-Season high surf with 15-foot swells pounded the Malibu Pier and surrounding beaches, tearing out nearly 20 pilings from the pier, dislodging a septic system, and forcing the temporary closure of the beach. The Malibu Farm Cafe and Malibu Pier Restaurant were left without plumbing for several days as well.
-A pot-less Malibu was close to seeing a change as two potential pot shops, both in central Malibu, dueled it out in front of the Planning Commission. The unfortunate problem was that they were within 1,000 feet of each other, a no-no in the city code. Only one applicant could succeed.
-After 30 years, with a project that began years before we were a city, the would-be developer of the 148-room Rancho Malibu Hotel finally threw in the towel. The hotel was planned for PCH and Malibu Canyon Road, across the street from Pepperdine. But an alternate plan emerged for a cemetery or memorial park. So instead of building up for a story or two, Richard Weintraub is considering the alternative of building down for a story or two. He claims it’s environmentally sound, visitor-serving and will give us all an opportunity to stay close to home. However, unlike hotels, the city can’t recover a transient occupancy tax since the visitors would be here to stay.
