During a meeting to discuss a point of sale ordinance regarding septic systems, the mayor pro tem heavily criticizes local Realtors.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
Mayor Pro Tem Pamela Conley Ulich lashed out at Malibu’s Realtors during Monday night’s council meeting, criticizing them for not supporting the city and the community. Several local Realtors were in attendance to voice their opinions on a proposed ordinance that would require inspections on septic systems prior to the sale of a property.
“I’m really glad the Realtors are here tonight because, you know what, you’ve been absent lately,” Conley Ulich said. “[I’m] not [talking about] the ones so much in this room, but [the Realtors are] absent in our community… The Realtors used to be the number one donors for cancer research. If there’s anything the city needed, you guys helped. With the exception of a few of you out there, who are great, I guess my question is, ‘What happened?’ ‘Where did the city go wrong?'”
Realtor and political activist Paul Grisanti then shouted from the audience, “Is this agendized?”
Conley Ulich snapped back, “You can come up here when you’re elected and say the same thing.”
The mayor pro tem then went on to say that she did not think the Realtors were strapped for cash because three homes were recently sold for $30 million. Conley Ulich did not return a call Tuesday to discuss what she meant by her comments.
Grisanti said on Tuesday that Conley Ulich’s statements “struck me as rather strange.”
“I was disappointed that she decided to use the evening as an opportunity to attack Realtors, not those present, for failing to donate to charities she supports,” Grisanti said. “I thought it was definitely an unusual comment and I didn’t understand where it came from.”
Malibu Association of Realtors President Christine Rodgerson also attended the meeting. She said on Tuesday that she had no response to Conley Ulich’s comments.
The Realtors were in attendance on Monday to discuss the proposed Point of Sale Ordinance. The ordinance would require an inspection of all onsite wastewater treatment systems prior to the selling of a property. If the system were determined to be failing, the seller would be required to pay to repair it, or possibly replace it entirely. If a system were not inspected prior to a sale, it would up to the buyer to have it inspected within 90 days. It was proposed that an inspected system would not need to be looked at again if the home were resold less than two years later.
Many of the Realtors were troubled because it was not specified in the ordinance language what the minimum standards were for a septic system to pass the inspection. Mayor Jeff Jennings said he agreed with the city staff proposal not to include the standards in the ordinance because the standards would then be set in stone, but he said a checklist of some sort should be provided for the Realtors outside of the ordinance that could be an easy guide.
Some of the Realtors who spoke at the meeting were also displeased with what they said were the high costs of such inspections and possible replacements or repairs, plus the city staff’s unwillingness to guarantee documentation in what they considered a timely manner to confirm somebody’s septic system had passed the inspection. Councilmember Sharon Barovsky did say she was concerned about a hardship for people who did not have much money who were selling their home. There was no discussion by the council members about speeding up the staff’s deadline to get the documentation to the homeowners to confirm inspection approval. Jennings and other council members said they were pleased overall with the proposal that they said would be a first step in bringing all Malibu septic systems into a city database. But they said some of the wording was confusing. Jennings will meet with City Attorney Christi Hogin and City Building and Safety head Craig George to hammer out a new proposal ready for council review next month.
Rodgerson declined to comment Tuesday on what she thought about the council’s decision.
City wants to tax cell phone use
Also on Monday, the council reviewed an economic study of the city written by a consultant with some assistance from a committee of residents. The advice in the study that captured many people’s attention was a proposal to increase the allowable development on a property from a maximum of 20 percent of a lot to 60 percent. None of the council members said they would support this. The council voted to have the Economic Advisory Committee further review the document.
Also at the meeting, the council voted to place a measure on the April City Council election ballot to tax cell phones and Internet voice communication as utility user tax items. According to the staff report, the city generates approximately $961,000 of the $2.4 million tax through telephone usage. The report suggests that revenue is threatened because more people are using nontraditional telephone technology.
Santa Monica describes
PCH traffic projects
Lastly, a city official from Santa Monica conducted a presentation on four major projects coming up in that city, including two that will significantly affect traffic on Pacific Coast Highway. From approximately April 2008 to July 2009, a 1.6-mile stretch of bluffs from the McClure Tunnel to the northwestern city limit will be stabilized through draining and surface treatment. This will require northbound lane closures in 1,000-foot stages for one to three months at a time. The other project involves the replacement of the California Incline. This means the connector bridge from Ocean Avenue to Pacific Coast Highway will be closed from approximately July 2009 to May 2010. Both projects are still in the planning stages, so the dates of construction could change. More information on the projects can be obtained by contacting Vikki Zale at 866.755.7679.