LA County Holds Make Or Break Hearing On Malibu School District On Short Notice

All of a sudden… with less than 48 hours notice… and with many parents out of town on summer vacation … LA County has scheduled a make or break public hearing on the proposed separate Mal;olbu Unified School District.

Tomorrow morning (Wednesday Aug. 7) at 9:30.

The monthly meeting of the LA County Office of Education Committee on School District Organization has suddenly turned into a public hearing – and possible vote – on Malibu’s drive to divorce itself out of the Santa Monica school district. 

As we’ve reported … Malibu city officials are fed up with stalling and disorganization in Santa Monica. 

An agreement was reached last spring on a financial deal … that will continue seeing Malibu property tax revenue sent to Santa Monica to subsidize schools there.

In exchange … Malibu would be allowed to retain local control of tax money already raised in Malibu … and spent in Malibu … but controlled by a school board in a city 20 miles away. 

The county committee has suddenly turned its August meeting … into a public hearing on the City of Malibu’s petition.

The meeting is on the computers via Zoom at 9:30 in the morning … or in person .. at the county offices in Downey … 12 miles south of Los Angeles. 

 to form an independent school district on Wednesday, August 7, 9:30 AM.

In-person: LACOE office, 9300 Imperial Highway, Board Room, Downey, map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/rBXPUtzG1aVcXF6y8.

Virtual (Zoom): https://lacoe-edu.zoom.us/j/86198100117?pwd=azZIcHY4b1dqcVBqOVVhem8wVi9CUT09.

Zoom Password: 028856.

State Prefers Large Lagoon Excavation At Topanga, Malibu Feed Bin And Part Of Ranch Motel Targeted

California State Parks has announced its plan to build a larger and deeper Malibu Lagoon.

The state wants to maintain part of the historic Topanga Ranch Motel … but eliminate the Malibu Feed Bin and possibly several other landmark business. 

At a public hearing last night … California State Parks has revealed its preferred plan for enlarging the lagoon at Topanga Beach.

The preferred plan would be to dig out a big lagoon …dump the dirt on the ocean … retain a few historic businesses … and remove the Malibu Feed Bin store to make way for a bigger parking lot and interpretive center. 

12 thousand truckloads of dirt would be dug out from a new lagoon area … north of PCH. 

And it can’t be trucked out. 

Rosi Dagit … a state planner … says dumping it into the ocean would be a beneficial  way to use it … because it cannot be trucked out through Malibu. 

70379 CLEANDIRT ROSI DAGIT 

“Yes, we are very much aware of the restrictions of moving trucks on PCH in through Malibu. But I do want to clarify that is absolutely not contaminated. It is native soil taken from the hillside adjacent to the area. And we are working very closely with the California Coastal Commission (and) the US Army Corps engineers regarding all of this.”

The dirt is clean and the state proposes to dump it into the ocean … just far enough offshore to prevent any of it from fouling the famed surf break at Topanga State beach.

State parks planner John Ota announced that a surf consultant was hired … and said digging out a lagoon in Topanag Creek’s channel will not greatly affect the surf line. 

70366 DIRTDUMP JOHN OTA 

“Because the project is grading back of the beach face, we’re not grading on the beach, sea level over time is going to have a much bigger impact over this project. 

“That said, the consultant did find that there is a possibility of a slight worsening condition in the aftermath of the project as some of the sediment works its way out from the change in the system.”

One possible plan … to relocate Pacific Coast Highway further away from the beach … has been rejected. 

Too expensive … and it would take out both the Reel Inn … and the historic Topanga Ranch Motel. 

One of the planners …  Jamie King … says the old Topanga Ranch Motel would see about one third of it demolished. 

70369 TOPANGA RANCH

“The Topanga Ranch Motel is eligible to be on the National Register of Historic Places. It is an example – I believe there is only one or two in California – of the 1930s auto court. It has a really unique triangular shape.  You can drive right in, park your car right next to your motel unit, park your car and enjoy your stay. There aren’t a lot of those left from that era.”

But, she said, there historic old buildings are falling apart … and falling into the creek.

70369 TOPANGA RANCH

“The motel fill pad has been slowly getting eroded at the west end, next to the creek.

“We saw that, in the storms of the spring, that a chunk of that western edge got eroded, and that resulted in one of the structures falling into the creek.”

The current preferred plan would remove the back row of cabins next to the creek… But leave about 70 percent of the historic motel in place.

Another thing that would be left in place… Under the current preferred park plan… Would be Pacific Coast Highway.

They had been talk about moving Pacific Coast Highway, North… Curving around the lagoon up where the highway originally was in the 1930s.

Caltrans has rejected that for engineering reasons… They want to leave PCH in its present location. 

But that means a new bridge … twice as long as the old one … would have to be built where the old one is. 

And that means a zigzag detour process for five years … like the trouble plagued Trancas Creek bridge … a Caltrans mess that is now two years behind schedule and millions of dollars over budget. 

But this would be at the busiest part of PCH in Malibu … at the eastern end of the city. 

A Caltrans spokeswoman last night told KBUU News she had no information on what steps Caltrans would take … to prevent a repeat of the Caltrans bridge catastrophe up at Trancas … down at Topanga. 

Meanwhile … residents at Topanga Point … just west of the lagoon … are really worried about how this will affect their beaches.

Larry Weiner.

70378 TOPANGA LARRY WEINER 

“You mentioned earlier that there was a surf consultant that was hired for the surfers. We got nothing like that for the residence. These are residents who have basically put their life savings into these homes. 

“We hired a consultant, and those consultant concerns were dismissed by the designer of the project, who is apparently as we learned tonight has a financial interest because this consultant will continue to work on this project in the future.”

Another resident pointed out the 5 to 10 years of construction next to their houses. 

Anne Reddy:

70378 RESIDENT TWO ANNE REDDY 

“The problem is you all don’t live here. And what was glossed over was the 5+ years of construction and what was mentioned was the five years for things to settle. You’re talking 10 years from when you start to disrupt our lives and the lives of everyone who drives up and down Pacific Coast Highway.

“I think it’s a very grandiose project that the state has come up and it does not take a consideration the culture of Malibu or Topanga or Topanga Canyon. You don’t know what you’re doing.”

 And others asked why the Malibu Feed Bin .. at the corner of PCH at Topanga Canyon … can’t be saved. 

Leslie Watts:

70372 FEED BIN 

“I am a Topanga resident for 42 years. My question is, I understand the motel court. I understand it is a great historic value. 

“But what about the Malibu feed bin? How could they be accommodated?

“I think us in the communities of Malibu and Topanga use that to supply hay to their horses.”

The state workers answered that the Malibu feed bin does not meet the criteria of a historic structure.

More than 100 people have submitted comments to the state … on what to do with the big chunk of public land along PCH between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and the Colada Restaurant. 

The decision is up to the director of state parks … a gubernatorial appointment named Armando Quintero.

How much will all this cost??
State Parks say they don’t know … they have to design the project before they can estimate the total cost.

How long will it take ??? Three of four years to design … then five years to construct … 

City Wants To Know From SCE About Its Malibu Underground Plans, Including PCH

We broke the news yesterday that Southern California Edison has plans to underground powerlines in parts of eastern Malibu.

But not western Malibu … where the power company has already spent a lot of money to wrap it overhead powerlines with plastic insulation.

We’ve been asking Edison for more information on this since Friday… They promised to get us some details.

Last night… Members of the Malibu planning commission also asked for more information.

And the disruption of construction like that on eastern Pacific Coast Highway was one of the issues.

Commissioner Dennis Smith… Who is a construction contractor specializing in earth, moving … warns that this could cause a lot of disruption along Pacific Coast Highway if that’s what Edison’s plans are.

70368 SMITH UGRND 111

“Really the bottom line is it’s just not that easy. Caltrans is serving all the houses on PCH. 

“You know 90% of those houses are in the Caltrans right of way. So you have that fight about who gets to keep what.”

Caltrans surveyors are looking at potential reconfiguration of PCH in eastern Malibu… And that might mean removing mailboxes walls and fences that have crept up against the pavement edge… But are still on state property/

An project to underground power liens would have the same effect … removing what residents may feel is part of their homes. 

Planning commission Dennis Smith. 

70367 SMITH UGRND 222

“And then when you start to underground, as Ive said before, you’re gonna be in the right of way.  And a lot of people in our beautiful city have gone into the right of way with their walls fences landscaping and whatever else. 

“That they have the right to take out and don’t have to pay you back.”

And Planning commissioner John Mazza questioned the effectiveness of putting power lines underground in Malibu … when the big fires that have parts of the city came from up in the mountains. 

70381 MAZZA UGRND 

“Anybody who’s been through a fire here knows the dangerous fires in Malibu start upcountry from us.  They don’t start down where our houses are usually . 

“And by the time they hit us they have a very wide front.

“It’s virtually impossible to underground high tension lines that are going through canyons that are thousands of feet deep.”

The man in charge at the Planning Department said the city would be sending questions to Southern California Edison … asking exactly what the utility giant has planned for Malibu. 

That would be Joseph Toney … the city’s Assistant city manager. 

He was the top official at last night’s planning commission meeting … as the last three administrators in the department have recently hightailed it out of town.

Toney had to introduce himself. 

70365 TONEY ACTING

“Obviously, I am not the Planning Director, I am the assistant city manager, so I am here helping out the Planning Department and acting in the near-term, but we hope to have an interim Planning Director as soon as possible. Hopefully sooner than later.”

Jack Wong had been hired as a temporary Planning Director … but the city had to resend his appointment because Wong is a state retiree… And would lose his pension if he takes another municipal job.

Former planning director, Richard Mollica quit last month… And his chief assistant Adrian Fernandez is out on medical leave after being lambasted lambasted by members of the public and by members of the planning commission this summer.

Get Your Stuff Day Next Thursday, As Summer Ticks Away

Malibu High and Malibu Middle schools are gearing up for reopening on August .

The schools have announced that the annual “Get Your Stuff” days will be  Thursday … that’s August 11th.

The schools will be passing out information … tentative class schedules … and other essential stuff. 

Get Your Stuff Day at the high school will be at 9am.   Middle school at noon.