Letter addressed to Mayor Paul Grisanti
The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) is writing to correct your misunderstanding of and recent misstatements about, including those published recently in The Malibu Times, the MRCA’s intentions regarding the MRCA and State Coastal Conservancy’s proposed Malibu Coastal Access Public Works Plan (PWP).
Specifically, in its May 26, 2021, article, The Malibu Times states: “Grisanti told The Malibu Times he believed the MRCA has been working for years on a proposal to open the beach more to the public. In fact, Grisanti believes the MRCA will present that proposal—which includes plans to open a dozen or so Malibu beaches in total—at a June Malibu City Council meeting.”
In your statement, we believe that you are referring to, albeit with many factual errors, the State Coastal Conservancy and MRCA’s proposed Malibu Coastal Access PWP which is under development along with its EIR. This proposed PWP contains public access improvements to seventeen Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) and MRCA owned and/or managed coastal property interests, most of which were required as Coastal Commission permit conditions for residential developments. Some, like the SMMC-owned and MRCA-managed property commonly known as the “Carbon-La Costa property,” contain a parcel dedicated as a condition of a coastal development permit as well as a parcel purchased for fair market value. Some are public access easements or deed restrictions over private fee properties and some are fee title purchases at fair market value. But all of the properties in the proposed PWP are restricted to use for public access purposes.
The Coastal Act provides for the preparation and certification of public works plans to promote greater efficiency for the planning of any public works projects and as an alternative to project-by-project review. A PWP is statutorily before the Coastal Commission for its approval. The Coastal Commission may approve a PWP only if it finds, after full consultation with the affected local government, that the proposed PWP is in conformity with the certified local coastal program in the jurisdiction affected by the proposed public works. (See Public Resources Code sections 30321; 30605).
So, the MRCA will not present the proposed PWP to the Malibu City Council in June.
Elena Eger
MRCA coastal projects special counsel