The move comes after the California Coastal Commission denied a request by the school district to allow temporary field lights at Malibu High School. Students plan to fight for permanent lighting.
By Jonathan Friedman / Special to The Malibu Times
Permanent sports field lights at Malibu High School are no longer part of the school district’s official capital improvement plan funded through the 2006 voter-approved Measure BB. The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education voted to rescind the item at last Thursday’s meeting in Santa Monica.
Meanwhile, board members encouraged Malibu High School students who attended the meeting to fight for school field lights. The California Coastal Commission voted earlier this month to deny the SMMUSD’s request for temporary lights during football games and some practices because, among other reasons, it is not allowed in the city’s Local Coastal Program. The city council voted a few days later to start an expedited process to get that feature of the LCP changed. Any change to the LCP would have to be approved by the Coastal Commission.
Many community residents who live near the school’s field protested the use of any lights at all, due to environmental and other concerns.
Hap Henry, a football player and president of Malibu High’s Associated Student Body, offered to speak with community residents who oppose the field lights.
“As a former Malibu Park resident myself, I sympathize with the concerns of the current residents,” Henry said. “I am confident that some improved communication and increased compromise will go a long way in improving the district’s relationship with the school’s surrounding residents. And I have certainly not lost hope in living in a community where there’s little to no opposition to high school students both playing and observing healthy athletic events in a safe environment.”
The call for permanent lighting had been included as an item on the list of Measure BB projects that would only be funded if money were available to do it. Included in the permanent lighting plan was a proposal to turn Malibu High’s sports fields into a community athletic facility that could be lit up to 200 nights per year. Many community activists who fought the request for temporary lights noted this. Board member Barry Snell suggested at a recent meeting that removing this could lessen the opposition to temporary lights.
However, Malibu Township Council President Steve Uhring, who has been a vocal opponent, said the board’s action does nothing to change his opinion. He noted a statement made by SMMUSD Chief Financial Officer Jan Maez at the board meeting in which she said keeping permanent lights on the list of Measure BB projects would not “be cost-effective at this time.” She went on to say that some time in the future the district could “reconsider some kind of lighting of the fields, whether it was temporary, for 16 nights, whether it was for other athletic purposes or even in a larger community.”
“All they did was postpone stuff,” Uhring said.
Uhring and other opponents say field lights would disturb local wildlife as well as residents’ scenic views. The Coastal Commission staff said this was not the case, and had recommended the commission voting body approve the district’s request for temporary lights. But the 12-member commission unanimously rejected that recommendation.
Malibu High had been lighting its athletic field for night football games for many years, in violation of a Coastal Commission permit. When the Coastal Commission approved a permit for the upgrading of Malibu High’s athletic complex in 2000, lighting was banned, although the district never actually requested a permit for lighting. The request that went before the Coastal Commission this month was for an amendment to the permit.
Several Malibu High students attended the school board meeting to voice their displeasure for the Coastal Commission vote.
“When you think about everything you did in high school, a lot of that probably revolves around sporting events, Homecoming … and we don’t have that at all,” said Eden Concoff, a cheerleader and member of the Malibu Youth Commission. “And I think that’s unfair.”
Board of Education student board member Roya Sahafi said, “This is our senior year. And we’re not going to have a Homecoming. Even if we relocate our Homecoming, it’s not going to be the same.”
Hap Henry said he supports installing permanent lights at the school to be used for football, boys and girls’ soccer, and lacrosse. Henry said permanent lights would be more cost-effective than temporary lights. However, he does not support turning the field into a community sports complex.
All the board members said they support the students. They told them that this was an exciting opportunity to become involved in local politics.
“Try out your advocacy skills,” Board member Ben Allen said. “It’ll be a fascinating and important challenge. And this district will stand by you.”