The Malibu City Council on Monday voted to add an ordinance to the city’s municipal code that would prohibit skateboarding and similar activities in certain areas of the city, such as steep canyons and parking lots, where they are considered dangerous. The city will post signs prohibiting skateboarding on 10 public streets; violators will be fined between $25 and $100.
“The intent is not to ban skateboarding in the City of Malibu,” Reva Feldman, city administrative services director, said. “The intent is to protect the public and also the city.”
The city was contacted by the California Joint Powers Insurance Association, which insures the city, due to recent media articles regarding skateboarding in the Malibu area. Skateboarding on long skateboards down steep hills is a popular trend with skateboarders, and many other cities have experienced skate-related incidences that resulted in injuries and litigation.
The CJPIA suggested that the city adopt an ordinance prohibiting skateboarding and other similar activities including roller blading in certain areas, particularly on public streets, in order to prevent possible injuries to members of the public and to protect the city from possible litigation.
A number of residents and individuals from cities such as Venice and Culver City showed up to the council meeting to oppose the ban.
“I can certainly appreciate the concern that the insurance company has put forth, but I can assure you what we do on weekends is a lot safer than what motorcyclists and sports car drivers do,” Venice resident Timothy Huber said to the council Monday night.
The ban has its roots in the Orange County town of Mission Viejo, Jonathan Shull, chief executive of the CJPIA, told the Los Angeles Times yesterday.
In 2004, a 17-year-old boy skating down a Mission Viejo street suffered a brain injury after taking a fall allegedly caused by a street defect.
The boy’s family filed a lawsuit claiming municipal negligence, in which they asked for money to help care for him for the remainder of his life.
California liability law states a city may have to pay the full settlement if a jury decides it was even 1 percent responsible for an injury, Shull told the Los Angeles Times.