Coastal Wants 80 Parking Places At Pt Dume Headlands, Planning Commissioner Warns

Clouds of war over parking on Point Dume are on the horizon.

And it came up at the Malibu Planning Commission meeting last night.

The issue last night was a proposal to build two houses … on three lots … near the corner of Grasswood and Cliffside.

That’s right around the corner from the Point Dume State Park.

And that is where the parking situation is out of control.

Last night … Commissioner John Mazza said the city had better plan to add public parking at the point.

Starting with Grasswood.

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“This particular street is in the bull’s-eye of hundreds of residents and the coastal commission and it’s already cost the city over $4 million in this fight.

“And that is that Grasswood is a parking street for the coastal commission and the agreement with the city Council from 2010 according to what I’ve been told we’re gonna have to provide 80 parking spaces on Point Dume and in that area.”

Why is the city in trouble on Point Dume?

Malibu is in noncompliance with a consent agreement it signed in 2010 … at the order of the Coastal Commission.

Way back in the 1990s … the City of Malibu solved the parking problem at Point Dume by dumping boulders on the public street in front of the state park.

Presto.  No more parking problem.

Except… Some of the boulders were on state parks property. And none of the boulders and no parking signs had coastal commission permits.

The city spent millions on legal fees but lost… And signed an agreement to allow parking along residential streets… Just not right in front of the point.

The city also agreed to pay for a shuttle bus… Which I gave up on after 10 years of nobody writing it.

No parking signs… Mailboxes… Landscaping and other obstacles to parking have since eroded the number of public parking spaces near the point.

Several years ago… The coastal commission sent the city a letter of noncompliance.

The huge number of beach visitor cars parking along Cliffside and Birdview is generating hundreds of parking tickets…

But the agreement that set up the current no parking zones may be invalid .. in the eyes of Coastal … because the city has violated it.

And the simple fact is, California law has taken control of the coastline away from local governments and handed it to the Coastal Commission, which maximizes visitor access over environmental protections, or residents’ gripes.

That’s why Mazza is warning that 80 visitor parking places may soon have to be provided for at the southern end of Point Dume.

That letter of noncompliance sent to Malibu City Hall is the first step towards possible compliance enforcement against the city.

As for the house project on Grasswood … it was approved … without any requirement about removing bushes on the side of the street, where tourists might want to park.

Malibu’s Gas Stations Set To Reduce Lighting, After Years Of City Efforts And Resident Gripes

Malibu’s gas stations appear to be moving towards toning down their bright lights.

This is years after the city enacted a a dark skies ordinance. 

But the owner of the gas station on Point Dume is still spilling light off the property … not a lot … but it’s still a violation of Malibu’s Dark Skies ordinance.

The Planning Department has given the gas station extension after extension … and there Planning Commission was set to hear the matter last night.

At the very last minute ..,. the gas station cancelled their set of plans.

City Planning Director Richard Mollica says those plans for Point Dume need to be in to the office by tomorrow … or else. 

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“The code enforcement officer has put those people on notice that if we do not receive those plans by the fifth (of April) that starting Wednesday they will be subject to daily fines.

“It’s about a $500 daily citation as pretty as what I have been told.

 “If we do not receive a complete. And those will start on Wednesday the fifth if we do not get a complete submittal.

“The applicant was made aware that it cannot be a partial submittal… if there was a dollar they can’t give us $.99 cents … they owe us a full dollar.

There are six gas stations in Malibu, all of them had been in violation of the Dark Skies Ordinance.

One gas station has submitted its plans and has installed to low-intensity lighting … that complies with all the rules.

That would be the Chevron at Webb Way and PCH … 

Four gas stations have submitted their lighting plans and are going through plan check.

They have to have their lights dimmed … pointed downwards … and color corrected on a deadline.

City planning director Richard Mollica says the Pojnt Dume gas station owner has told the city it will have its plans at City Hall by Wednesday.

Or else.

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“Code officers already involved … contacted them today … and starting Wednesday … the citations will start.”

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Horvath Quietly Walks Away From Plan To Depopulate County Jails

Two LA County supervisors … including westside supervisor Lindsay Horvath … have proposed emptying the county’s jails.

But the plan landed like a lead balloon … and has been withdrawn.

Supervisors Hilda Solis and Lindsay Horvath called it a plan to “depopulate and decarcerate Los Angeles County jails.

It collapsed yesterday … in the face of howls of outrage from fellow supervisors, law enforcement, prosecutors and even the ACLU.

Late yesterday … Solis pulled the item from the board’s agenda.

Since details of the plan became public, Solis said, “My office has received concerns from a variety of stakeholders — those who feel the motion is not doing enough and those who feel it is doing too much. To that end, I will be referring the motion back to my office so that I can continue to gather input from all stakeholders.”

In their motion … Horvath and Solis wrote that a “humanitarian crisis” exists in LA County jails.

They called for a plan “to depopulate and decarcerate” the jails … and to create programs that would keep more people out of a jail … even after they are convicted of misdemeanors and some felonies.

Horvath and Solis wrote that depopulating the jails is necessary “to redress historical wrongs, deeply rooted in systemic racism and prejudice, and reverse status quo responses to poverty, mental health and medical needs, and substance use dependencies”

They proposed asking local law enforcement to cite-and-release people who get arrested for low level crimes.

They proposed eliminating bail … to allow arrestees to walk free immediately after certain low-level arrests instead of being booked into jail. 

The Los Angeles County Police Chiefs Association said it was blindsided by the proposal.

The Association of Deputy District Attorneys called the depopulation plan “dangerous and reckless,

The president of the deputy sheriffs group called it “a confusing mix of ideas.”

Two of the three other supervisors Janice Hahn said they would not support the proposal.

People were furious over the weekend.

Fox News picked up the story … another example of woke … they said.

Yesterday … Hilda Solis raised the white flag.

“Never did we once expect for people to come out and pick this thing apart as they did,” she told the L A Times.

Horvath was silent.

This item is based on reporting on ABC7, the LA Times, and the LA Daily News.

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Coastal To Consider Emergency Repairs For Hillside Holding 5 Mobile Homes Above PCH

The California Coastal Commission is considering allowing emergency repair is just above Pacific Coast Highway… where five mobile homes are in danger of falling on the PCH near Temescal Canyon.

An emergency coastal development permit is on the agenda for next week… at the Pacific Palisades bowl mobile home Estates.

Unit one through five at the trailer park are sitting on a slope that is dissolving with every rainfall.  The hillside right above PCH north of Temescal Canyon Road has been a long-standing problems.

This could result in potential undermining and damage to five existing mobile homes.  The most recent erosion is the  latest landslide threat at the mobile home park.

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Parents Asked Opinion On School Safety In Malibu

Malibu parents are being asked their opinions on the safety of their kids schools.

The school district says … the survey provides an opportunity for members of the Malibu Schools community to provide their thoughts on current security conditions, share areas of concern, and offer ideas for security enhancements.Questions like … How safe do you feel at Malibu Schools buildings?

What areas do you feel Malibu Schools could improve upon from a security perspective?  

Do you feel safe in Malibu Schools’ buildings and on campus at night?

Are there any areas of the campus (interior or exterior) which you avoid?

We have a link to the survey posted in the KBUU Newswire later today.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=zpjrC69tPE6U_bSXmNO5fZt5TXf14jFMliOn2F6VokxURUNXTExENEI2QTdPWDBPQVVENjdTQk9XNS4u

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SCE To Explain Power Outage Plans, After Fewer Blackouts Last Fall

Remember this planned power outages from a few years ago??

Southern California Edison called them PS PSs… public safety power shut offs.

We call them what they were… Planned power outages to reduce the chance of a fire…

Southern California Edison has remarkably reduced the number of both actual power shutoffs … and possible power shutoffs.

In fact… We went through an entire fire season without any planned power outages in Malibu. And that includes the troublesome Cuthbert circuit… Which some years had nine or 10 power outages instigated by the power company.

The state change the law about a decade ago… To allow power companies to black out vulnerable areas during Highwind Santa Ana’s and dangerous fire seasons.

Later this month…the California Public Utilities Commission will host public briefings for Southern California Edison to present to the CPUC and the public on their Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) program and events in 2022. T

he electric utilities will provide updates on their efforts and coordination with public safety partners, critical infrastructure and facilities, and customers, including those most vulnerable or with access and functional needs in 2022. 

This will be on April 18th.

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The Storm Door Is Closing, As Pineapple Express Departs North Pacific

The Pineapple Express has left the station.

The latest collection of weather computer models show … it looks like California’s historic wet season finally is coming to an end. 

But not before another series of low-pressure systems brings more rounds of wind off the Pacific Ocean toward the West Coast. 

Atmospheric rivers generated a constant stream of moisture between Hawaii and California from early December to the middle of March. 

Low-pressure systems blowing down from Alaska could tap into these rivers as they made their way toward California, evolving into powerful storms. 

The pineapple express drummed 30 to 35 inches of rain this winter to the Malibu area.  That atmospheric river is running dry, and that pattern looks to continue into early April.

Low clouds, a sea breeze and mist — characteristics that Malibu residents will recognize as the marine layer. 

The stage is set for a seasonal transition over the next couple of weeks.

Say it together … late night and early morning coastal clouds and mountain fog.

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from Rancho del Cielo.

For 8 years … Rancho del Cielo has been a partner to public radio in the Malibu.

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Support for KBUU radio comes from Mad Interior Art.

Based in the fashion capital of the world, Milan, Mad Interior Art selects remarkable crystal, porcelain and stone art objects with a remarkable artistic depth …  created by the biggest names on the Italian and international scene.

Shop from home.  Fast shipping.

Mad Interior Art dot com … from Milan to Malibu … supporters of Radio Malibu. … KBUU.

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from Sea N Soul Surf, at Zuma Beach Plaza

A coffee barista … the locals’ place to find entry level surfboards for a grom … or a handshaped blade for a pro.

Sea N Soul Surf… clothing, coffee and boards for the Malibu lifestyle … under Spruzzo’s …across from Zuma Beach.

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Support for Radio Malibu KBUU comes from the Mark and Grether Real Estate Group.

Combining the talents of Tony Mark and Russell Grether… 

The Mark and Grether Group offers concierge-level service… personalized attention… to buyers and sellers… landlords and tenants … here in Malibu.

The Mark and Grether Group… a top producing team with 35 years of experience… and over $1 billion worth of real estate sold in least… from Malibu’s coastline to the canyons.

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from the Malibu Brewing Company.

Malibu Brewing Company is a locally owned craft brewery, proudly supporting our community, and local public radio.

The tap room at Trancas Country Market is open… 

And the Malibu Brewing Company is serving its Oktoberfest fest beer … a traditional lager with notes of toffee … moderate malt flavors and delicate hops. 

A chef prepared menu to enjoy on the patio or inside.

Malibu Brewing Company Malibu California

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Support for KBUU radio comes from Saguaro Technology.

Based in Malibu … Saguaro Technology offers software development and other engineering services across the entire product life cycle… and across several industries.

Life sciences, automation, robotics. 

Saguaro Technology engineers work side-by-side with the client to extend engineering teams… to create and launch products faster… and more cost effectively. 

Saguaro Technology can be reached at saguarotech.net

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from the Malibu Foundation.

The Malibu Foundation underwrote the KBUU solar panels and batteries at the transmitter … which keeps KBUU’s FM transmitting on 99.1 during storms and blackouts… 24 seven… on clean renewable Malibu sunshine.

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You can hear the news live every morning until 9:30 on KBUU.

FM 99.1 in western Malibu.  Also: streaming at www.radiomalibu.net

Between 10 and 2 … you can hear the newscast playback loop on KBU2. That’s on FM 99.1 HD2 in your car, or streaming at s7.viastreaming.net/6500

If humanly possible, the KBUU NewsScript is usually published at around midday at www.radiomalibu.net