homes. “We had to water down the streets just like a Third World country. People had to leave their homes on doctors orders,” another tenant complained.
Driveways were not repaired, the sewer lines from the homes to the main lines were never replaced, parking spaces were removed and never replaced, the fire access road to the beach has not been maintained and the trees that loom over the park have not been trimmed were problems cited by various coach owners as examples.
“Cost is an issue in the absence of value,” said seven-year resident Wayne Ribnick. “Is every Consumer Price Index increase justified?”
The reference is to the automatic increases tied to the CPI that is called for in the ordinance.
For the last five years the increases have gone into effect without any challenge. Municipal officials, have in the past, maintained the increases are mandated by the law and are not subject to review.
This year residents began to question the arrangement and sought for the commission to meet in order to clarify the issues.
Matt Johnston had sent a letter to the city manager indicating the tenants had gotten a notice from Kissel for an annual rent increase of 4.2 percent and wanted the commission and city officials to do something about it.
“We believe this increase is without merit as the Kissel Company has failed to uphold their responsibilities required by the Mobilehome Residency Laws. Jim, we request that the Kissel Company’s request for a rent increase of 4.2 percent be denied,” Johnston wrote.

Malibu High Moves Quickly to Counter Latest Graffiti Incident

• Wording with Names of Seven Black Students Shakes Up Many Who Say Campus Is Safe

BY HANS LAETZ

Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies patrolled Malibu High School last Friday, and will be an increased presence on the campus in coming weeks, after a message possibly threatening the school’s seven black male students was found scrawled on a bathroom tile.
The message bore the date April 14, the word “boom,” and the name of the seven students. Principal Mark Kelly said the date may refer to the anniversary of the day in 1865 when President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, may have some other meaning, or may have no meaning at all.
“How could we not take this seriously?” Kelly said.
“It’s disturbing,” said Mario Johnson, a black junior. “I feel safe at this school, and it’s surprising that something like this would come up here.”
Kelly, his staff and school district officials did not take the graffiti lightly, and rushed to take steps. Black students were pulled out of class and informed of the incident by the principal the morning after the nasty message was found, and allowed to return if they felt like it.
Two girls started crying quietly in the hallway when they heard the news, Kelly said, but pulled themselves together and went back to class.
“I called all of their parents and left my home number over the weekend,” Kelly said. “Monday morning, we pulled all the kids from class and showed them pictures of the tagging.
“They were concerned, but they all believe they are safe and continued to come to school.”
Peggy Harris, the district’s director of curriculum and an African-American, met with the students as well, Kelly said.
Ray Humphrey, the school’s football coach who is black, said he could not understand the motive for the apparent act of a student. “I’ve talked to the guys, and they say there wasn’t some fight, or some spark, to this.
“They think it came out of nowhere, and they say they have felt safe and accepted at this school.”
Past graffiti incidents in Malibu have involved tagging by a supposed clique of surfers called “Malibu Locals Only,” but sheriff’s deputies have said they viewed “MLO” as more of a coastal territorial claim by wave-hogging adolescents than anything racial.
Just 32 African American youths out of 1270 students attend grades 6-12 at the school, and only seven of those pupils are male students of high school age. All seven were named on the tile.
Kelly told the entire student body of the incident last week, and sent a letter to parents as well. On Friday, a previously scheduled breakfast for California Scholastic Federation honor students gave the principal a chance to talk with student leaders.
“This week, we had to face a challenge in which a group was kind of isolated,” Kelly told the honor students in the auditorium. “We need you to be the voice of reason, we need you to take what you’ve learned in classes to influence your community in a positive way.”
Kelly said the scrawl was found in a boys’ bathroom by a student, who reported it to a security officer. After it was photographed, it was removed.
“We Googled the date, and all we can find is the anniversary of the assassination of Lincoln. We don’t know if there’s any connection between [the graffiti] and the assassination of Lincoln,” he said.
Sheriff’s deputies patrolled the campus last Friday, which was March 14. “We don’t know, maybe the kid got the month wrong.”
“In today’s current context, we have to take this seriously and treat it as something real,” Kelly said Friday.
“Malibu High School is a safe school, and kids tell us they feel safe here, even these particular kids after this incident,” Kelly said.
Johnson said he was puzzled by the threat, as he thought relations at the school were good. “Maybe this was either a joke, or this kid is mad at somebody,” he said.
“A lot of the other students are very angry about this, and have been very supportive for us. I like this school and I feel safe here,” he said. “This wasn’t expected, it was a real surprise.”

• The Publisher’s Notebook •

Malibu’s Counter Voters

BY ANNE SOBLE

Because it looks as if the current city council race is going to present an interesting case study in how an electorate looks at candidates who have relatively similar stances on key issues—so similar that each of them has openly aligned with the sole incumbent seeking reelection—it was hoped that a group of political science graduate students were going to prepare a telephone survey and analysis for the two weeks before the election. Funding issues and conflicting schedules scuttled this project, leaving mostly anecdotal options for assessing how the race is going until the actual votes are cast and counted. In the newspaper office, I’m tallying what I call the counter voters. These are the people who come in to place ads, file fictitious business name statements or want a copy of an issue with their child’s photo in it. This is totally unscientific and is not to be regarded as anything other than arbitrary opinion sampling, but it is interesting none the less.
What is most surprising is the apparent lack of interest in the campaign. Journalists tend to think that everyone else is engrossed with what they think is important, but the response to the question of how much attention they are paying to the election tends to elicit scoffs. With comments along the lines of “the most boring race so far,” or “the candidates are all the same,” or “I’d vote for none of the above,” there is disinterest, if not disdain, for Malibu’s local government. When people are asked whether they are going to attend a forum, unless it’s also a meeting with items of personal interest on the agenda, such as mobile home or neighborhood issues, they say no. That only a dozen or so people gave up part of a Saturday morning for the Malibu Township Council forum may say something about voter priorities.
One explanation for this could be that people have already made up their minds about who they are going to vote for, but many of the voters we ask don’t know the candidates’ names. The exception is the lone incumbent candidate whose name recognition scores high on any scale, which may explain why the other four candidates appear to want to ride her coattails. This is an interesting campaign strategy, and we can’t wait to see how it plays out in the final vote count.

Corral Fire Victims Want State Held Liable for Their Losses

• Litigation Alleging Public Agency Negligence Will Be Pursued If Filed Claims Are Not Paid

BY BILL KOENEKER

Some of the victims of last November’s Corral Fire trekked back up the mountain for a press conference a week ago where the former residents pointed fingers at the state Department of Parks and Recreation, and their attorney threatened litigation unless the state paid claims filed by the victims.
“Who is responsible for these recent fires? The state of California is,” said Carol Sue Stoddard, who challenged the state to “step up and do something about this issue.”
Speaking before a phalanx of reporters and broadcast equipment crews, Stoddard said for years she had witnessed young people having fires and parties at the end of the road before and even after the November fire.
“OK, so the state put up a few signs, but these signs are not enough. Most people don’t read the signs, and you can’t even see them at night,” she added.
Another resident who lost his home, Scott Palamar, who has lived in the area for nine years, said he had been in contact with State Parks personnel before and after the fire, but had still not received either an adequate explanation, or a promise that a solution is in store.
“Now, after an estimated 100 million dollars in property damage and firefighting costs, and untold losses to the animal life and once cherished landscape of Corral Canyon, who has the funds to pick up the tab? In my darkest moment, I have said that I wish I had spent my time renegotiating my insurance policy rather than trying to convince the government to take responsibility for our safety,” he said.
“People have asked me how I feel about the apparent perpetrators of this atrocious crime. My answer is that they were actors on a stage set by the State of California. If it wasn’t this group who started a fire from the cave on a dry windy unpatrolled weekend night, it would have been some other careless or malicious parties.”
Another victim, Paul Grisanti, explained he had already filed a claim with the state and said he likened it to the kind of action any neighbor would take against a negligent neighbor who caused harm to another person’s property.
In documents obtained by The News, Grisanti filed a $3 million claim against the state. The claim includes the market value of his residential home destroyed by the fire, as well as personal property loss and incidental expenses related to the loss.
The claimants’ attorney James Devitt said the fire was totally preventable. “The cave should have a locking gate installed, and the state could have also put a gate down the road a half mile from the caves, preventing cars from even going up there. The cost of these preventative steps was minimal when compared with the $100 million in property damage and the loss to the fire victims of their family pets, photographs, heirlooms and other cherished possessions,” he said.
After the press conference, some of the victims accompanied their attorney and members of the press on a walk along the ridgetop route to the cave to see where the devastating wildfire started.
Known as the “Rave Cave” visitors could see the massive rock defaced by graffiti where, in the pre-dawn hours of Saturday Nov. 24, partygoers during a period of high fire danger and a red flag alert weekend with strong, dry Santa Ana winds blowing, built a fire that went out of control. Flames were pushed by the powerful winds toward the sea, and destroyed nearly five dozen homes and consumed thousands of acres of brush.
One victim put it succinctly when she said she had been through fires in the many years living in Malibu, but never knew what it was like until she and her family lost their home.

La Paz Hearing Postponed until After April 8 City Council Election

• Dissenting Minority Charges that Delay on Commercial Project Is Politically Motivated

BY BILL KOENEKER

Amidst squabbling among Malibu City Council members that the process had become politicized, the council on a 3-2 vote with Mayor Jeff Jennings and Councilmember Ken Kearsley dissenting, agreed to postpone the hearing on plans for a Civic Center shopping center called La Paz until after May 1, when a reconfigured council will be seated.
The matter was originally scheduled to be heard by the current sitting council on March 24, but Councilmembers Andy Stern and Pamela Conley Ulich said that would mean two sitting councils might be voting on the issue.
However, Mayor Jeff Jennings wanted no part of it. “I am not willing to put it over. I am not going to make a political decision. The applicant is entitled to a hearing,” said Jennings, who indicated that he still had not heard any reason to postpone the date.
The mayor said there was also no reason to suspect that new council members would have anything but a long learning curve. “I don’t see that it would be any easier,” he added. “It does not have to go to two councils.”
Both Jennings and Kearsley will be termed out and no longer sitting on the council in May. Conley Ulich is up for reelection.
Councilmember Sharon Barovsky, who became the swing vote to delay the hearing, nevertheless charged the issue is a “political thing.”
“I agree with Jeff. This is political. One of the candidates has already come out against the project,” she said. Barovsky said she was getting a lot of calls from residents who were supporting the plans for a nearly 100,000 square foot commercial retail office complex located just east of the library in the Civic Center.
Kearsley also charged the matter was political. Without elaborating, he said he wanted to speak to Ozzie Silna, a frequent critic of the council. “I want to send a message to Ozzie and all his toadies. Be careful of what you wish for,” he said.
Stern and Conley Ulich argued the complicated matter could encounter unanswered questions that would require additional information of the staff or applicant and could take more than one hearing. The scheduled date, March 24, is the last meeting of the council before the April election.
The applicant, through consultants and attorneys, urged the council to keep the March 24 date, saying they had been at it for almost eight years and wanted to wait no longer.
Both Stern and Conley Ulich said it seemed prudent that the application be postponed until after the April election so in that way La Paz and the community would have the benefit of a stable council, without the pressure of time, to give its due consideration to the complicated proposals.
The hearing is actually a package of two separate projects, with one being a development agreement calling for increased Floor Area Ratio in exchange for a city hall. It was first heard by the planning commission, which recommended to the council approval of the smaller version of the project without a development agreement.
There was testimony from some of the neighbors, who contended their concerns had not been fully aired and especially damaging was testimony from officials of Water Works District 29, who said information about their requirements for an off-site water tank for fire protection was excluded from the record and should be considered by municipal officials.

Hilton Scion to Face Four Charges Related to Malibu DUI Stop

• CHP Continues to Withhold Name of Female Companion Who Was Cited for Separate Hit-and-Run Incident

BY ANNE SOBLE

The latest member of the Hilton family in the celebrity progeny adventures spotlight, Barron Hilton, was officially charged by the Los Angeles District Attorney last week on four counts, including two misdemeanor counts of DUI—driving under the influence, and driving with a .08 or above blood alcohol level—and one misdemeanor count each of unlawful use of a license and unlicensed driving.
Shiara Davila of the DA’s office said Hilton is slated for an arraignment hearing in Malibu on April 14.
The 18-year-old was arrested in Malibu Feb. 12 on suspicion of drunk driving. Hilton was taken into custody after a witness reported seeing the black 2008 Mercedes-Benz E350 with Hilton at the wheel weaving on Pacific Coast Highway and drifting into the oncoming lane, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Sheriff’s deputies had received a call that the vehicle was being driven erratically near Latigo Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway just before 8 a.m., according to an LASD press statement.
The caller followed the vehicle until Hilton stopped at Corral Canyon Road and PCH and got out of the car. The witness, according to the report, told Hilton to sit on a bus bench and wait for sheriff’s deputies.
When deputies arrived, they said they conducted a drunk driving investigation and arrested Hilton for driving under the influence. He was also alleged to be in possession of a fake driver license and other questionable documentation.
Hilton was booked at Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station where he was held overnight, then released on bail. It was reported that Hilton had a .14 blood alcohol reading. In California, .08 is considered legal intoxication for drivers over 21. For drivers under 21, any blood alcohol level constitutes legal intoxication.
The aspect of the case that involves a 19-year-old female passenger in the Mercedes when Hilton was arrested is still in the investigation stage, according to a spokesperson for the California Highway Patrol, which has jurisdiction in the matter.
Officer Leon Hines, the public information liaison for the West Valley Office of the CHP, told the Malibu Surfside News on Tuesday, “The report is still not public record.”
Hines says the woman cannot be named because no arrests have been made in the case, but he confirmed that she has been cited for misdemeanor hit-and-run in a collision that preceded Hilton’s DUI stop and arrest. Hines also declined to make the West Hollywood resident’s court date public.
Neither the CHP, nor the sheriff’s department, which handled the Hilton matter, say they know when the woman ceased driving the Mercedes and Hilton took over the wheel of the vehicle that Hines said is registered to a Nevada leasing company.
Hines said that the victim in the alleged collision identified the female as the driver when the accident occurred at about 6:30 a.m. on the day Hilton was arrested.
According to Hines, the woman was heading west on PCH in lane one and the victim was westbound in lane two. The woman drove into lane two, and the right side mirror of the Mercedes hit the door of the victim’s Ford pickup.
Hines said the refusal to release names is standard CHP policy in all comparable situations.

• The Publisher’s Notebook •

Where Do Malibuites Now Shop?

BY ANNE SOBLE

The Malibu Surfside News mailed its pre-election questionnaire to the five candidates for the three Malibu City Council seats this week. Everyone at the newspaper who is involved in the coverage of local political issues is looking forward to their replies, which will be part of a special 2008 election section before the April 8 vote. One of the issues that candidates are being asked to comment on is where they shop for basic necessities, such as the kinds of things that the writer of one of this week’s letters to the editor laments having to drive to Agoura to purchase. The story may be apocryphal, but it has been reportedly said at more than one Chamber of Commerce meeting “over the hill” that commercial development policies in Malibu are benefitting businesses in these other communities financially. One of the managers of a store specializing in household goods reportedly told a customer that requests for a customer’s zip code during cash register checkout indicate that more and more 90265 shoppers are crossing Kanan Dume Road in search of items that were purchasable in Malibu as recently as two years ago. Another local shopper came in with a similar report on another store in an adjacent center.
This is said not to disparage business windfalls in other communities, but to ask how the policies being generated now that the City of Malibu is a commercial landlord are going to further impact local commercial options. The drive to bring in as much revenue as possible to reduce the city’s indebtedness could continue to push commercial areas toward becoming visitor-serving destinations instead of focusing on the needs of residents. Malibu welcomes its visitors, but commercial development should not be an either/or proposition, and that seems to be happening on the local front. As Malibuites find themselves required to make more frequent runs to Agoura, Westlake, Channel Islands, or other points west and north, it may be inevitable that Malibuites’ shopping habits will change and calcify. It could even become increasingly difficult to rationalize buying a birthday or anniversary gift in one of Malibu’s fine specialty stores, when one has to drive somewhere else anyhow to purchase a drill bit, or place mats, or anything that doesn’t have a designer label. The attractive cosmetic upgrades and the charm of local centers notwithstanding, many Malibuites do not decide where to shop based only on ambience. They go where they can find what they need when they want it.

Malibu Agrees to Withdraw from Public Library System

BY BILL KOENEKER

Municipal officials decided this week to continue the process of withdrawing from the Los Angeles County public library system.
By unanimous vote, the Malibu City Council agreed to adopt a resolution authorizing the city’s withdrawal from the library, effective July 1, 2009. Some council members agreed to do so only when language was included for talks to continue with county officials.
Council members were informed that the value of the library building and associated parking is preliminarily estimated to be about $6 million. The estimate of the one-time capital expenditures, including new collections, automation systems and renovations to the facility, is approximately $3 million. In order to separate from the county, the city will need $9 million for the capital expenditures. Ongoing revenue for the library is about $2 million per year. Projected operating expenses for the library are approximately $1 million annually. Over the past four years, according to Administrative Services Director Reva Feldman, the county has set aside $2.6 million for potential building and library service improvements, though it is expected the funds will revert to the county upon separation by the city.
“We should keep the negotiations open. We should not preclude all conversation. As we pass this we should continue to talk,” said Councilmember Sharon Barovsky.
Mayor Jeff Jennings, who said he would not be around for further action on the matter, said he thought there were benefits in remaining with the county, such as borrowing material from other county branches.
Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich said she agreed with Barovsky and saw no reason to cut off talks. “We may even have the county run the library,” she added.
The discussions between county and city officials have primarily focused on a memo of understanding that was intended to reach an agreement on library renovations and continued service by the county.
The staff recommendation had sought to suspend those negotiations, but the council did not concur.
Besides continuing those negotiations, the council directed the staff to begin dialogue with the library officials regarding purchase of the library building, parking area and contents and to prepare a financing plan for the purchase and operation of the library.

Malibu City Council Votes to Ban ‘Party’ Houses

• New Law Sets Event Limit at Four

BY BILL KOENEKER

“We want to get the word out that party houses are banned in Malibu,” said City Attorney Christi Hogin, after the Malibu City Council unanimously voted this week to approve a new ordinance that is designed as an attempt to prohibit party houses, a phenomena last summer that became a plague for many of the neighbors of the homes.
“I’m already getting calls from people looking for party houses,” said Councilmember Andy Stern, who is a Realtor. “They asked me if we were going to pass a law. I told them, I hope so.”
The mechanism to effect a ban is a new ordinance that was approved on first reading that allows residents only four special events per household involving 100 guests or more.
In addition, the soon-to-be law would require a permit for certain events that attract or involve fewer than 100 persons when those events are ones in which there is some commercial element or some aspect of the operation of the event that is likely to impose on the neighborhood.
The so-called party houses became a nightmare for some beach residents, especially last summer along Malibu Road, where big companies such as LG, MTV and Polaroid were buying or leasing houses on the beach and either renting them or making them available to celebrities for parties, drawing out the paparazzi and using product placement to cash in on the events.
Likewise, and not as well publicized, are a few homes on the bluffs in Malibu that city officials describe as “wedding factories.” During the height of the season, every weekend, both days, a wedding would be held, bringing with it all the cars, limos, DJs or bands, catering trucks and guests.
Municipal officials agreed with residents who urged the council to pass the measure right away, though some homeowners originally complained the law did not have enough teeth.
The strategy, according to staff, is that the time is now in March, when corporations and PR firms are planning their party house blitzes in the community, to send a message that party houses would not be allowed.
The city attorney said drafting the law at defining a party house by allowing no more than four events would invite the least challenge.
Council members agreed with Hogin that getting the word out that Malibu has banned party houses would probably have the most impact, with enforcement of the law for scofflaws made easy. “The sheriff comes and stops the party if they don’t have a permit,” said Hogin.
“What is at stake is the integrity of our community,” said Remy Shapiro, who last summer had been deluged by several dozen parties next door to her. “This is not a party city. They are not paying the city. It is costing the city and it is harmful to our reputation.”

First City Council Candidates Forum Looks at MoHo Issues

• Mood Is Cordial at Community’s First Major Look at Five Hopefuls for Three Council Seats

BY BILL KOENEKER

There were no fireworks. No controversy erupted. All of the Malibu City Council candidates at the first forum held at Paradise Cove last Saturday afternoon were extremely polite to one another.
The council hopefuls gathered at the mobile home park for the two-hour question and answer session hosted by Paradise Cove homeowners and their neighbors from the Point Dume Club.
Each of the candidates was given a brief two minutes to introduce themselves to the 50 or 60 folks who filled the clubhouse, and then the same questions were asked of each candidate.
Jefferson Wagner, who calls himself Zuma Jay, said he had spent many days and hours sneaking into the park for the prime surfing at their shoreline. He said he has lived in Malibu for 33 or 35 years, depending upon where “you place me.” He said as operator for the Malibu Pier he helped open it up, has run a small business and remembered the fire of 1983, which burned perilously close to Paradise Cove.
Kathy Wisnicki described herself as Malibu’s representative on the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District board, has been a resident since 1966, raised her children in Malibu and was instrumental in getting the Boys and Girls Club started in Malibu.
She said she was prepared to fight Propositions 98 and 99, which are on the June 3 ballot and would phase out rent control in California, and urged tenants of the parks to do likewise.
Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich, who is running for reelection, said she was proud of what the council has accomplished, including acquiring the Bluffs Park. She said she had just come from the Bluffs Park where Little League season started and remarked that the children were told to play fair. “I think we [candidates] are all going to play fair,” she said.
Conley Ulich also mentioned Prop. 98. “I talked to the city council about opposing it. The terms are deceptive,” she said. Talking about the mobile home park at Paradise Cove, she said, “Your water quality and poop need to be cleaned up.”
Susan Tellem spoke about how her background for the last 30 years has been in the business of public relations. She mentioned she taught at UCLA, raised four children, was a registered nurse and at one time was a reserve deputy sheriff. “I am an environmentalist and animal rescuer,” she concluded.
Planning Commissioner John Sibert said he has lived and worked all over the world and decided he wants to spend the rest of his life in Malibu.
Sibert talked about his service on the Malibu Township Council and his work to stop sewers. He noted his tenure on the planning commission where he witnessed rules he wanted to see changed, which gave him the impetus to run for city council in an effort to change those laws.
The first question asked of the candidates was whether they would ever change the zoning on the two mobile home parks, and if they did, would they resign from office. They were told their answers were a verbal contract with the voters.
Not surprisingly, all of the council hopefuls answered they would not change the zoning, and, if for some reason they did, they would then consequently resign from office.
Conley Ulich used her answer as an opportunity to announce that the city’s Mobilehome Park Rent Stabilization Commission is scheduled to meet on March 13. “The commission has not met in five years,” she noted.
The candidates were also asked to explain their views on rent control and Malibu’s law in particular.
Wagner said he thought it is important to find a balance. He said he has been both a property owner and tenant.
Wisnicki said she believes rent control allows diversity of residents who otherwise would be forced out.
Conley Ulich said if rent control was abolished under Prop. 98, then once a home is sold, it would devalue other tenant property. “I am for rent control. Under the [city’s] commission, they have the power to decide for all issues. We have the law on the books. Are the owners doing their fair share? If they are not living up to their end of the bargain, should the rents be increased [per CPI]? I qualified for rent control when I lived in Santa Monica. I appreciate it,” she said.
Tellem said she had done her homework on Prop. 98. “It is a frightening proposition. I am glad to hear the city council is against it. There are many organizations against it. I am totally in favor of rent control. You have to stop Prop. 98,” she added.
Sibert said he opposed changes to rent control. “I own apartments in Hollywood under rent control. I do just fine. It keeps people in their homes. I am opposed to Proposition 98. It is designed to fool people. I think the city should oppose it,” he said.
Candidates were asked what could be done about the traffic problems in Malibu, especially in the summer when residents feel they cannot leave their homes.
Tellem said she agrees that traffic is “horrible” and is a problem in the entire city. “It is up to you to put your foot down,” she said about proposed development that would add to traffic woes.
Conley Ulich proposed a shuttle that would take residents from one end of town to the other and be funded by developers. “We should tell the developers why they should do it. We should be part of the solution,” she said.
Sibert said, despite what might be said is the cause of traffic congestion, “we know it is Z traffic.” He said he believes the problem of traffic is different in different parts of the city. He said the timing of the signals on Pacific Coast Highway has still not been done. “We need to go to Caltrans. They control PCH. We need to get the stakeholders together now,” he added.
To some laughter, Wagner stated, “There are too many cars.” He said since Malibu is a destination spot, metered parking on PCH could help fund solutions.
Wisnicki said it would be to everyone’s benefit to help solve the problem. She ticked off some possible solutions, such as widening the road, and attempting to eliminate Z traffic.
“At the La Paz hearing, the traffic expert said the traffic was already so horrible, that the added traffic of the project would not make it any more horrible,” she noted.
The council hopefuls were also asked if they were willing to make some kind of trade-off with developers to bring back a hardware store.
Sibert said that he too missed Malibu Lumber, although he noted he never imagined he would ever say that. “I don’t know an easy solution, maybe a development agreement,” he said, noting that expensive land and building requirements made a lumber yard prohibitive.
“I am going to do something about it, if I am elected,” said Tellem, who said folks don’t want to go over the hill to the west valley to get things.
Wagner said it is difficult to do business in Malibu, and that he thought a development agreement might encourage a property owner to offer a long-term lease for a hardware store. “We can do that,” he added.
Wisnicki agreed there are ways to do it. “Development is a dirty word in Malibu. Maybe we can identify amenities, such as a place for teens and seniors,” she said.
Conley Ulich used the opportunity to tout her proposed retail formula ban ordinance. “We can restrict what stores come here,” she noted.
Candidates were asked other questions about water pressure in the mobile home parks during a fire, if the municipality has any jurisdictions in the parks other than rents, and what could be done about the 28-foot-high homes sprouting up on the hillsides.

First Campaign Finance Filings Follow the Money

• Supporter Alignment Shows Pattern

BY BILL KOENEKER

Malibu City Council candidates turned in their first financial campaign statements last week.
Council hopeful Kathy Wisnicki, who is currently a board member of the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District, received the highest total amount of contributions, raking in $19,526.
She was followed closely by candidate Jon Siebert, who is the city’s current planning commission member, who collected $18,920. The totals that are reported include all loans. Wisnicki reported none, while Sibert showed a $2000 loan.
Incumbent Pamela Conley Ulich reported receiving $10,750, including a $500 loan to her campaign.
Jefferson Wagner, also known as Zuma Jay, a business owner, indicated he garnered $6450 in contributions, including a $2000 loan.
Susan Tellem, who owns a public relations firm, reported taking in $6050, including a $2000 loan.
It could be said that both Tellem and Wagner “got” the Silna money—a reference by political insiders to Ozzie Silna, the multimillionaire, self-described environmentalist who has contributed heavily to past city council campaigns and other elections.
Both hopefuls received money from Silna and his wife, as well as other family members who live out of state, the maximum amount allowed by law—$250 each. Many of Tellem’s other contributors are or were members of the Silna-backed Malibu Coastal Land Conservancy.
Many of Wagner’s contributors are the same names, and also are or were members of the Malibu Coastal Land Conservancy.
Wisnicki, who has the advantage of having run for school district board, reported $250 contributions from Councilmembers Andy Stern, Ken Kearsley and Sharon Barovsky. Fellow school board member Jose Escarce and other school district colleagues contributed.
It is being said that many of the contributors whose names appear on Wisnicki’s filing statement are those that are often attributed to the Barovsky mailings or associated with her political camp, including Mona Loo, Lloyd Ahern, Marlene Matlow, Helene Eisenberg, Laureen Sills, Georgianna McBurney and Lynn Griffin.
Others are Paige Adler, who is the wife of record producer Lou Adler. Kelly Chapman Meyer, who is the wife of studio honcho Ron Meyer. Chris Prentiss, who operates a drug rehabilitation facility and planning commission chair Regan Schaar.
Conley Ulich got dollars from Councilmembers Ken Kearsley and Sharon Barovsky, planning commission members Les Moss and Regan Schaar, Ozzie Silna and his wife, former Councilmember Walt Keller, and some of the people considered Barovsky supporters. In addition, she received contributions from Cindy Crawford and her husband Rande Gerber and Kelly Chapman Meyer.
Sibert got money from many of the Barovsky mailing names, fellow Planning Commissioners Joan House, Regan Schaar and Les Moss; City Councilmembers Andy Stern, Ken Kearsley, Sharon Barovsky; residents, consultants, and professionals who appear before the planning commission and city council, such as Marny Randall, Tim McNamara, Ed Niles, Scott Halley and Mike Barsocchini.
Others who contributed include Burton Sperber, Joseph Sargent, Paul Almond, Judge Stephen Haberfeld and Al Ehringer.

Environmental Groups File Lawsuit against Malibu

• City and County Said to Be Guilty of Federal Clean Water Act Violations

BY ANNE SOBLE

Following through on the threat of litigation made in June of last year, two environmental groups filed test lawsuits in U.S. District Court on Monday, charging that the City of Malibu and Los Angeles County are in violation of the federal Clean Water Act.
The 31-page complaint and 54-page brief are elaborations of contentions first raised by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Santa Monica Baykeeper with the city and the county last summer.
The groups allege that the city and the county are guilty of “discharge [of pollutants] into Southern California’s surface and coastal waters in violation of the federal Clean Water Act for at least the past five years.”
NRDC and Baykeeper hope to see their court action result in a ruling that “governments [will be] held accountable for measurable results.” They use the county’s own data to show that toxics from fecal material to poisons exceed allowable legal levels and there has been no quantifiable improvement since the issue was raised.
David Beckman, director of NRDC’s Coastal Water Quality Project, said, “It’s time to stop going through the motions of fighting water pollution, and actually clean up the water.”
When the groups announced their intention to sue last year—they are required to give 60 days notice—Malibu city officials appeared stunned at the possibility, asserting that the Civic Center water quality projects represented a municipal effort to clean up the pollution in the area.
But NRDC and Baykeeper responded at that time with a “too little, too late” reaction. That local officials appeared equally caught off guard with this week’s court filings is just as surprising in light of the two groups’ ongoing expressions of concern about water quality off the Malibu coast.
Of special concern to the pair of activist organizations is the stretch of coast from Mugu Lagoon in Ventura County to Latigo Point in the city, one of 34 designated Areas of Special Biological Significance in California.
They stress that “ASBSs are unique areas afforded special protection by the State of California’s Ocean Plan, which prohibits any pollution discharges into or near these areas.”
The lawsuit does not spell out how the city and the county should clean up local waters. The complaint implies that there is the technology to deal with this, but that local governments have dragged their feet in exploring alternatives and actually putting anti-pollution programs in place.
Tom Ford, the executive director of Santa Monica Baykeeper, said, “We need results, not more paper shuffling.”
While attorneys for the defendants cry foul in that they are moving as quickly as possible on these matters, the complaints said the foulness of the water causes illness in beachgoers, adversely impacts marine life and degrades the chemical composition of local coastal waters.

New Report Says ‘No’ to Any LNG Terminals in California

• Authors Stress Lack of Need, Pollution Impact and Continued Reliance on Imports

BY ANNE SOBLE

Opposition strategy against liquefied natural gas terminals off the Southern California coast is no longer one of a terminal by terminal attack but a full-fledged war on whether any LNG terminals should be built at all, following a report that contends that the fuel is not needed, pollutes too much, and undermines the push for energy renewables.
The 40-page report issued by the Bay Area environmental group Pacific Environment is expected to become the “little red book” of growing ranks of critics of the piecemeal LNG terminal approval process and the fuel’s role in California’s future energy policy.
Co-authors of the report, PE’s Rory Cox, who was an outspoken critic of the BHP Billiton LNG project rejected last year, and Robert Freehling of the group Local Power, say the addition of even one more LNG facility would “shackle the state to a new dependence on polluting fossil fuels.”
They state that in a time of strong popular support for public action to combat global warming, California should not pursue “policies that will squander billions of dollars on importing LNG from overseas and prevent any meaningful reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.”
The authors emphasize that the “staggering investment costs” of an LNG facility call for 20 year- or-longer contracts. The report contends that this costly infrastructure “will heighten [the state’s] dependence on foreign fossil fuels for at least another generation [and] contradicts California’s environmental priorities.”
The authors say there is adequate natural gas in North America to meet the state’s needs “for the next several decades,” and say “this fuel burns cleaner and is more reliable than imported LNG.”
They accuse the energy industry of “false scare tactics” to create an unsubstantiated fear of energy shortfalls, while it downplays LNG’s “much higher environmental, financial, national security, and public safety risks.”
The report directly and indirectly deals with the policy implications of what public administration studies dub the “revolving door” principle, that individuals who work for or are appointed to agencies that regulate energy are often hired by the very companies they formerly regulated.
LNG companies with terminal proposals for the West Coast include a number of former key regulatory commission personnel and players, resulting in management rosters that read like a virtual energy “Who’s Who.”
COMPANIES RESPOND
Representatives of companies with LNG proposals off the Southern California coast were quick to criticize the PE report.
Steve Larson, the president of Woodside Energy, whose Ocean-Way project is in the approval pipeline, told the Malibu Surfside News, “This one-sided extremist kind of comment does little to address the serious dialogue that decision makers need to hear.”
Larson seconded comments by Joe Desmond of NorthernStar, the firm seeking to reactivate an aging oil platform in Ventura County for an LNG terminal, that “the radical position put forth by the authors...is flawed [and] would result in another energy crisis.”
But most LNG observers expect the report to be important ammunition in the skirmishes underway in California and Oregon, the other coastal state dealing with multiple LNG applications.
Instead of looking at LNG proposals one by one, communities, such as Malibu, are now urged to develop a West Coast perspective when they ask questions about project need and costs.
This is an approach that many critics of the one-by-one, or divide-and-conquer, policy process have sought from the beginning.

Corral Fire Trio Case Continued

Three men who have pleaded not guilty of starting the Corral Fire last November had their latest court date continued on Monday, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office.
Brian David Franks, Brian Allen Anderson and William Thomas Coppock, all of Los Angeles, who are all charged with three counts of arson-related crimes in the early morning of Nov. 24, had this week’s court session to set a date for a preliminary hearing continued by the judge. April 21 has been scheduled for the setting of a “prelim date,” a spokesperson for the DA’s office added.
The three defendants were arrested along with two other men, Eric Ullman and Dean Lavorante, both from Culver City, who are being charged separately and have not yet been formally arraigned.
All five have been charged with causing a fire with great bodily harm, recklessly causing a fire to an inhabited structure and engaging in arson during a public state of emergency.

Corral Fire Victims Plan to Sue State

Attorneys for law offices filing what is described as precedent-setting litigation, will hold a press conference this week to announce the basis for a lawsuit on behalf of 18 fire victims of last November’s Malibu wildfire.
“The Corral Fire was totally preventable. The state could have put a gate one-half mile down the road from the caves preventing cars from going up there and also close down the ‘rave cave’ very easily. The cost of these preventative steps would have been minimal, compared with the $100 million in property damage and the devastating loss to the fire victims,” said James Devitt, whose law offices Devitt & Chelberg, in conjunction with two other Los Angeles law firms, represent the victims.
The lawsuit seeks a court order installing a gate at the end of Corral Canyon Road to prevent partying in the area. The litigation is based on allegations of dangerous conditions on public property and that the state Department of Parks and Recreation admits prior knowledge that the cave was a trouble spot.
There have been $30 million in claims filed against the state so far, according to the law firm.

Possible School Budget Cuts Outlined

• SMMUSD Officials Say that $2.5 Million May Have to Be Cut

BY BILL KOENEKER

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education is meeting this week on Wednesday night after The News goes to press to decide how to make cuts to the school budget.
Members had been briefed at a previous board meeting about the need to trim $2.5 million dollars and talked briefly about how to go about it.
Assistant Superintendent Mike Matthews, who is director of human resources, had given the staff report at a previous meeting and had laid out a series of proposed cuts involving teaching and administrative positions.
Matthews told the Malibu Surfside News on Tuesday that there are about 45 positions that will be addressed on Wednesday. He said most personnel cuts will be dealt with by attrition—not replacing staff who are retiring, resigning or were temporay hires.
A mandatory timeline requires the board to take care of those certificated staff no later than Wednesday, according to Matthews. “Some of it is about personnel, so the public really won’t be hearing about all of it,” he added.
Once the dust settles, and it becomes clear how much money those staff reductions lower the budget, the board will again look at the issue at its meeting on March 13, and then again on April 3. “If we are going to reduce the budget by $1 to $1.5 million, all the work has to be done,” he added.
Matthews had talked about eliminating seven elementary school teaching positions and 18 other jobs at secondary schools. The reductions could amount to $1.25 million and other cuts would be necessary to meet the $2.5 million benchmark.
Declining enrollment is cited as the biggest reason for the need to cut the budget.
The district receives much of its funding from the state, which bases its funding on how many students the district serves. The board recently took other measures, including reducing the restrictions on interdistrict permits in an effort to beef up student enrollment.

Coastal Panel Nixes City Camping Signs

• Urges Changes to Match City Law

BY ANNE SOBLE

The California Coastal Commission agrees with a public interest activist group’s complaints that “No Camping” signs posted at Malibu city limits could lead to confusion.
The Center for Law in the Public Interest’s City Project has challenged the signs as an example of Malibu elitism and an intent to prevent visitors from being aware of local camping options.
The City Project blog generated widespread media attention at the same time that the city was locked in debate with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy over expanding public camping options in the Santa Monica Mountains, and Malibu took a public drubbing on the Internet.
CCC Deputy Director Jack Ainsworth addressed the signs issue in a letter to City Manager Jim Thorsen recently. Ainsworth wrote that “the signs, as currently written, are inconsistent with the city’s ordinances, LCP, and the Coastal Act.”
He states that “an outright prohibition of overnight camping, as currently stated on the signs, would require an amendment to the city’s LCP” and suggests that the wording could be changed to “Overnight Camping Allowed Only within Designated Campgrounds.”
Ainsworth’s letter concludes, “By changing the sign language and posting new signs, the city would avoid further confusion, defuse the current controversy, and bring the signs into compliance with current city ordinances, the certified LCP and the Coastal Act.”