MRCA, Controlling State Fire Prevention Funds For Malibu Area, Wants To Use It On Bluffs Park Campground, Puerco Canyon Park, and New Beach Parking Lots Amongst Homes

The MRCA has come up with a plan to reduce fire hazards at many of its properties across the Santa Monica Mountains – and building a campground at Bluffs Park is touted as a fire risk reduction tool.

The MRCA is the Mountain Resource Conservation Authority … run by executive director Joe Edmiston … which is frequently seen by many Malibu property owners as a runaway land-grabbing outside agency.

The MRCA has just released a plan to supposedly reduce fire hazards … flood hazards … all hazards across thousands of acres of land in the Santa Monica Mountains.

But in the name of hazard reduction .. it is a development plan for campgrounds and new beach parking lots in Malibu.. For example … the proposal calls for funding a new campground at Malibu Bluffs park …in the name of fire risk reduction.

And the fire reduction plan calls for a new park above Puerco Canyon … where the county fire department has already said Edmiston’s proposed campground development there is too risky because the narrow and winding access road cannot accommodate fire trucks.

The fire risk reduction plan also calls for office renovations … rebuilding the rangers house … and a new bridge at Ramirez Canyon Park in Malibu.  That’s what the MRCA calls the now-ruined Barbara Streisand estate in Ramirez Canyon … where Edmiston plans to build a campground.

Also … building trails along the Coastal Slope Trail … to access new hike-in campgrounds that the MRCA has been planning just above Malibu. 

It is not clear from the MRCA fire hazard reduction program … how exactly fire would be reduced by building new offices at the end of a private road above Paradise Cove.

But the MRCA is sitting on a pot of money from the state … earmarked for emergency fire risk reduction projects.

Same story at King Gillette Ranch … the park headquarters building in upper Malibu Canyon.

Two buildings are proposed for renovation … in the name of fire risk reduction.

Renovating staff housing at King Gillette … housing provided for MRCA employees would lessen fire danger … MRCA says.

Adding air conditioning would accommodate for climate change … the MRCA says.

New beach access and stairways need to be installed at Big Rock Beach … to better withstand the hazard of global ocean rise. New parking needs to be installed at Lechuza Beach … just west of Broad Beach … the MRCA says …. also in the name of global ocean rise threat.

And the MRCA wants to reconstruct the parking lot at Malibu Pier.  All of this … of course … without any consultation with Malibu residents … or the city.

Other “fire risk reduction” projects proposed by the MRCA include installing a ski lift for mountain bikes … at Rocky Peak Park near Simi Valley.

It is not clear from the documents filed yesterday how the funding for the MRCA project wish list will be funded.  But the MRCA is sitting on a pot of money from the state … earmarked for emergency fire risk reduction projects.

Same story at King Gillette Ranch … the park headquarters building in upper Malibu Canyon.

Two buildings are proposed for renovation … in the name of fire risk reduction.

Renovating staff housing at King Gillettte … housing provided for MRCA employees would lessen fire danger … MRCA says.  Adding air conditioning there would accommodate for climate change … the MRCA says.

New beach access and stairways need to be installed at Big Rock Beach … to better withstand the hazard of global ocean rise.

New parking needs to be installed at Lechuza Beach … in the name of global ocean rise threat … the MRCA says.  And the MRCA wants to reconstruct the parking lot at Malibu Pier.

All of this … of course … without any consult with Malibu residents … or the city.

Other supposed fire risk reduction projects proposed by the MRCA include installing a ski lift for mountain bikes … at Rocky Peak park near Simi Valley.

It is not clear from the MRCA’s plan exactly what the funding sources would be for the wish lost of construction.  But the MRCA’s sister organization … the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy … has been designated by the governor’s office to be the lead agency for distributing California fire risk reduction money.

Right now … the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy has 12 million dollars  in new state fire risk money.  About 330 thousand dollars was passed on to Malibu for tree trimming and branch grinding, and some has also been doled out to other local governments in the region. 

Joseph T. Edmiston is Executive Director of both the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and thre MRCA.

When Edmiston was give the 12 million dollars … he put out a press release that said “the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is prepared to deploy its unique expertise to create proactive solutions to reduce local wildland fire risks.”

Not one of the projects listed in the MRCA plan involves removal of brush.

One other interesting project … Edmiston proposes to install several tsunami evacuation sirens at Malibu beaches.

There is no mention of coordinating that project with a similar siren project that is alrerady funded by FEMA for the City of Malibu.

And both of those project proposals are on top of an evacuation siren and announcement system being planned by the LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors.

The conservancy has passed about 330 thousand dollars to Malibu for tree trimming and branch grinding.

But now … the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy has a state pipeline of fire risk reduction money … to fund the MRCA executive director’s laundry list of campgrounds … ranger housing rehabilitation … new trails and offices in Malibu and the Santa Monica Mountains.

One other interesting project … Edmiston proposes to install several tsunami evacuation sirens at Malibu beaches. There is no mention of coordinating that project with a similar siren project that is already funded by FEMA for the City of Malibu.

And both of those project proposals are on top of an evacuation siren and announcement system being planned by the LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors.  Given the historical lack of communication between the City of Malibu … LA Beaches and Harbors … and the MRCA … it is easy to imagine three sets of contradictory information given by three sets of loudspeakers at the beaches.