Council may go live on TV Mayor says council

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members and public speakers will become “media stars” if meetings are broadcast live.Other mundane issues are discussed such as doors, film permits and cable negotiations.

By Sylvie Belmond/Special to The Malibu Times

At its quarterly meeting last week, the City Council explored the idea of clarifying film permit rules in Malibu and tried to resolve a senior center retractable door matter with the federal government. Councilmembers also reviewed its negotiation practices with Charter Communications and voted to go live on television when they meet twice a month.

Film permit ordinance murky

In an attempt to connect permit policies with city laws and to prevent confusion, the city plans to clarify its filming permit rules. Currently, the city only allows permits for 14 days of filming in one location, per year.

However, the existing ordinance “allows an exemption with a concurrence from the neighborhood,” said Mayor Jeff Jennings in a later interview.

This may be an unlawful delegation of city authority, which puts the decision in the hands of residents rather than the city, Jennings explained.

While cities can change that 14-day rule, it should be based upon some decision that has to do with a governmental purpose, not just whether or not neighbors can be convinced, he said.

“The problem is there have only been three films made in Malibu that went over 14 days in the last year, and two of them gave the city grief,” said Mayor Pro Tem Ken Kearsley.

However, there have been many movies made without trouble otherwise, Kearsley said, adding that the changes would make it more attractive for film companies to work in Malibu because they would know what they get.

But no decisions have been made on the filming regulations yet, said Julia James, administrative services director. “They [the councilmembers] have directed staff to do more research on the issue and come back to them at a later date.”

Open the door to $$

Funding for the new Senior Center from a Community Development Block Grant may not be available until a retractable door issue is resolved at the new City Hall on Stewart Ranch Road.

The city wants to install a retractable door between the Senior Center quarters and City Council chambers so seniors could use the chambers when they want more space to host special events. But the block grant funds cannot be used unless the center is exclusively used by seniors age 50 and over, and grant administrators are concerned the council might use the Senior Center space as well.

“They are concerned that the city will take advantage of it,” said Kearsley, noting the city promised it would never use the center. It just wanted to make more space available to the seniors for special functions. “They apply that rule very strictly, but it hurts the seniors not us.”

“The city is working with the Community Development Commission to try and resolve the issue of the retractable doors, but there is no way to determine at this time what they will decide,” said James.

Meanwhile, the center will not open this month since the project has not yet been approved by the CDBG commission, “and until it has, we cannot begin work on the tenant improvements,” James said.

The city will begin the move to its new location on Friday and will open on Aug. 6. City Hall will be closed Aug. 2 and 5.

No result for cable negotiations

The City Council also reviewed its negotiations with cable company Charter Communications regarding a franchise agreement. Charter has an exclusive use agreement with Malibu, which is common with many cities and cable providers. In return, cities receive perks from the cable companies, for example, studios for government and educational cable access. Presently, Malibu receives no such perks from Charter. The negotiations have not produced any results to date, despite the cost of $280,000 for attorneys and a facilitator.

“The negotiations are complex and complicated by the dynamic nature of the telecommunications industry,” said Katie Lichtig, city manager.

Given the status of the financial markets and the recent debacle with Adelphia, “proceed with caution” seems the watchword of the day for almost all other cities and counties, she added.

“Our next step is to sit down with Charter to discuss a more succinct approach.”

Look at me Ma, I’m on TV!

In a 3-2 vote, the council voted to consider broadcasting live City Council and Planning Commission meetings on public access Channel 15. Mayor Jennings and Councilmember Andrew Stern opposed the measure because some say it changes the dynamics of discussion.

At the meeting, Jennings pointed out the people he talked to who witnessed that sort of change in other city councils. Jennings said airing the meetings live has a tendency to cause people to play for the camera more. “People tend to be more dramatic or broader in their arguments, and it affects both the councilmembers and members of the public, turning them into media stars,” he said.