City Will Press For Malibu Control of Malibu Lagoon
Written by 991KBU on June 11, 2019
THIS STORY WAS CORRECTED AT 6:55PM TUESDAY. SEE BELOW.
The Malibu Creek erosion at the Adamson House … and loss of sand at Surfrider Beach … front and center at the Malibu City Council meeting last night.
And it looks like the beach loss is going to force the city to finally step into the role it was handed 17 years ago … to come up with a plan to manage the Malibu Lagoon.
The coastal commission ordered Malibu to take over the lagoon when it impose the LCP … the local coastal program … on Malibu in 2012.
But in the intervening years … California State Parks has been making decisions on the Lagoon … and the LA County Department of beaches and harbors has been calling shots on the beach.
This months sand crisis as people asking where is the city?
That came to ahead at last night’s city Council meeting.
Speaker after speaker ask why the city has not taken the initiative.
Particular criticism focused on the state parks department decision not to create a sand berm breach at the west end of the Lagoon berm.
This would prevent the creek from chewing up the lawn at the Adamson house … at the east end of the berm.
Opening the berm at the west end of the lagoon would mean more sand at Surfrider Beach … says many.
Surfer Alan Sarlow.
NEWSCART 75168 SARLOW LAGOON QQQ BREACH MANAGEMENT.
“Over the last 25 years I have noticed a great loss of our precious Malibu Beach. Palm trees that have calm down due to erosion that have been there for over 60 to 70 years and I’ve also noticed the erosion of the Adamson house. I think we can all work together I think we need a breach management.”
Andy Lyon has been a vociferous critic of everything at the Lagoon.
NEWSCART 75169 LYON LAGOON QQQ GETTING IT BREACHED
“Everybody’s going to come do you guys and you’re going to go ‘yeah we’re going to support getting a breach.’
“But where does it go from there?
“Interestingly enough … tonight you are redoing a lobbyist contract for $150,000 and I don’t know anything in the last year that lobbyist has done. And so maybe that should be first on the list is that think I should be up there dealing with the lagoon getting it breached.”
Surfers Alan Sarlow and Andy Lyon.
Malibu Mayor Jefferson Wagner agreed that the lobbying firm will be engaged to pressure California State Parks … which has been nonexistent incoming up with a plan to prevent the Adamson house lawn from washing away.
Last night … Wagner switched his vote from no to yes … and voted to extend the city’s contract with the Sacramento lobbying firm … California Strategies.
NEWSCART 75172 JAY CAL STRAT
“If you remember the last time it came up for a vote I voted in opposition to it.
“I did feel that Cal Strat was helpful in helping Lou La Monte is achieve benefit for the city.”
Wagner was referring to a new lawl to restrict drug and abuse rehab centers across the state … a new law that came out of Malibu.
California Strategies has a 150 thousand dollar a year contract with the City of Malibu to represent its interests in Sacramento.
It was a extended one year last night … out to 2020.
NOTE – CORRECTION 6:55p. Jefferson Wagner did not in fact vote for the California Strategies contract, he abstained after mentioning that he saw there were three other votes in favor of it. Wagner also praised California Strategies for its work on the Lou La Monte sponsored rehab regulation bill, and also said he would work with California Strategies closely on the Malibu lagoon issue. KBUU regrets the error.
