City staff has recommended the upcoming Malibu Trancas Highlands Assessment District election be canceled by City Council at next week’s meeting, dampening hope that an election would occur on the major water project within the next few weeks.
In order for residents to officially voice their opinion on the water project, the city must facilitate an official legal vote. Before that vote can take place, residents must first vote to create the assessment district.
Although City Manager Jim Thorsen said the election for the creation of the district should be postponed indefinitely, in practice the cancelation will likely function more as a rain check for a future vote.
“We’re abandoning this process, the ballots will be destroyed, and if and when they get a performance bond together, we’ll be ready to get started again,” Thorsen said.
The reason for the cancelation, according to a release provided by the city, is the absence of a performance bond promised by a landowner. The performance bond, estimated at $2.5 million, is a guarantee for an easement road to be built connecting to the potential tank site. The tank would provide running water for residents of the Trancas Highlands neighborhood for the first time ever.
The bond was promised by Vitoil, Inc., the owner of the property where the tank and road will potentially be located.
“We had gone to him and said either you need to have this road built or you need to post this performance bond,” Thorsen said.
Residents, including Eric Myer, a project proponent, are taking the proposed cancelation in stride.
“It’s very disappointing, but it is what it is,” Myer said.
Myer also agreed with Thorsen that the cancelation of the vote is likely just a puddle along the road to an election to establish a district.
“The gentleman who is representing the property owner told me that they are working toward paying the bond; there have just been delays in the process,” Myer said.
“The City Council can initiate new proceedings to establish the Assessment District at a later date,” Thorsen said.
The Trancas neighborhood has never had running water. Originally, the homes operated on private wells, though since the wells were first dug in the 1960s, the vast majority of them have dried up, leaving homeowners to truck in water every day. The mile-long neighborhood, mostly on Anacapa View Drive, consists of about 75 parcels, all dependent on water wells or trucked-in water.
The project’s official history stretches back to 2001, although residents claim that neighbors have been looking into a water system for over 40 years.
Thorsen said that the long process could get moving again as soon as the bond is received.
“He can do that at any time,” Thorsen said.
The price is a major sticking point for neighbors who oppose the action, with dissenting groups of residents pushing for a private water system, outside of LA County Water District 29, that they believe will save money in the long run.
One of those neighbors is longtime Trancas resident Robert Bass, who has filed more than one challenge against the city in regards to the project.
Among those challenges was a complaint that the words “OFFICIAL BALLOT ENCLOSED” in bold 16-point lettering did not appear on the mailed ballots, as per state law. City staff responded to this complaint by re-printing the ballots. An additional balloting complaint was received by the city from Bass, but according to Thorsen it has been rejected.
When reached for comment, Bass referred to his previous complaints over proper balloting for the election, but did not comment directly on this latest road bump.
“Now over 15 years of homeowners’ efforts have been abandoned because according to the city; [Vitoil, Inc.] have decided to be on vacation and busy with business,” Bass said in an email.