Ready to rumble
It has been shake, rattle and roll for many Malibu residents as a powerful surf pounds away at many beachfront homes. Unusually high surf of 6.7, 6.8 and 6.9 feet were recorded throughout the week with an unsettling 7-foot surf hitting at 9:05 Tuesday night. David Weiss, longtime Malibu structural engineer, said the conditions are largely cyclical. “It’s not necessarily the melting of the polar ice caps,” Weiss said. “It’s really a combination of high tides and high surf. If there wasn’t any wave action, you probably wouldn’t even notice.”
Throw in storms off the coast of Mexico and the water levels could get even higher. “Anytime you see a disturbance out in the ocean, our southern beaches get nailed,” Weiss said.
He added that the storms should serve as a common sense reminder for anyone living on narrow or wet beaches to maintain their property, checking for corrosion and cracks as well as wear and tear.
Planning Commission meeting days changed
At its meeting on Monday, the Planning Commission voted to change the days of its meeting from Mondays to the first and third Tuesdays. According to the commission staff report, the new schedule will “accommodate the members of the Planning Commission and best suit the needs of the city.”
Clippers owner sued for alleged housing discrimination
The U.S. Department of Justice on Monday sued Malibu resident Donald Sterling, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers and a real estate mogul, for alleged housing discrimination. According to the suit, Sterling refused to rent apartments in Koreatown, Beverly Hills and other areas of Los Angeles County to blacks and families with children.
This is not Sterling’s first run-in with housing discrimination allegations. He settled for an undisclosed sum last year after being ordered by a judge to pay nearly $5 million to plaintiffs’ attorneys who had accused him of discriminating against black and Hispanic tenants.
A call was made on Tuesday to attorney Michael Kennick, who has represented Sterling in previous lawsuits. It was not immediately returned.
-Kim Devore and Jonathan Friedman