Water board to host public meeting on Civic Center septic ban
The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board staff will hold a public meeting Sept. 1 at 10 a.m. in the Fireside room at Pepperdine University to discuss a proposed amendment to prohibit on-site wastewater disposal systems, or septic systems, in the Civic Center area.
The public hearing on the proposed septic ban was scheduled to take place Oct.1, but has been changed to Nov. 5. The hearing will be at 9 a.m. in the Board Room of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, 700 N. Alameda Street in Los Angeles. At the public hearing, the public will have an opportunity to comment on the proposed prohibition.
The purpose of the proposed septic ban is to stop and prevent impairment of groundwater and surface waste in the Malibu Civic Center area, and to help restore beneficial uses designated for groundwater, Malibu Lagoon, and nearby beaches. The prohibition would also reduce public nuisance resulting from reliance by many commercial septic systems dischargers on tanker truck transport for a portion of the sewage generated by activities on their sites, the water board states in a press release.
The proposed prohibition would affect existing and future septic systems in the Malibu Civic Center area, including Malibu Valley, Winter Canyon, and the adjacent coastal strips of land and beaches. The prohibition would apply to systems that serve individual properties (residential, commercial, industrial and public properties) as well as groups of those properties.
More information can be obtained online at www.waterboards.ca.gov.
School district approves contracts for campus improvements
The Board of Education of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District at its Aug. 19 meeting approved contracts for campus improvement investigations to begin at Webster School, Point Dume Marine Science School and Malibu High School.
The board approved a $153,800 contract with GeoConcepts, Inc., for additional septic system investigation services at Webster Elementary School, $2,880 of which will be funded by the Measure BB program. The contract includes the installation of two monitoring wells on the school site.
The board also approved a $156,700 contract for additional septic system investigation services at Malibu High School, $2,900 of which will be funded by the Measure BB program. The investigation will determine the water quality resulting from septic systems at the Malibu High School and Juan Cabrillo Elementary School sites, as required by the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.
The next SMMUSD meeting is scheduled to take place Sept. 3 at the District Administrative Offices. More information can be obtained online at www.smmusd.org.
Topanga property owners lose suit against Coastal Commission
In a dismissal of two Topanga Canyon property owners’ allegations that the California Coastal Commission violated their civil rights by trespassing on their Topanga Canyon property, a judge on Tuesday ruled in favor of the Coastal Commission on all counts.
The action by Superior Court Judge Luis Lavin granted the commission’s request for summary judgment, ruling that the issues raised in the case did not warrant further review. The ruling exonerates the agency, as well as two Commission employees named in the suit.
The case involved illegal roads, grading and tree removal on property owned by Dan Norris and Peggy Gilder. Because the property is located in the coastal zone, these activities required a coastal development permit. A site visit in October, 2005, was authorized by a court order. After verifying illegal development on site, the Commission issued a “Notice of Violation” on the property and told the owners to apply for a permit. The owners refused, and sued the Commission. Last year, a Superior Court upheld the Commission’s action and threw out five of their 8 claims. Today’s action eliminated all remaining claims.
The case has generated controversy, because Gilder’s friend, Richard Oshen, filmed the site visit and used it as the basis for a documentary that is highly critical of the Coastal Commission. When the Commission requested copies of the footage as evidence in the case, Oshen complained that the Commission was trying to censor him.
Lavin’s ruling dismissed every one of the defendants’ claims, including the claim that the Notice of Violation was a “taking” of their private property. The allegation that the site inspection violated their civil rights was found to be “without merit.” The judge found the Commission staff’s actions to be “objectively reasonable,” and found “no triable issues of material facts,” states a press release from the Coastal Commission.
-Olivia Damavandi