Hill And Mazza Sign Out Of Planning Commission Meeting In Fruitless Effort To Delay Juan Cabrillo Demolition and High School Construction

Plans to tear down Juan Cabrillo High School and truck it away to a dump were approved by the Planning Commission last night …. 

This … after two planning commissioners walked out of the meeting in protest of the tight deadlines … 

It was a 3-to-zero vote … John Mazza and Kraig Hill having abandoned the meeting.

That made it a fast 3-to-zero vote. 

Mazza said he got the city reports about the demolition project Friday night.  Mazza said that was insufficient time time to review it.

The city report was 51 pages long.  City staff says it was e-mailed to Mazza and Hill Thursday night  … and while they apologized for it going out comparatively late … they said it could not have possibly been compiled until after the city council voted to approve the overall zoning for the project …. last Monday night. .

Commission chair Kraig Hill last night said not good enough … the report from the city staff arrived late.

NEWSCART A73480 HILL DOES NOT WANT

“This is just too late in the process for the public to really get a good read on this and I personally had to spend time of the weekend helping a friend with terminal cancer helping move house. 

“So it was just too late to expect us to take up our weekend and so…

“And hopefully we can get reports sooner in the future.”

Same story from John Mazza. 

He complained it was not enough time for the public to digest it.

NEWSCART A73479 MAZZA WALKSOUT

“It’s incumbent upon the Planning Commission to make sure that the public has their legal input.

“And I know that the city attorney is going to say ‘oh, they had 72 hours… 

“No they didn’t …

“I got it Friday night… And I’m pretty diligent in trying to find  where my staff reports are.

“I cannot imagine that somebody sitting there clicking their computer there all weekend … trying to find the staff report and trying to come up with comments for tonight. 

“That’s why I will no longer participate in any hearing that has not been adequately disclosed to the public. 

“That’s it.”

And with that … Hill and Mazza electronically walked out of the commission meeting last night … as the other three commissioners went ahead with a vote on the demolition plan.

But Hill and Mazza could count votes in advance.

They knew they did not have a third vote … to actually delay the demolition project.

Waiting to the next Planning Commission meeting to discuss the demolition would mean missing the entire summer … the demolition would not be finished before the wintertime rainy season would prevent moving dirt around. 

The entire school project would run out money … if it doesn’t go out for bid this fall.

Hill and Mazza may have been willing to risk that as the consequence for delay.

The other three Planning Commission members were not.  And the city council has by a 3-2 vote made getting the project through City Hall a priority this summer.

So … what about the hazmat removal?

It was typical in the 1960s to use modern petrochemicals as glue or sealant …. bad stuff that would leak into the soil beneath the buildings and accumulate.

Juan Cabrillo is now scheduled to be torn down … the city says the district will be following state testing rules … to test for PCB or other contaminants.

If any is found … it will be hauled off in sealed trucks. 

This is exactly how the district tore down other buildings at Malibu High several years ago … and it was done cleanly and without problem.

Like all public buildings being torn down now days … the district must follow strict state rules in testing for hazardous material … and haul away any bad stuff in enclosed trucks to a hazmat landfill.

The district is promising to meet or exceed state rules … 

Summer is halfway over … and the district is desperate to tear out the PCB material before the rainy season arrives and moving around dirt is prohibited by the city.

There is not time to wait for the Planning commissioners to stall. 

But despite Mazza’s threat to walk out … he hung around to make several complaints.

One of them … that the city staff improperly met with school district officials during the plan review project.

NEWSCART A73481 MAZZA COMPLAINS 

“I just wonder why we would appoint the very person who was managing the project (for the city) and who is writing the staff report rather than somebody … I’m sure you have many people in your department who could tell them what is proper and who isn’t proper.  Why would you pick that one?”

DENNIS SMITH:  “Oh?  We have many? That is funny.”

JOHN MAZZA: “Oh well every planner is competent I would assume his competent Dennis. So if it’s funny to you well what do you think what is?

DENNIS SMITH: “I got to tell you and Commissioner Hill something. For two guys that didn’t wanna talk about some thing you’re spending way too much time on this. I would just suggest we just keep move forward”

JOHN MAZZA: “why don’t you just approve the whole meeting, and then we don’t even have to meet at all? That’s the way you handle things.”

COMMISSION CHAIR KRAIG HILL:  “OK … guys …. guys … guys??? 

“You’ve made your points.”

Commissioners Kraig Hill and Dennis Smith sniping at each other … separated by Chair Kraig Hill.

The so-called conflict that Mazza was complaining about was explained away by the city planner and assistant city attorney.

The said the city had a staffer sit as an expert source on the Citizens Oversight Commission  overseeing the project on behalf of Malibu residents.

The city was in effect meeting with an applicant on a complicated technical application …, something that is done every day at city hall.

Patrick Donegan … an assistant city attorney … 

NEWSCART A73482 PATRICK DONNEGAN COMMITTEE 

“The city’s quote unquote representative there … once again … they’re invited.

“It’s been numerous different people throughout the months if not the years, correct Richard? 

“They do not act as a formal member that makes motions … and says ‘you should this …you should do that.’

“Rather I understand they were there in an informational capacity.”

In other words … a liaison from the city staff helped guide the school district oversight commission as it designed the school … a public facility.

That might be viewed as governments working together.  Or might be as an example of bias in favor of the school project by city staff …. in Mazza’s view.

Mazza also blasted the city council for failing to go along with the Mazza’s concept of sealing off the Malibu High campus … with only one point of entry to the school off Morning View Drive.

Mazza wanted all gates at the north end of the campus prohibited by a city zoning plan.

The school preferred to keep the gates there for emergency vehicles access … locked during school hours … but unlocked to allow people to walk onto the campus after school gets out. 

School officials say school security matters should be decided by the school. … and that they need emergency vehicle access to the northern end of the campus. 

Mazza has no police or security experience whatsoever … and he was not happy that the city council rejected his security perimeter plan … which he apparently came up with without consulting principals or parents.

In the end. … the absence of Hill and Mazza contributed to a speedy approval of the plan.

The other city commissioners did amend the project … by requiring that the school district hire a demolition removal team that is approved by city staff.

Where does this leave the school project?

It still needs to have a city permit … called a Coastal Development Permit … for the first phase of classes.

That will go before the Planning Commission later this summer. 

The overall zoning plan … which was approved by the city council last week … has to go before the Coastal Commission for approval.