Ongoing work by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) in Puerco Canyon has raised the suspicion of residents in the area who have been out protesting what they see as a lack of planning and oversight.
Numerous residents raised concerns that the trailhead would become unsafe with the popularization of the area, leading to more foot traffic. Others spoke about what they saw as blatant fire danger—since the canyon has only one way in or out. These and other issues were initially brought up by residents and the City of Malibu during and after a scoping meeting held for the MRCA’s Puerco Canyon Camp and Trailhead Project last July. Now, they are front and center.
For years, the state agency has planned a project in the canyon that entails creating a camping facility at the end of Puerco Canyon Road, located in unincorporated Malibu. One of the main goals of the facility was to serve “underserved and disadvantaged communities,” per a Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) annual report from 2016-17. Both the SMMC and MRCA fall under the control of Executive Director Joe Edmiston.
Puerco Canyon resident Gary Hoffman told The Malibu Times he had witnessed truckloads of dirt being brought in by the MRCA since March 13.
Hoffman and others reported seeing many truckloads of dirt being driven to the site over several days and expressed concerns that the dirt was encroaching on a blue-line steam, a move he alleged was “way over what you need for permitting.”
Rumors popped up earlier this month over alleged misconduct by the MRCA having to do with work on the site after news came out that the City of Malibu issued a stop work order for the agency—but Malibu spokespeople said it was a technicality that was soon cleared up.
Malibu Public Information Officer Matt Myerhoff confirmed the order was issued to the MRCA on March 13 by code enforcement officials. MRCA employees were unloading dirt into the middle of the road on city-owned land at the end of Puerco Canyon Road without a permit.
The agency then came back to the city for an encroachment permit, which was granted on March 26. City officials determined the work being done in Puerco Canyon was sound.
The permit was issued retroactively for trail repair work specifically, dating back to the 13th. Myerhoff said no other work is approved under the permit.
Hoffman and others believe the site is being developed to make money for the agency, not as a way to serve youth.
“The promotion by the MRCA that this is a development for the use of underprivileged children, to me, is really a cover for how they have used the property since they have acquired it, which is for profit-making events such as huge weddings and film shoots,” Hoffman said.
In an email to the LA County Planning Department shared with the the Times, Hoffman specified he was not “against the MRCA creating trails and having people hike through Puerco Canyon” but that he believed the “planning over reaches the resources of the site.”
Malibu Mayor Jefferson “Zuma Jay” Wagner has also rung alarm bells; in the last few weeks, Wagner visited the Puerco Canyon site to document the MRCA’s work. He was the one who initially pointed out the blue-line proximity to Hoffman.
“We’re getting stomped on,” he suggested.
The Malibu Times spoke with Tim Miller, deputy executive officer of construction, at the end of Puerco Canyon Road at the MRCA site on Tuesday afternoon, April 2.
He explained the state agency has recently been working to repair the road leading to its property, which was damaged in the recent heavy storms. He also stated it had applied for the state’s debris removal program.
On Tuesday, numerous officials from FEMA were also present onsite. They declined to comment for this article.
Wagner speculated, “Joe Edmiston’s MRCA will probably be applying to FEMA for expenses that he has incurred moving the soils from Ramirez Canyon to Puerco Canyon and the widening of the road in the county part of MRCA using FEMA funds.”
All official agencies that commented only addressed trailhead repair, and not any of the concerns raised by residents or the mayor—including the possible widening of the road in Puerco Canyon.
Residents mentioned they had been in contact with the County of Los Angeles Department of Regional Planning regarding the dump trucks they had witnessed.
When asked to address the residents’ concerns, Mitch Glaser, an assistant administrator with the county’s planning division, wrote in an email to The Malibu Times, “The MRCA has contacted us and let us know they need to repair culverts and damaged structures on the property.”
He added the organization was looking to apply for a coastal development permit (CDP) to make the necessary repairs.
The California Coastal Commission was not immediately available for comment regarding the project, though Miller said the MRCA had been in contact with the city, county and coastal commission.