City Council Swallows Bitter Pill, Approves Haynie Hotel and Its MRCA Campground Funding

A bitter pill was swallowed by the Malibu city council Monday night.

It approved the conversion of an office building near Billionaire’s Beach into a luxury hotel … The deal includes 800 thousand dollars to subsidize camping in Malibu .. it was approved by the city council ion  4 to 1 vote.,

The deal with the hotel developer and the Coastal Commission Eans 800 thousand dollars will go to pay for a campground in Malibu.

Developer Norm Haynie says he has a tentative agreement with the MRCA … for the agency to use the money some place … any place other than their proposed campground in Ramirez Canyon.

Mayor Bruce Silverstein was th alone vote against the Sea Vista Hotel.

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“They just won’t spend the money in one place, and will spend the money in a place where we even more don’t want them to.”

The other four council members basically held their noses … and voted for the hotel and campground subsidy.

Councilmembers Doug Stewart… and then Paul Grisanti.

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“The people in Ramirez Canyon and Bluffs Park … nobody is going to be happy.

“But let’s clear about what your city council is doing.

“We are not passively sitting back and making this a one event moving on to something else.

“We understand the problems that MRCA is causing.

“We need to start supporting even more so the committees that are affected by this.

“We need to find ways to offset the damage that us being done.

And Paul Grisanti:

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“The city of Malibu has been very frugal when it came to spending our resources to assist those neighborhoods. And I think it’s time to adopt a more aggressive plan for that with the city’s funds.”

Doug Stewart and Paul Grisanti.

Councilmember Marianne Riggins voted for the hotel … and said the city needs to come up with its own versions  of low cost overnight accomodations for coastal visitors … so this doesn’t happen again.

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“We’re not a lower cost visitor accommodations for Lisa. We fully support the mission of the Coastal commission for public access and we want to be good partners.”

The problems are… the Coastal Commission staff wants Norm Haynie’s $800,000 contribution to be spent right now… on an overnight campground or hotel of some sort… In or near Malibu… that is shovel ready.

And one way or the other … Malibu is in effect going to subsidize … to the tune of 800 thousand dollars. … a campground …. most likely at Bluffs Park … that residents by a large majority hate.

Coastal wants the City to come up with its own vision of cheap overnight accommodations in Malibu  … and its had better do that quickly.

KBUU News has learned that yet another hotel is being proposed … this one on PCH next door to Nobu and across the street from the Norm Haynie’s hotel.

More details on that … in just a minute.

 

Water In Zuma Creek Will Delay Beach Parking Traffic

Water is still flowing down Zuma Creek under Pacific Coast Highway … and that is preventing traffic from using the Zuma underpass to reach the big beach parking lot.

And that will mean Fourth of July traffic will have ti turn left … amplifying the big traffic jam.

City crews are working with the county to open up the connection road between W. Beach Rd., and the Zuma Beach entrance… the Arizona Crossing… to take pressure off the PCH turnoff.

Problem is… Zuma Creek is still running across the Arizona Crossing.

 

Malibu’s Crashiest Intersections Will Get Rebuilt By Caltrans Without City Commissioners’ Fingers In Pie

Malibu’s most crash-ridden intersection is going to be repaired by Caltrans soon.

The state has notified the city that it will be making slight repairs to Pacific Coast Highway at Las Flores Canyon Road and Rambla Pacifico … the twin traffic lights near Duke’s restaurant.

Malibu public works director Rob Duboux said the work will start soon.

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“I there is there’s going to be a improvement project over by los Flores and PCH… It’s not revising the entire intersection. They’re doing some slight modifications out there..”

Data from the sheriff’s department  shows the intersections to be the scene of the most crashes in Malibu.

The 15 amateur traffic planners on the Public Works … Public Safety and Planning commissions have all tried their hand at redesigning the complicated geometry at those traffic lights.

An earlier plan from Caltrans was to ban left turns from westbound PCH into the Circle K gas station … and use that space to extend the eastbound left turn for traffic heading to Las Flores Canyon Road.

Caltrans figured that banning left turns into the gas station would reduce crashes.

But the amateur experts on the Planning Commission said that was a bad idea … and that illegal left turn drivers would cork up westbound traffic on the left through lane. 

Caltrans owns the road … and does not need city permission to make changes.

It’s not clear … from the city’s description … just what the Caltrans changes will be. 

 

City Warns Of Delays In Morning View, PCH Median and Latigo Canyon Stabilization Projects

And the city of Malibu faces delays in three projects that it is trying to build this fall.

The county flood control people have problems with the proposed reconstruction of Morning View Drive. 

The city plans to reconstruct Morning View Drive through Malibu Park this fall.

But rebuilding storm drains are part of that .. and the county rejected the first set of city plans.

Those have been redesigned … and will be resubmitted this week.

City plans to realign the lanes on Pacific Coast Highway … to reduce the median width and provide more room for bicycles … those are on hold.

They initial plan had been to repave and reconfigure PCH all the way from Webb Way west to Puerco Canyon. 

But bids from contractors came in way over the amount available … 

The city is now considering only changing the PCH lane configuration on the hill between Webb Way and Malibu Canyon Road .. or maybe to just past Pepperdine. 

And the federal government has yet to approve the city’s planned replacement of a wooden retaining wall on Latigo Canyon Road.

City staff says there are delays in getting FEMA … the federal government … to sign off on funding the Latigo Canyon Road project.

 

PU!  3,900 Gallon Sewage Spill Blamed On Pepperdine University’s Poor Pipe Placement

An above-ground valve on a little known sewage line in Malibu Canyon needs to be relocated … to avoid spills like the one three weeks ago that closed Surfrider Beach.

That’s the contention of the City of Malibu … 

More details were released yesterday on that sewage spill … which contaminated Malibu Creek … Malibu Lagoon and Surfrider Beach a month ago.

Sewage from Pepperdine University gets disposed of in two places. 

Some of it is treated at a small plant next to the campus … the cleaned water is sprayed on the grass at the big Pepperdine lawn.

But much of the partly-treated sewage is sent up a pipeline under Malibu Canyon Road … to the big Tapia sewage plant up towards Calabasas. 

That’s a big uphill push.

And there is a valve up on Malibu Canyon Road near Hughes Research lab … to take care of any air bubble problems. 

And a landscaping comply truck hit that valve three weeks ago … says city public works director Robb DuBoux.

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“Right across from HRL, they have this little canister off to one side and they have these bollards right there. 

“Unfortunately a landscape truck hit it and hit that line and damage designed. I think it was 3900 gallons of waste water that went down the street and went into a catch basin and went across and then went down the gully there..”

Much of the 3,900 gallons eventually trickled down to Malibu Creek … just upstream of Serra Estates.

Beaches were closed from the Malibu Pier to Malibu Colony. 

County public works director Robb DuBoux says he wants Pepperdine to move that valve to a safer place.

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“I’ve been in contact with Pepperdine the group that’s doing out there… And actually have a meeting with them tomorrow to talk about that repair. See if we can put it in a better location where it won’t be hit. Right there it’s in a vulnerable position.”

The beaches have reopened. 

 

Malibu’s Taco Man Is Endangered Species!  Another Beachfront Hotel Proposed For La Salsa Site

The owners of one of Malibu’s nest known landmarks has plans that – might- include removing it.

A hotel is proposed for the former La Sales Mexican restaurant … on Pacific Coast Highway just west of Nobu.

You know exactly where this is.

It’s the home of the taco guy … the 30 foot high fiberglass statue of a Mexican guy … wearing a sombrero.

For decades he was holding a taco … trying too entice motorists to stop at the taco shop that was there for 30 years.

For 20 years before that … he was holding a hamburger.

When the hamburger shop was sold … the Mexican food entrepreneur chopped off the hamburger …. Making the bottom bun into a tray … and the top bun into the sombrero.

Now … a hotel is proposed for the site.

Plans for the taco guy have not yet been specified. 

Jay Wagner has run his surf shop across the street for 50 years.

NEWSCART A74221 LA SALSA MAN at the fancy hotel.

“The application has been turned in for a hotel. I hope we can. I hope we don’t lose our last salsa man. He is so popular in here among so many locals here and so many visitors stop by the tour buses and take photos.

“I just hope don’t lose him. Maybe he can become some other entity like to check in guy at the fancy hotel.”

Malibu does not classify the taco guy as a historical building.

So … his fate is unknown.