I knew a man who purchased some property which was already under construction in Malibu (before it was a city). A wall and a fence surrounded this property, a foundation already existed, a septic system had already been installed and a swimming pool was in the process of being completed. The man changed some elements in the design and received all approvals from the county. The day he broke ground, Malibu became a city!
The next day, a Malibu city inspector arrived at the property and informed his contractor to stop the construction. In order for construction to proceed within the City of Malibu, the property had to be vested under Malibu law. There was a three-month delay in construction before the City approved construction on the site, resulting in a loss of over $1 million.
As it turned out, the site consisted of two contiguous lots, one to the north of the other and the city/county line was drawn directly between the two. The only access was through the southerly lot, which is totally in the city, while the entire house is in the county. The city had no right to stop his construction in the county!
He was advised that he had good cause to sue the city (and would probably win the lawsuit). He chose not to cause the city additional hardship, after all the turmoil the city was going through (a multitude of lawsuits).
This man pays taxes to both the city and the county, but unfortunately he can’t vote in city elections. For two of our council members (Mayor House and Councilmember Hasse) to castigate him by negatively stating he “who doesn’t even live in the City of Malibu” as though he is an outsider, is pitiful. His interests are only for the good of the community. I am proud to call this man a friend to both me and to the City of Malibu. His name? Ozzie Silna.
Steve Karl Karsh