Paparazzi committee to meet in Malibu
A meeting this Thursday of Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine’s L.A. Region Paparazzi Task Force is expected to attract a crowd of protesters.
There has been a campaign on the Internet encouraging people to rally outside the meeting’s location, the Malibu Performing Arts Center, in support of Malibu residents Skylar Peak and Philip “John” Hildebrand. They were charged with misdemeanor battery last month in connection with the June brawl at Little Dume Beach involving surfers and paparazzi trying to photograph actor Matthew McConaughey. A statement on the sign at Cross Creek Plaza advertising movie times has a notice encouraging people to attend the protest. A portion of the sign is rented out for advertisements.
Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich will attend the meeting, and is expected to formally unveil a proposed ordinance on the paparazzi issue crafted by her, Pepperdine University School of Law Dean Kenneth Starr and other legal minds.
The meeting will take place at 4 p.m. The Performing Arts Center is located behind City Hall at 23825 Stuart Ranch Road.
Notice of BeauRivage sale mistakenly sent out
Malibu residents received postcards in the mail this weekend advertising the sale of the BeauRivage Restaurant and the surrounding property. But an official from the real estate group listed on the advertisement said it was a mistake.
Ken McLeod of Grub & Ellis said his company had been in discussions with BeauRivage owner Daniel Forge about representing him in putting the property on the market. But a deal was never reached.
“We were preparing the material in an exploratory kind of scenario, and it accidentally went out,” McLeod said.
Forge could not be reached for comment. He has had the property listed for sale in the past.
Vineyard Church facing bankruptcy
The Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Malibu, which operates the Malibu Performing Arts Center, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Church representatives will appear in a Woodland Hills court on Oct. 28 for a status conference.
A legal notice appeared in this newspaper in August stating the Performing Arts Center property was in foreclosure. But church officials said last month this was not true. Rather, they said, there were some legal issues that needed to be settled and they were late on paying a loan because of last November’s Corral Fire.
Hearing to take place on Crummer deal
A public hearing will take place on Thursday to seek input prior to the drafting of a draft environmental impact report for a proposed deal that could bring a new ball field to the city.
The city and Richard Ackerman, the owner of the Crummer property located directly west of Bluffs Park, recently came up with a proposal that involves Ackerman building five 9,500- to 11,000-square-foot homes and donating a portion of the land to the city for the possible creation of a ball field and two open space areas that could be used for picnics or a dog park. Also, the Bluffs Park parking area would be expanded by 35 spaces onto the Crummer property.
The meeting will take place in the large conference room on the second floor of City Hall at 6 p.m.
Preparation begins for Rambla Pacifico road reconstruction EIR
Another hearing in preparation for a draft environmental impact report will take place next week on Wednesday at the City Council Chambers in City Hall at 5 p.m. This hearing is regarding the proposed reconstruction of Rambla Pacifico. There has not been an access road from Rambla Pacifico to Pacific Coast Highway since a landslide in 1984 closed a portion of the road. Various legal disputes have prevented the road from being constructed since that time.
In July, the city issued an emergency permit to allow the construction of the road without a hearing. But a homeowners group successfully got a judge to toss the permit. The judge determined the situation did not arise to an emergency. The city had cited the drought, the fire season and the thousands of statewide fires as evidence of an emergency.
Morning emergency response training offered
The city of Malibu, in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, will offer morning training for the Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, beginning next month. Most classes have been in the evening.
The free course headed by Emergency Services Coordinator Brad Davis teaches a variety of skills, with graduates becoming certified to be part of the official CERT effort during an emergency. The course will take place in seven sessions from Nov. 5 to Dec. 17 at City Hall. All classes will take place from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Those interested in signing up can contact Davis at 310.456.2489 ext. 260 or by e-mail at bdavis@ci.malibu.ca.us.
-Jonathan Friedman