Thanks to the concern felt by Mayor Keller’s staff a copy of the letter from Jack Read was faxed to my office prior to publication in your “Letters to the editor” section. I immediately went out to Malibu Lagoon to personally confirm Mr. Read’s disturbing discovery. Unfortunately the toilets in question were still full and obviously in need of service. I did realize that the facilities in question were not the responsibility of State Parks, my first hint being the fact that “L.A. Beaches and Harbors” was stenciled on the side of the units in question. To their credit the county was extremely responsive to my request to get the toilets pumped.
In my discussions it became evident that some uncertainty exists regarding jurisdictional responsibilities at the Lagoon. I have discussed the incident with all agencies involved. Everyone agrees that the public should be able to experience a seamless high quality recreational experience when they visit Malibu Lagoon and Surfrider Beach. There is no excuse for a visitor to be forced to use an unsanitary public facility. But let’s not point fingers. As public agencies, State Parks, the county of Los Angeles and the city of Malibu have a responsibility to work together to insure that our visitors can experience the best Malibu has to offer.
Hayden W. Sohm,
Malibu Sector superintendent