Malibu CA

OFF THE WIRE
http://www.malibutimes.com/articles/2010/06/17/news/news1.txt City votes to form PCH safety committee Published: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 12:21 PM PDT The council also votes to hire a motorcycle patrol unit. In addition, the council voices displeasure over the tight deadline for public comment on the septic ban.
By Olivia Damavandi / Assistant Editor
The Malibu City Council voted at its meeting Monday night to form a Pacific Coast Highway Safety Ad Hoc Committee and hire a motorcycle patrol unit from the Sheriff's department for one year beginning July 1. Also on Monday night, the council discussed the upcoming June 29 deadline for public comment on the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board's proposed septic ban for the broader Civic Center area.
In addition to its vote for an ad hoc committee, in further efforts to make the highway safer, Mayor Jefferson Wagner, Councilmember Lou La Monte and City Manager Jim Thorsen traveled to Sacramento on Tuesday (after this paper went to print) to meet with the Department of Transportation to discuss ways to reinstate the California Highway Patrol within Malibu.
Malibu is one of two cities in the state that does not receive traffic enforcement from the CHP for its state roads. Santa Clara is the other city. The California Vehicle Code specifies that CHP service in Malibu will be provided, if requested by the city, and if a contract is entered into between the state and the city. Also, if a contract is made for services, Malibu must pay for the service.
The loss of the CHP dates back to 1991 when Malibu became a city. In doing so, the city assumed responsibility for the roads and the highway in Malibu, as well as law enforcement, and entered into an exclusive contract with the Sheriff's Department. Some city officials in past interviews have said the decision was made because it would be more cost effective to have just the Sheriff's Department patrol the highway, since the CHP provides only traffic enforcement.
Members of the city's Public Safety Commission, who reported they have been holding ongoing meetings to educate Malibu High School students and local bicyclists on ways to increase highway safety, also attended last night's council meeting.
“We spoke at a few Malibu High School classrooms and most of the kids had no idea they couldn't drive and talk on the phone,” Dave Saul, an ex officio of the Public Safety Commission, told the city council. “Part of the education we need to continue in the city is with young kids. We brought to their attention driving under the influence, drinking on the beach, right of way...that has to continue. It's important for us to get the word out to kids because they're the new drivers.”
Public comment deadline for proposed septic ban cut short
A pending ban of septic systems in the broader Civic Center area is also back into the spotlight, following a June 9 notice issued by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The notice states a deadline of 12 p.m. on June 29 for public comment on the proposed plan, which was approved by the regional water board last November according to its assessment that septic systems are the major cause of pollution in the Malibu watershed.
The June 9 notice created some friction with the City of Malibu, however, because city officials said the water board had guaranteed a public response time period of 30 days rather than 20 days.
“Technically we only need to give 10 days [for public comment],” Nick Martorano of the regional board's Division of Water Quality said Tuesday in a phone interview. “We tried to give 30 days but it was up to the clerk's discretion and she made the deadline June 29.”
The proposed septic ban can only be enacted upon approval of the State Water Board. The state board will review the public comments and makes its decision on the proposed septic ban at an upcoming meeting on an undetermined date.
A draft plan of the regional board's proposed septic ban, on which public comments can be made, is available on the State Water Board's Web site, www.swrcb.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/tmdl/index.shtml#rb4. It can be received via mail by contacting Nick Martorano at 916.341.5980.
Comments on the proposed plan may also be sent to Jeanine Townsend, clerk to the State Water Board, by e-mail at commentletters@waterboards.ca.gov, faxed to 916.341.5620 or addressed to State Water Resources Control Board, 1001 I Street, Sacramento, CA 95814. The subject line should read “Comment Letter-Malibu Septic Prohibition.”
Actions from the Malibu City Council June 14 regular meeting
- Authorized an extraction of $48,415 from the general reserve fund for architectural design services of the new city hall
- Adopted a resolution to impose a fee on the collection of solid waste for residents and businesses within the Malibu Garbage Disposal District, which will be used to support the city's source reduction and recycling efforts
- Adopted the annual budget for Fiscal Year 2010-2011
- Formed the Arts Ad Hoc Committee of Council members Laura Rosenthal and Lou La Monte for the purpose of obtaining information on an appropriate arts program for the City of Malibu, and to report its findings and recommendations back to the council
- Formed the Emergency Communication/Public Relations Ad Hoc Committee of Council members Laura Rosenthal and Lou La Monte to discuss the city's options for communicating with the community and the greater Los Angeles area during emergencies, as well as to promote the ongoing business of and activities within the city and to study how the city utilizes its existing commissions