If there is one thing that you can say about the California Coastal Commission, it’s that they are persistent. Last year, they had a bill in the legislative hopper that would have allowed them to impose fines on environmental violators administratively with fines up to $1,250 per day, without having to go through the courts. The Senate balked and the bill died somewhere in the Senate, but they’re back again this year with another bill to do essentially the same thing. The fact that they can’t take “no” for an answer may be one of the reasons that so many legislators are skeptical.
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We’ve been a city for more than twenty years, and it turns out, there were a bunch of land uses carried over from earlier days. They’re from when the rules were less stringent, which were originally grandfathered in. The catch is, they were grandfathered in for only twenty years and their time is now up.
If the city council doesn’t act to ameliorate the situation in some way, these land uses (50 non-conforming specific land uses) would have to be modified to meet the current codes. The problem with that is that many of these uses could never meet the current codes because they’re too densely built up, there isn’t enough parking, the septics would have to be upgraded significantly, they don’t meet the current fire codes, they don’t have the money or who knows what else.
The uses they’re talking about are primarily commercial and institutional. This includes seven churches and houses of worship, 18 restaurants, three day care/nursery facilities, three motels/B&Bs, etc.
We’ve printed the entire list of 50 in this week’s paper (see photo attached at left) and it includes Ralph’s Market, Pavilion’s Market, Coogie’s, Marmalade, McDonalds, Malibu Methodist, Our Lady of Malibu and many more. Check the list to see if you’re on it.
Interestingly enough, in the city staff report, they tell us how much the permits would cost (about $3,771 each), but make no mention of how much bringing all this into conformance with current codes might cost, if, in fact, it’s possible. Their dry and bureaucratic language seems to indicate a total lack of concern for what they’re actually proposing and a total detachment from the reality of the situation and the impact on our community.
It’s bad enough that the Regional Water Quality Control Board is bludgeoning us into building a massively expensive sewage system to solve a regional problem, and the water district is looking for $250 million or so to solve a fresh water problem 50 to 75 years in the making, but now the possibility that the city might also be piling on is a bit much to bear.
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Last week, we ran an environmental story about the inbreeding going on locally among mountain lions. The Ventura Freeway presents a rather formidable barrier for young eager male mountain lions that want to come across and try out their charms on our local lady lion population.
I can well understand the argument for genetic diversity, but I am mindful of the fact that for centuries, the Egyptian royalty mated brothers and sisters without untoward results, but perhaps they just kept it all a family secret. Still, the weight of scientific opinion appears to be that diversity is good, so I can certainly go along with that.
However, what I can’t go along with is the price. It looks to be about $10 million to build a wildlife corridor to allow those mountain lions to pass back and forth, which means we’re really thinking about a 20 to 30 million dollar deal, if past government construction history is applicable.
It seems to me that there are many cheaper alternatives available. After all, we have reintroduced wolves into many parts of the West, relocated disagreeable bears and moved polar bears around like chess pieces, not to mention the many efforts on many continents with elephants and tigers and such. Typically they catch, tranquilize and move them. It may not be nature’s way, but it generally works.
Now I can well understand why some young, rutting mountain lion stud looking for a little Saturday night action might not be eager to show up to be shot with a dart. But, never the less, we all have to put up with certain discomforts for the privilege of living in Malibu. Whether man or beast, $10 million does seem a little steep just for his sex life.
