Lawsuits, failed launches of tours and more hold up pier operations.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
The future of the Malibu Pier could include a 400-person capacity cruise ship that would take people from the pier to a ride up and down a portion of the coast while they enjoy a nice dinner and the scenery. But that cannot be a reality, says a Malibu couple, who would run the ship program, because one of the two operators of the pier refuses to cooperate.
“We have the blessing and consent of Jefferson Wagner, but his partner [Alexander Leff] evidently is holding things up,” said Malibu resident Dianne Wachs.
Leff did not return several calls for comment. Previously, a Mark Zuckerman has spoken on behalf of Leff for media inquiries. A representative for Leff told The Malibu Times that Zuckerman no longer works for Leff, but did not get into specifics.
Wachs said she and her husband, Joe Feese, are certified captains with the U.S. Coast Guard and have run similar ship services elsewhere. She said she proposed the idea to Leff, who lives in the Bay Area. He requested more information about the couple. She sent it to him along with a synopsis of their plan, and received acknowledgement that Leff had received the information, but nothing more. That was several weeks ago, Wachs said.
There appears to be confusion over who is in charge of deciding whether the cruise operation can exist. Wagner said a request was submitted to the California Department of Parks and Recreation recently about the cruise, and he expected to hear from the state, which owns the pier, about whether it was a valid possibility. But on Tuesday, State Parks spokesperson Roy Stearns said whether the cruise could operate is up to Malibu Pier Partners LLC, the state-selected operators of the pier made up of Wagner and Leff, and the cruise operators.
“We [the state] have no connections to what might be a proposal to people who have the boat,” Stearns said. “They would have to enter into a contract with Malibu Pier Partners.”
Another venture that was announced to the press several weeks ago regarding whale watching tours that would begin this month never came to fruition. A reporter, who was told the first tour would take place on Feb. 17, showed up at the pier, but no tour boat was in sight. The new representative for Leff said they would not take place.
In December of 2004, Malibu Pier Partners LLC signed a 20-year contract with the California State Parks Department in which the partnership would be responsible for all concessions operating on the Malibu Pier, including food service, retail, sport fishing boat tours and beach equipment rental. The food service concession included operating in the building formerly known as Alice’s restaurant along with two other buildings and two food service carts.
Various issues have delayed the full opening of the pier, including recent lawsuits that are still unresolved. Jay Sadofsky, who operated a weekend-only food and beverage service called Mo’s at the eastern base of the pier, has filed a complaint against Malibu Pier Partners alleging breech of contract, among other complaints. And Jeffrey Bonhach, who said he served as director of development for Malibu Pier Partners from June 2004 to March of 2006, filed a lawsuit alleging he was unfairly terminated from the position.
A city landmark, the 98-year-old Malibu Pier has been battered and bruised over the years by nature as well as by man. Built in 1905, the pier was originally privately owned by Malibu rancher Frederick Hastings Rindge. A 1942 storm severely damaged the structure, but it was rebuilt two years later and used as a U.S. Coast Guard station during World War II.
The state took over the property in 1980, and with the legendary Alice’s Restaurant perched at the end of the pier, the site served as a popular fishing spot, movie backdrop and eatery. The structure’s heyday ended in 1995 when an El Niño storm forced it to close.
The current makeover of the Malibu Pier began in 1999 with a three-phase reconstruction plan funded collectively by the county, the state and the city. The first two phases focused on stabilizing the structure, updating the pilings, remodeling the buildings, and adding a boat landing and a sewage treatment system. The parking lot that abuts the pier was repaved.
Restoring the interior and exterior of the pier’s buildings are a part of the third phase of reconstruction. The original architectural elements of the pier and its buildings are being kept intact.