The heated debate over PCB testing and cleanup at Malibu schools took on a somber note Monday night as 25 Malibu Unites spokespeople, parents, students and community members made an emotional appeal to Malibu’s elected city leaders, whom they insist are not pushing hard enough to take care of students and staff at the high school.
“I’ve also learned that many of the adults that we children count on to protect us and keep us safe are turning their backs on us,” said Gabby Williams, a seventh-grader who did not return to Malibu Middle School this fall.
“It’s clear that their main concern is not us. That is a very hard lesson for a child to learn,” she added.
Williams was one of several children to speak at Monday’s council meeting, where the issues at the high school were not an agenda item.
Since October, when several Malibu High and Middle School teachers first expressed their fear that multiple diagnoses of thyroid cancer among faculty could be traced to building materials in the high school, there has been turmoil surrounding the issue of safety at the school.
Before public comments began, City Attorney Christi Hogin said that because the item is not on the agenda, the council could not make any decisions. She added that although city officials “can certainly moderate a discussion,” they can’t “spend money or order that anything be done on a school site.”
This did not sit well with many speakers, including MHS mother Beth Lucas.
“I heard what you said, Christi, about what you can’t do,” said Lucas, “I would challenge you to look for what you can do.”
Lucas’s son Christian, a cancer survivor, still attends Malibu High, against the apparent wishes of his endocrinologist. Lucas read aloud from a letter she received from the boy’s doctor:
“Of course, the presence of carcinogens, including PCBs, is a potential health risk to each and every child whose bodies and brains are still growing and developing. But for Christian, however, the risk is much greater.” Lucas continued reading from the letter, “The presence of additional environmental carcinogens could create a perfect storm for Christian. For these reasons, I advise that he leave Malibu High School.”
Emotional speakers such as Lucas drew loud applause from the crowd, despite Mayor Skylar Peak continually asking for restraint.
Many public commentators addressed what they thought of as the failure of Malibu’s government.
“As a South African, I come from a country very familiar with state legislation that failed to see the humanity struggling beneath the blindness of its morals and its legislation. We’re in a situation not too dissimilar from that,” said Brenton Brown, the father of a Juan Cabrillo student.
Tara Buren, a mother of five whose family recently moved from Idaho to Malibu, insisted that there are things city officials can do.
“I’m here today as a new member, directly talking to Skylar,” said Buren, adding, “You guys have the ability to work up the chain of command.”
Former City Council candidate and father of a Juan Cabrillo student Andy Lyon also appealed to Mayor Peak.
“Skylar, you need to separate yourself from everybody up there. It’s your time to shine for Malibu. Everybody’s looking to you, you’re the mayor, step up, bail away from these guys,” Lyon said, adding, “I’m telling you, they have nobody’s interests.”
Mayor Peak thanked the speakers and audience for attending the meeting and added his own concerns.
“I don’t know how many of you know this, but my mom works in the library, the most toxic room on campus, and it gives me the shakes every time I talk about it, it’s super lame,” said Peak.
He added his words of support for moving the issue forward with state government.
“I think you’ve all been exposed to this in one way or another, and it’s a really lame thing,” said Peak, “but I hope that we can focus on getting letters… contacting the governor [and] hosting a public meeting.”
Former janitorial worker calls schools ‘filthy’
In addition to students and parents, one speaker, Marco Lopez, claimed to be the manager and owner of the commercial cleaning company responsible for the pre-school year cleanup at MHS, and went into detail alleging dirty conditions.
“I’ve never in my life seen such a filth, such a dirty place,” said Lopez, who detailed finding decomposing rats, cockroaches and food from 2009.
“I’m originally from Ecuador,” Lopez went on to say, adding, “None of the schools in Ecuador, in South America, a third world country, look as bad as the high school and the Juan Cabrillo Elementary School.”
Lopez said that he felt morally obligated to bring the issue to the City Council.
“The people at the school district are unethical and they are not professional,” said Lopez.
“If I don’t say anything, I would be failing to all the people here. It’s a moral responsibility,” Lopez said.
He finished by telling the gathered audience he would join them in pressuring the school district to act on Malibu High.
“If you need my help, if you guys need to fight with the school district, you’ve got me as your partner,” said Lopez.
