Also, the council discusses a property owner’s preliminary proposal to build a ball field next to Bluffs Park.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
The City Council unanimously voted on Monday to increase City Manager Jim Thorsen’s salary from $156,000 to $170,400. The raise came despite Thorsen’s original contract, signed last year in April, not expiring for another year.
According to the staff report written by City Attorney Christi Hogin, the council conducted an evaluation of Thorsen’s performance two weeks ago during a closed session. Hogin then prepared the two-year contract.
Thorsen has a chance to make even more money next year if he receives another positive job performance review, with a potential 4.3 percent increase.
Also at Monday’s meeting, the council discussed the development proposal by Richard Ackerman, who owns the 24-acre Crummer property located adjacent to Bluffs Park on the east. The potential deal involves Ackerman building five homes approximately 9,500 to 11,000 square feet in size on the land. And, at his expense, he would build a ball field and create two separate open-space areas that could be used for various purposes. Also, the Bluffs Park parking area would be expanded by 35 spaces onto the Crummer property.
The council members expressed interest in the preliminary concept. Mayor Jeff Jennings said he would like to see if a second sports field could be squeezed in. Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich said she would like a teen center built there that could also be used as a senior citizens center during the day, and she wanted a skate park.
Even council meeting attendee regular John Mazza, a usual council opponent, approved.
“This looks great,” Mazza said. “In concept, it’s great.”
Mazza said he would also like to see a skate park there, because he said it would be a less dangerous location than the current one on the Schultz property, since eventually that could be part of a highly developed downtown area.
One idea for the open-space areas is a dog park. Jennings said that would not be a good option.
“We need a dog park [in Malibu],” Jennings said. “I’m not really wild about people having a dog park there. People are going to have their dogs there, and then bring them to the ball field. And it’s not really a good mix.”
Hogin said she would begin discussions about a specific development deal with Ackerman’s representatives, and said a final proposal could be ready by December.
Lastly, the council voted 4-1 to rescind its development agreement on the Windsail Restaurant property with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. The billionaire had inherited the agreement, which offered $400,000 to the school district and use of the restaurant as a community room in exchange for development benefits, when he purchased the property from Malibu resident Richard Weintraub in 2004.
But Ellison has developed a new project proposal, and no longer needs the development benefits, and therefore does not need to give the significant gift. However, his proposed 5,900-square-foot Japanese restaurant requires a Local Coastal Program amendment because of conflicting zoning designations with the city’s General Plant, so Ellison is still offering a community gift, although a smaller one. He has agreed to give the city $125,000 that will go toward the Legacy Park project.
Conley Ulich, who voted “no,” said that wasn’t good enough.
“I’m really bothered because when [Ellison] bought this property, he knew what terms were… and it bothers me now that he does not want to honor them,” Conley Ulich said. “[Ellison should] honor the obligations that you walk into. I think it’s dishonorable that [he] requests we relieve [him] of providing the community needs.”
Other council members expressed their displeasure that the donation had been decreased, but they said it was still decent.
The Planning Commission in January gave coastal development permit approval for the restaurant on the Windsail site and a 7,100-square-foot restaurant on the adjacent PierView Café property, also owned by Ellison. The PierView site project is ready to go, but the Japanese restaurant must still receive approval from the California Coastal Commission. Ellison’s project will be included later in the year in a package with several other amendments the city will send to the commission. The Coastal Commission historically supports visitor-serving commercial projects, especially in Malibu.