Councilmember John Sibert angrily denies insinuations from a fellow city councilmember and a city council candidate the vote was political cover for his re-election campaign.
By Knowles Adkisson / The Malibu Times
The City Council waded knee-deep into the toxic debate over the Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project Monday, voting to spend up to $25,000 to hire an independent scientific organization such as the U.S. Geological Survey to review the conflicting scientific evidence cited by supporters and opponents of the project.
The unanimous vote marks a departure for the council. City Manager Jim Thorsen sent two letters to the California Coastal Commission supporting the project in 2010. But the council has not taken a formal position either for or against it, and declined to take a definitive decision at a meeting last April after opponents asked the council to either affirm or repudiate the two letters.
Now, the organization hired by the city will determine which of the science is true and not true and report back to the council by its March 13 meeting. The council would then come out either for or against the project. The project, which the city has no legal authority to stop, is scheduled to begin June 1.
Several councilmembers said the study was the only way to get to the bottom of a complex issue that has been clouded by misinformation.
“There are things that I’m hearing here tonight that I’ve heard many times before that I know are not true,” Mayor Laura Rosenthal said after several speakers asked the council to oppose the project. “I want an outside person who has no dog in the fight who can give their opinion on it.”
But others questioned the timing of the vote. The item was introduced by John Sibert, who faces re-election in the April 10 municipal election. Sibert has drawn heavy criticism from opponents to the project because he sits on the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, which supports the project.
City Council candidate and opponent Andy Lyon said the vote was only an attempt at appeasing voters in the run-up to the election.
“If you want to do something for the lagoon, take that $25,000 and put it towards an appeal of the project,” Lyon said. “Don’t sit here and stall us out and try to get to another election period.”
Fellow Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich, who opposes the restoration project and is leaving office in April due to term limits, later questioned Sibert directly on the timing of the vote.
“John, my question is, we looked at this last April 2011,” Ulich said. “Now it’s almost February, and all of the sudden you want an independent review. What happened in the last nine months that you want this?”
“What happened in the last month is this whole campaign has moved forward with misstatements from all sides, and I want to see it clear,” Sibert responded.
Ulich, who mistakenly thought Sibert was referring to the April City Council election, then said “you agreed with it [on the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission], now nine months later because of the campaign, you want to have a scientific study for $25,000.”
“I resent that statement,” Sibert said. “You have no evidence for that. All you can do is make an accusation.”
Ulich later apologized after Sibert clarified that by “campaign” he was referring to misinformation about the impending lagoon project. Outgoing Councilmember Jefferson Wagner said he thought Sibert had suggested the motion in good faith.
Meetings planned in small business debate
The council voted to create a stakeholders group of 10 participants who will represent all sides of the recent debate over protecting community-serving businesses in Malibu. Five of the members will come from a group called Preserve Malibu that wants an ordinance stipulating that shopping centers maintain spaces for local stores rather than national chains. The other five members will come from property owners and representatives in local shopping centers.
The aim of the group is to facilitate dialogue between the two sides. A community stakeholders meeting is also planned for the future.
Bicycle-friendly community
The council approved by a razor-thin 3-1 vote, with one abstention, an item to pursue a designation to be recognized as a “Bicycle Friendly Community.” The designation is made by a national group called the League of American Bicyclists. It is bestowed on cities that use re-engineered roadways to make bicycles a viable form of transportation, and then encourage bicycle riding through public education and enforcement.
Attaining the designation is expected to be a multiyear process.