The year 2006 in review

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March 30: The driver of this car crashed into Pacific Coast Greens market Saturday afternoon on Pacific Coast Highway, when, authorities said, the driver had put the car into Drive instead of Reverse. The driver suffered minor injuries, and no one inside the store was injured. Photo by Chris Wisner / Vivid Candy

Editor’s note: The staff of The Malibu Times has chosen the best in photos, quotes, letters and cartoons that have been published in the paper during the past 12 months; they have been reprinted throughout the paper. The following is a review of the past year’s events.

By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor

JANUARY

The year begins with four people entered in the City Council race. Incumbents Sharon Barovsky and Andy Stern are seeking re-election. Public Safety Commissioner Ryan Embree and political newcomer Ed Gillespie are also vying for the two seats. John Mazza, an opponent of the current council who attends almost every City Council meeting, joins the race later in the month. The council also unanimously votes to place a measure on the ballot that would increase term limits from two four-year terms to three.

As her last action before leaving, outgoing City Manager Katie Lichtig announces that Robert Stalling has been hired as the city’s new Parks and Recreation director.

Trancas Riders and Ropers members complain to the City Council that sheepherding classes at Malibu Equestrian Park are bothering the horses. The Parks and Recreation Commission later offers a plan for the two groups to share the park. The sheepherding program, however, soon ends.

A group of Malibu residents, led by former Planning Commissioner Richard Carrigan, files a lawsuit challenging Sharon Barovsky’s eligibility for the 2006 City Council election because a council member can only serve two terms. The group says Barovsky is in her second term, counting a partial term she served from 2000 to 2002 following the death of her husband.

FEBRUARY

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dzintra Janavs rules that Sharon Barovsky is ineligible for the City Council election. However, a Court of Appeal panel agrees to hear the matter the next week, and decides in a 2-1 vote that the council member can run. City Attorney Christi Hogin defends Barovsky throughout the legal battle, which Carrigan says is inappropriate because he says Hogin should be impartial in such matters. Hogin says her actions are appropriate because the lawsuit is technically against the city for allowing Barovsky to be on the ballot.

Opponents to the liquefied natural gas facility proposed for construction off the Malibu Coast cry foul when the federal Environmental Protection Agency says the facility will not have to meet California smog standards. It is later revealed that project applicant, BHP Billiton, lobbied the government prior to the decision.

The Malibu Times 2005 Dolphin Award winners are announced:

John Paul and Eloise DeJoria

Jo Giese

Kay Gabbard

Sherri Latta

Dede Solis

David Lyons and Scott Tallal

Steve Soboroff, Richard Green and Michael Koss

Malibu Legacy Project

After more than four years at the helm of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, Superintendent John Deasy announces his resignation in order to take a job as head of a large school district in the Maryland/Washington D.C. area. The Board of Education picks former Malibu High School Principal Mike Matthews to be the interim superintendent, and says it will take approximately a year to find a permanent replacement. Matthews, a Trancas resident, says he is interested in the job.

An Enzo Ferrari, a rare vehicle worth more than $1 million, flies 20 feet up an embankment, smashes into a power pole and lands on Pacific Coast Highway near Decker Canyon Road, severed in half and shattered into pieces shortly after 6 a.m. on Feb. 21. Two men are found standing next to the wreckage, one of them being Swedish video game company mogul Stefan Eriksson. The two men say neither was driving the vehicle, which was going an estimated 150 mph, but rather it was a man named “Dietrich,” who fled the scene.

MARCH

The Ferrari case deepens when it is disclosed by Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s officials that a 9mm Beretta handgun clip was discovered at the crash site. It is also reported that Stefan Eriksson, believed by the Sheriff’s officials to be the driver off the Ferrari, has convictions for racketeering and counterfeiting in his native Sweden.

Several Point Dume residents complain during a City Council meeting about the proposed Safe Routes to School project, a plan to create pathways along local streets for use by children walking to the local elementary school. The residents say there is little information about the project available, and that their questions to city staff about it have gone unanswered.

The Supreme Court decides 5-2 not to hear the citizens group’s challenge of Sharon Barovsky’s City Council candidacy. Barovsky says, “Now, I hope the campaign can move forward and we can discuss our accomplishments, our goals and our vision for Malibu.”

Some Malibu High School parents are angered when a student committee selects a novel about adult-oriented subjects, “Lovely Bones,” for a campus-wide reading event. School officials refuse to override the decision, and a letter is sent to parents from the English Department explaining that, “Good literature often deals with difficult, uncomfortable situations.”

The city officially takes ownership of the Chili Cook-Off site from the Malibu Bay Co. when the $25 million escrow on the property closes. Although there is almost unanimous enjoyment that the 20-acre property stretching along Pacific Coast Highway from Webb Way to Cross Creek Road has been purchased, some question the process. Originally, the plan was to raise most of the money through state grants. But shortly after being awarded the grant money, the city lost most of it for various reasons. The city then acquired enough money for the purchase through the issuance of certificates of participation.

A state Court of Appeal panel affirms its October decision that the City Council violated the Brown Act, the state’s open-meeting law, when it made a deal with developer Trancas PCH regarding development rights on a property owned by the company because the deal was reached during a closed-session portion of a council meeting.

APRIL

Incumbents Sharon Barovsky and Andy Stern are reelected to the City Council, and voters reject an increase to term limits by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. “I ran a positive campaign and I think the voters responded to me,” says top vote getter Stern. Most of the candidates accused others of negative campaigning, with Mazza saying Barovsky ran a “whisper campaign.”

Stefan Eriksson is charged with seven felonies and two misdemeanor drunk driving charges for his involvement in the Ferrari crash, and an alleged insurance scam involving a Mercedes his wife was driving when stopped by Beverly Hills police.

Agoura Hills Assistant City Manager Jim Thorsen is hired as Malibu’s city manager. Thorsen has no experience as a city manager, but the man with a public works background says, “My 20-plus years of experience have educated me for city management.”

Catcalls, jeers and hisses greet BHP Billiton officials and those who favor the company’s plan for an LNG facility off the coast of Malibu during a hearing at Malibu High School hosted by the state Lands Commission and attended by more than 300 Malibu residents. Company President Renee Klimczak is booed and unable to complete her speech.

MAY

The Malibu Times celebrates the 60th anniversary of its first issue on May 2. The weekly newspaper was founded by Reeves Templeman and William Macfayden after Templeman, a Malibu resident who wrote for a newspaper in Topanga, decided his area needed its own publication. The original home for the Times was a garage behind the post office in La Costa Plaza on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Rambla Vista. The Times has been published every week without interruption since the first issue.

The Environmental Defense Center, a nonprofit group, files a 143-page critique of the draft environmental impact report for BHP Billiton’s proposed liquefied natural gas facility.

A French national says he was assaulted by a Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s deputy while relaxing on a public portion of the beach on Malibu Road. The accuser, Jean Philippe Chabassier, says a Malibu Road resident told him he was on private property, and contacted the local Sheriff’s Station. Sheriff’s officials decline to comment, but say they are investigating the matter.

The Pepperdine University men’s tennis team wins its first national title with a 4-2 victory over the previously undefeated University of Georgia. The Waves (36-2) avenge both their losses of the season with a victory over the University of Texas in the semifinals and the win in the championship. “They played their guts out and fought for every point,” head coach Adam Steinberg says. “They really deserve to be champions.”

JUNE

Interim school district Superintendent Mike Matthews announces he has withdrawn his name as a candidate for the permanent position. He says he believes the Board of Education is looking for somebody with more experience, and there is no reason to remain a candidate if he does not have a chance to be a finalist. Later in the month, Matthews accepts a position with a private education firm.

School board President Julia Brownley coasts to victory in the election for the Democratic nomination for the 41st state Assembly District race with 35 percent of the vote. Despite spending nearly $1 million on his campaign, more than four times as much as Brownley, Calabasas Mayor Barry Groveman finishes a distant second with 27 percent of the vote.

The Phoenix, a historical glass-bottom boat en route from Newport Beach to Northern California, sinks off the Malibu coast as the result of a crack in its hull. The four-person crew is rescued by lifeguards and police boats after they unsuccessfully attempt to pump water out of the boat. The 76-year-old vessel is said to be the world’s largest glass-bottom boat, weighing 112 tons.

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy holds a public hearing on its plan to enhance its Malibu parks in Ramirez, Corral and Escondido canyons with overnight camping sites and trails, as well as other improvements. The proposal is called a public works plan, and does not need to go before the City Council, only the California Coastal Commission.

Nine candidates submit offers to the city to rent the 2.2-acre Malibu Lumber site on the city-owned Chili Cook-Off property. The city needs to find a tenant for the vacant site because its plan to pay off the debt from the Chili Cook-Off site purchase involves rental income from the property’s tenants.

The David Geffen-owned Malibu Beach Inn announces that it will close its doors after the summer season concludes so it can renovate the rooms and build a restaurant. A condition of the permit granted by the Planning Commission says the eatery cannot be open to the public because that would require more parking spaces, and there is no room to build them.

The City Council passes an interim ordinance to prohibit the formation of medicinal marijuana dispensaries in Malibu. It does not have any effect on the already existing facilities.

Bob Brager leaves the city of Ventura to take the job as Malibu’s new public works director. Interim Public Works Director Granville “Bow” Bowman remains with the city under a new title.

JULY

Councilmember Andy Stern selects former Mayor Joan House as his appointment to the Planning Commission. The announcement raises speculation that House could be planning a 2008 City Council run. When asked about this, she says, “… In life you don’t count anything out. The worst thing you could say is, ‘I’ll never do that.'”

The school district board picks Dianne Talarico as its new superintendent. Talarico is the head of a school district in Canton, Ohio. She is not new to California, having previously held positions in the San Francisco Unified School District for 20 years.

The City Council approves a franchise agreement with Verizon California Inc., ending Charter Communication’s reign as Malibu’s sole cable provider. At the same meeting, the council approves the Point Dume Safe Routes to School project. Most of the people who complained about the project earlier in the year do not attend the meeting, and its approval receives virtually no opposition.

Malibu becomes the center of international media attention when actor/filmmaker Mel Gibson is arrested for drunken driving on Pacific Coast Highway near Serra Retreat in the early hours of July 28. According to a report written by Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Deputy James Mee, which was not released to the public but later placed on a tabloid Web site, Gibson made anti-Semitic remarks during the arrest and attempted to urinate on the floor of his cell. He also told the deputy he “owned Malibu,” according to the report. A statement is released the next day in which Gibson says he is sorry for the incident, but makes no reference to the anti-Semitism allegation. Three days later, another statement is released in which Gibson apologizes to “everyone in the Jewish community,” and states that the entertainer is interested in meeting with Jewish leaders.

AUGUST

The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education approves a $268 million bond measure for the ballot. If approved, the money could only be used for facility improvement projects.

A spokesperson for Safeway Inc. confirms the rumors that Cooke’s Family Market will be replaced at Point Dume Village (formerly Point Dume Plaza) by Pavilions. Plaza owner Zan Marquis announces later that Pavilions will open in the summer of 2007.

A Los Angeles jury in the federal district court unanimously votes after a two-week trial to grant the trademark rights of the name “Malibu Pier” to the state. Agoura Hills resident Stephen Harper claimed the name was his intellectual property because he has filed for it with the U.S. Patent and Trademark.

Malibu resident Jamie Gold wins the World Series of Poker’s No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em Main Event and the $12 million prize. His winnings later become tangled in a lawsuit when a friend claims he was promised a portion of the pot prior to Gold’s victory.

Gibson pleads no contest to misdemeanor drunken driving and is sentenced to three years probation. He must enroll in an alcohol abuse program for three months, is fined $1,300 and his license is restricted for 90 days by the DMV. Gibson also agrees to do a public service announcement on the hazards of drinking and driving.

The Santa Monica College Board of Trustees tentatively approves an $8 million purchase of a seven-acre property owned by the Yamaguchi Family Trust near City Hall. The plan is to build a satellite campus on the site.

The Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station says it has concluded its investigation of the incident in which a man accused a Sheriff’s deputy of assault when he was on a Malibu Road beach. Officials refuse to disclose any information about the investigation, and the accuser does not return repeated requests from The Malibu Times for comment.

Sheriff’s Deputy Jim Mulay is seriously injured on Pacific Coast Highway near Big Rock when an alleged bank robber drives a car into Mulay’s motorcycle. The deputy suffers a crushed spine, broken back and pelvis, and multiple broken ribs. The suspect, Charles Terreal Washington, manages to drive away from the scene, but is arrested the next day at his Los Angeles home. A suspect in several other bank robberies, Washington is charged with a 14-count criminal complaint, including attempted murder. Several fundraisers take place in the Malibu area to support Mulay and his family.

SEPTEMBER

Santa Monica College district officials and the faculty union reach a deal to end their two-year labor dispute. As part of the agreement, the faculty receives a 3.5 percent salary increase for the Spring 2006 semester, a 1 percent increasing beginning with the Fall 2006 semester and a 3 percent bonus based on the 2005-06 academic year.

Local developer Richard Weintraub is selected by the City Council for an exclusive negotiation on renting the Malibu Lumber site. Weintraub says he is partnering with Richard Sperber, a Malibu resident who heads a major landscaping business, for a project that would include “an incredible garden design center surrounded by amazing restaurants and retail woven throughout the center.”

The city officially takes ownership of the 10-acre portion of Bluffs Park containing the ball fields, a running path and the Michael Landon Center. This comes nearly two years after the deal was first proposed. Various bureaucratic issues are to blame for the long delay in getting the agreement finalized.

School District Superintendent Dianne Talarico faces her first major conflict when Sunset Mesa parents complain during a board meeting about the overcrowding of the school bus that brings children to Malibu High School. Talarico later rides the bus, and says something should be done to decrease the number of students on it.

Susan Shaw, who helped the city to raise the money for the Chili Cook-Off site purchase, is hired as Malibu’s public relations officer on a six-month, $30,000 contract. Several people criticize the hiring because they say Shaw is a friend of Councilmember Sharon Barovsky’s and the contract was not put out for bid.

OCTOBER

Two hours prior to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger coming to Pepperdine University for the ceremonial signing of a landmark global warming bill, Malibu city officials and environmental leaders hold a rally and press conference at Bluffs Park in opposition to what they say is Schwarzenegger’s support of the proposed LNG facility. Two days later, gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides holds a press conference at Bluffs Park to announce his opposition to the project. The next week, Schwarzenegger releases a statement saying he has not yet made a decision on the LNG project.

The Malibu Celebration of Film kicks off with a star-studded gathering at Calamigos Ranch, and includes the screening of Malibu resident Robert Altman’s newest film, “A Prairie Home Companion.” The four-day festival continues with the screening of winning films from festivals around the world. The highlight is a tribute gala to Altman at Lilly Lawrence’s castle.

Santa Monica College officials withdraw the offer to buy the seven-acre Yamaguchi property near Malibu City Hall. Citing a nondisclosure agreement, nobody will comment on the reason for the decision beyond the property not being a good place to build an SMC campus.

With some council members saying they are concerned about the city losing its heritage, the City Council chooses not to vote on a request by De Butts Terrace residents to change the street name to Paradise View Way. The name De Butts comes from one of Malibu’s first families, but residents say they are victims of ridicule. At a second meeting, the council approves the name Murphy Way, in honor of the late entrepreneur Dudley Murphy. Also, the street’s residents agree to create a bench in honor of the family for which the street was originally named.

The California Coastal Commission unanimously approves the city’s amendment to the Local Coastal Program. The city plans to propose more amendments to the LCP in the future. Coastal Commissioner Sara Wan says at the meeting, “The rhetoric has toned down somewhat and I hope that we will continue in this direction so that the city and the [Coastal Commission] staff and the commission can work cooperatively.”

A group that includes Ramirez Canyon property owners and anti-tax activists files a lawsuit against the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. The suit claims the conservancy is illegally using voter-approved bond money for its parks enhancement project and for litigation to defend the project. SMMC Executive Director Joe Edmiston says the law is on his side, and says his proof is a letter from the Attorney General’s Office saying that the bond many can be used for the project.

NOVEMBER

Following an almost non-existent campaign in Malibu, Democrat Julia Brownley wins the state Assembly election, incumbents Emily Bloomfield and Oscar de la Torre are reelected to the SMMUSD Board of Education, with Kelly McMahon Pye and Barry Snell also earning seats and the slate endorsed by the faculty union is elected to the SMC Board of Trustees, consisting of incumbent Nancy Greenstein and newcomers Louise Jaffe, David Finkel and Andrew Walzer. The facilities bond measure also passes easily.

Point Dume Village owner Zan Marquis announces the Dume Room will be closing at the end of the month. The bar has been at the mall since 1972. A group of regulars plead with the City Council to do something to prevent the closure, but most of the government officials say there is little they can do. Marquis says in an interview with The Times that the Dume Room does not fit with his vision for the mall, which he purchased in 2005.

Two lawsuits are filed against Malibu Pier Partners LLC, the state-contracted operator of the Malibu Pier. One of them is from Jay Sadofsky, head of Mo’s cafe on the eastern end of the pier, who alleges breach of contract among other complaints. The other suit is from Jeffrey Bonhach, who says he served as director of development for the Malibu Pier Partners for nearly two years and was unfairly terminated from his position.

With the school bus taking students from Sunset Mesa to Malibu High School still being overcrowded, district Superintendent Dianne Talarico admits full responsibility for the problem at a school board meeting. She apologizes to the parents, and says there will be a solution by next semester.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge orders activist Wade Major to pay political opponent Ozzie Silna an additional $90,000 on top of the $135,000 he already owes Silna from a lawsuit involving the 2004 City Council election. Silna and his attorney refuse to comment on the matter, but Major says he hopes there still can be a positive outcome.

The Ferrari saga ends with Stefan Eriksson pleading no contest to two counts of embezzlement and one count of illegal gun possession. The Swedish national is expected to serve approximately one year in prison.

More than 18 months after being destroyed in a fire, Malibu’s lone movie theater, located in Cross Creek Plaza, reopens to the public. Improvements include a new sound system and leather seats. The opening weekend films are “Casino Royale” and “Happy Feet.”

Accusations of racism fly and speakers are taunted during a public hearing in Malibu on the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy’s parks enhancement proposal. Malibu residents who are against the conservancy’s plan are accused of racism, while opponents to the plan claim it is ill-conceived and accuse the conservancy of avoiding a proper public hearing to push it through. The next week, the SMMC board approves the project. The proposal now heads to the California Coastal Commission for final passage.

It is announced that the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and the teachers union reached an agreement that calls for a 5 percent raise for the teachers. Superintendent Dianne Talarico endorses the agreement, but district Chief Financial Officer Winston Braham refuses to support it. Less than 10 days later, he quits his job with the district. The Board of Education members say they back the proposal, but the district’s Financial Oversight Committee raises concerns about it, as does the Los Angeles County Office of Education.

Filmmaker Robert Altman dies at 81 from complications with cancer. The Malibu resident is remembered for his many films, including “M*A*S*H,” “The Player” and “Nashville,” but also for being a man who was never afraid to speak his mind. Councilmember Sharon Barovsky, who lives on Malibu Road near the Altman home says, “He was salty, but with a great generosity of spirit.”

DECEMBER

Los Angeles County public health officials close Surfrider Beach during the first weekend of the month following a reported sewage spill into Malibu Lagoon. The city’s environmental programs coordinator says the problem arose when an onsite wastewater treatment system for Malibu Colony Plaza backed up and wastewater flowed into a nearby catch basin, subsequently spilling into the lagoon.

Parents and community members express concern about the SMMUSD’s financial situation. Board of Education members say there is nothing wrong, and that the money is available to pay for the proposed teacher raise.

More than two decades after a landslide destroyed a portion of Rambla Pacifico Street, the Planning Commission approves a permit for the reconstruction of a 2,500-foot portion of the mostly private road. The project, which will take place in the spring, will allow area residents to have faster access to Pacific Coast Highway, and make it easier for emergency vehicles to access their area.

A proposal by Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich to limit the number of large retail chains in Malibu receives a less-than-warm response from her colleagues. Andy Stern and Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Jennings slam the idea, while Mayor Ken Kearsley and Sharon Barovksy express concern. The concept is turned over to a subcommittee consisting of Jennings and Conley Ulich.

The city files a lawsuit against the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy over its approval of the parks enhancement plan. City Attorney Christi Hogin says the plan is illegal because it does not include an environmental impact report and avoids city review. The conservancy says it might file a countersuit. Both parties claim they would prefer if a settlement could be made outside of the courtroom, and say they are talking behind closed doors about that possibility.