Geffen, Coastal Commission reach deal
The long battle between media mogul David Geffen and the California Coastal Commission came to a peaceful end last Wednesday in San Diego. The commission approved a deal with Geffen that gives him after-the-fact approval for a deck he added to his Carbon Beach home in 1983 in exchange for giving up a portion of his property to create a public-access point to the beach.
The Coastal Commission staff had recommended that a stairwell Geffen also built in 1983 should not be approved and be torn down because it is located within the public access point. But the Coastal Commission voting body allowed Geffen to keep the stairwell. In addition, Geffen has agreed to pay $125,000 to help build a metal ramp for people to access the sand from the pathway.
Stranded and found
Thirteen college students hiking the Backbone Trail off Kanan Dume Road were found by the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Mountain Rescue Team Sunday night shortly after the students called the station to say they were lost.
Lt. John Benedict said one of their students called the station at about 7:30 p.m. The rescue team was sent out shortly after that, and found the students.
Chili Cook-Off site to be blessed
A land blessing and ceremony led by Chumash spiritual advisor Alan Salazar will take place at the Chili Cook-Off site on Sunday. Leaders from religious organizations in Malibu will also participate in the event.
The city issued a press release this week stating that the purpose of the event is to show appreciation for the community’s help with the municipal purchase of the property. Approximately $1.5 million was raised from the public toward the $25 million purchase, another $500,000 was received from the nonprofit activist group Malibu Coastal Land Conservancy and $500,000 was donated by Civic Center commercial land owners Steve Soboroff and Michael Koss as part of a deal to settle their wastewater issues.
The first private donor to the 2005 acquisition campaign, Malibu environmentalist Mary Frampton, will be honored in a posthumous tribute. She died last month.
“Mary and the community saw a truly once-in-a-lifetime environmental protection and quality-of-life opportunity and seized it,” said Mayor Ken Kearsley in the press release. “Because of them, we are fulfilling a dream that will leave a legacy for generations to come.”
No Malibu screenings for Malibu Film Festival
Malibu Film Festival officials had hoped they could raise enough money to allow for some screenings of the April event to take place in Malibu. But festival head David Katz wrote in an e-mail to the press late last week that screenings at the movie theater in Cross Creek Plaza will not be possible because of construction in the parking lot.
The festival screenings will take place at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica from April 12 to April 15. There will be a closing night party at Geoffrey’s in Malibu. Katz wrote that there will be Malibu screenings next year.
Nominations sought for SMC alumni awards
The Santa Monica College Foundation is accepting nominations for the first-ever SMC Distinguished Alumni Recognition Awards. The deadline to submit nominations for two alumni awards is April 1.
“Santa Monica College has an incredible roster of alumni who have gone on-some quietly, others very publicly-to achieve the highest levels of excellence in their fields and in their communities,” said SMC Foundation Executive Director JoAnn Ortiz. “It would be a shame not to honor them.”
The awards have been established to recognize former SMC students who have distinguished themselves either through their professional achievements or by outstanding service to SMC or within their communities. Candidates must have completed at least 24 units at the college.
The awards are broken into two categories, Outstanding Professional Achievement and Distinguished Service, each with its own criteria. The guidelines and nomination forms are available at http://foundation.smc.edu/NETCOMMUNITY/Document.Doc?&id=4.
The alumni selected for the awards will be recognized at graduation ceremonies in June. For more information, contact SMC Foundation Associate Director Suzanne Hanks at 310.434.4180.
-Jonathan Friedman