San Francisco County Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith issued a stay Friday afternoon on the controversial Malibu Lagoon Restoration Project until Oct. 1. The project was slated to begin June 1. Members of the Wetlands Defense Fund, which opposes the project, had filed a preliminary injunction to delay the start of the project.
The project, approved by the California Coastal Commission, is backed by groups like Heal the Bay, which maintain that the lagoon’s waterways are lacking oxygen, backed up from years of pollution.
Opponents assert that the lagoon has the ability to repair itself in time, and that the State Parks-led restoration, slated to begin in June, is invasive and could kill native wetlands and wildlife.
The City of Malibu has no power to stop the project, as it takes place on California State Parks-owned land. At its April 11 regular meeting, the Malibu City Council decided to remain neutral on the project after debating a motion to write an official letter to Governor Jerry Brown indicating either the city’s support or opposition to the plan.