Commissioner Dennis Smith was disappointed to see how city staff was treated by the council

To start off the Planning Commission meeting on Monday night, the commission received a presentation from the Planning Department describing the Formula Retail Clearance process established by Ordinance No. 431.

For commissioner comments, Commissioner Kraig Hill reminded the community about the first community lands meeting, which was on Tuesday, May 21, at City Hall. 

The city is launching an extensive outreach and engagement program to gather community feedback regarding the future use of five community lands. Over the next several months, the city will seek input from the Malibu community, including residents, businesses and community groups. This meeting will provide background on the Community Lands project and serve as an opportunity for individuals to give insights and engage in meaningful discourse regarding the future use of the following five vacant parcels of land: 

• Chili Cook-Off 
• Triangle 
• Heathercliff 
• Trancas
• La Paz

Those unable to attend the event can provide feedback by submitting a public comment or emailing MalibuCommunityLands@MalibuCity.org. For a full schedule of community meetings and events, including meeting Zoom links, maps and other information, visit MalibuCommunityLands.org/Calendar. 

“Tell your neighbors and have a say in your city’s future,” Hill said. 

There will be an article published on next week’s issue in The Malibu Times. 

Hill also raised his concern with last week’s City Council meeting on the Malibu Inn Motel project.

“I just think the whole process provided plenty of teaching moments to go around for everybody up here and the staff, and I think one of the lessons for us as a commission is that we should be clear about citing to code when we are making assertions about things,” Hill said. 

Chair John Mazza also said he hopes the community will participate in the meeting on Tuesday on community lands.

“If we have a group of people that have needs that don’t speak up, we still have to consider what’s best for the city and what the uses of those properties are for everybody,” Mazza said. 

Mazza also commented on the last City Council meeting in regards to the Malibu Inn Motel project.

“When certain things are pretty obviously out of wack, it’s up to us as planning commissioners to make sure they make sense,” Mazza said. “To produce a 1,000-page document, have seven-hour hearings, go to the Coastal Commission, and spend a year and a half for two people to get their houses approved is not always necessary if we in the planning commission are consistent and are consistent with reading the codes and definitions.”

Commissioner Dennis Smith said he watched the City Council meeting last week and said it was the most “horrendous thing” he has seen in the city.

“The treating of Adrian Fernandez from two of our councilmembers — not good, that’s bad — and we can’t have that, nobody is above that, nobody should treat someone like that — he’s a staff member,” Smith said. “We can’t treat people like that, we gotta quit it.”

The commission also addressed permits and deadlines. 

“If we approve something to get developed, we want to see it get done,” Planning Director Richard Mollica said. “The goal is to try to do something to encourage things to get built, put back and get our population back and get our community built again to hopefully pre-fire status.”

The commission addressed conditional Use Permit No. 18-003, an application to allow 50 events per calendar year at the Trancas Country Market Shopping Center, including live music performances and movie nights. According to the report, each event is expected to have 50 to 100 attendees.

The center has received support from the community and the tenants who enjoy the events held at the shopping center. The maximum events they hope to have are one to two events per week, maximum one event every three weeks in the off-season (Labor Day to Memorial Day weekend) with 50 to 100 attendees, as well as weekly December holiday music.

Speakers included Malibu West residents who shared their support and said they enjoy the events held at Trancas Country Market. However their concerns are with the live concerts.

“The Malibu West board of directors once again respectfully asks that this matter be postponed until after a TUP ordinance,” one speaker said on behalf of the Malibu West Board of Directors.

Mark Wetton spoke against the center obtaining a CUP (Conditional Used permit) and said “do we really want to create this kind of circus in Malibu?”

For Mother’s Day, Wetton said the center advertised live music, but did not obtain a permit. The Malibu Times attended and covered the Mother’s Day event and observed the event had less than 10 people who participated in the activities. The center had a small table with treats and hot chocolate for guests. The organizer told TMT that despite having to remove the post from social media about live music, they were still grateful to host an event for the community. 

“Holding an event like this should be limited by scope and be a privilege memorialized with the season-by-season basis,” Wetton said. “Rather than allow our shopping centers to double as event centers, I think that we should dedicate some of the city-owned land to create space to hold community events and not put the burden of noise, parking, and security on our residential neighborhoods.”

Smith said he supports the center holding events, but he’s concerned about advertising. 

After a brief break and a heated discussion, the commission motioned to approve the permit. The permit will expire on Oct. 4. 

The next Planning Commission is scheduled for June 3 at the Council Chambers at 6:30 p.m.

Campaign highlights actions to improve safety on Pacific Coast Highway

After the death of the four Pepperdine students last fall, the Malibu City Council declared a local emergency to address the dangers on Pacific Coast Highway. Over the past few months, residents and visitors have seen increased traffic enforcement and infrastructure upgrades and improvements on Pacific Coast Highway. 

Last week, California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin joined state and local leaders today to unveil the new “Go Safely PCH” campaign and detail the ongoing efforts to make the corridor safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. The press conference was held at the Ghost Tire Memorial on Webb Way. The memorial honors the lives lost on the 21-mile stretch of PCH in Malibu since 2010.

The City of Malibu website says, “’Go Safely PCH’ is a commitment made to keeping everyone headed to Malibu’s beach, shops, or restaurants safe.” 

“Go Safely PCH is more than a campaign — it’s a movement demonstrating our collective commitment to making this beautiful corridor safer for everyone who travels on it,” said Omishakin on the press release. “Through infrastructure improvements, increased enforcement, and drivers doing their part by slowing down, we can and will save lives. I thank all our partners for coming together to say in a strong, unified voice: One more life lost is one too many.”

With a $39 million commitment in investments on traffic safety improvement projects, and another $8 million, the city said it is dedicated to improve safety on PCH. 

State Senator Ben Allen has also been advocating for a safer PCH. 

“I am grateful to see our government focusing on immediately addressing the safety hazards that have for too long plagued this vital stretch of roadway,” Allen said in the press release. “Too many people have died; drivers need to slow down. I am working with the administration and Legislature to provide the city and law enforcement with more tools to tackle the crisis.”

Fifty-nine people have been killed on the 21-mile stretch of PCH in Malibu since 2010, including the tragic deaths of four Pepperdine University students last October. 

Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Lindsey P. Horvath said the “Go Safely PCH” campaign will “foster a safer scenic roadway for the Malibu community and all who enjoy our gorgeous coastline.”

“Death and danger along PCH are unacceptable; we can’t wait to change the status quo. Now is the time for close coordination and meaningful action,” Horvath said on the press release. “While we advance important infrastructure and legislative changes for a safer PCH, education is essential. As summer approaches and Malibu prepares to welcome beachgoers and visitors.” 

State and local leaders signed a banner that reads, “Life’s a Beach, Not a Race, Slow Down on PCH.” With billboards on lawns, beach signs, flyers, posters, and social media, the new education campaign is, “alerting drivers of the increased law enforcement presence and reminding them to slow down on PCH or face the consequences.”  

“Californians are encouraged to take a traffic safety pledge and commit to practicing safe driving behaviors when visiting beaches, parks, shops, and restaurants along PCH,” the press release says.

California Office of Traffic Safety Director Barbara Rooney said the “Go Safely PCH” campaign is about establishing a strong road safety culture that no longer accepts the death and destruction on PCH. 

“We encourage everyone to make a commitment to safe driving on PCH — the beach will still be there when you get there,” Rooney said. “If you ever feel the need to speed, think of the 59 victims and how your responsible actions behind the wheel will help make sure there are no more deaths and senseless tragedies on PCH.”

Beginning in January, the City of Malibu added three full-time California Highway Patrol officers to help the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) with traffic enforcement on PCH in Malibu for the first time since 1991. 

“The support from CHP officers has resulted in more than 1,200 citations through April, more than 1,000 of which were for speeding,” the press release says.

In addition, OTS provided approximately $555,000 in additional funding to the LASD, Los Angeles Police Department, and Santa Monica Police Department for increased enforcement on PCH.

Commissioner Sean Duryee said by combining engineering enhancements, educational campaigns, and rigorous enforcement efforts, “we not only improve conditions on the highway but also save lives along the way.”

According to the city’s website, Caltrans is investing $4.2 million for multiple safety upgrades to PCH infrastructure, including lane separators to prevent vehicles from drifting into oncoming traffic or making illegal turns, crosswalk striping at all locations for increased visibility for drivers and pedestrians, more visible road striping, speed limit markings on the road, as well as more speed limit and curve warning signs.

“Safety is Caltrans’ top priority and that requires a shared responsibility for everyone who drives and works on California roads,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “That’s why we’re all here standing together today with the same, critical goal: to make PCH safer for everyone.”

Malibu Mayor Steve Uhring said the epidemic of reckless driving is impacting communities across the country.

“The problem will not be solved overnight, but this education program puts a major change agent in our toolbox,” Uhring said. “On behalf of all Malibu residents, I thank our state partner agencies for their leadership in providing solutions to this important problem.”

Santa Monica is also in partnership with the city, state, and regional agencies. The Local Roadway Safety Plan identifies PCH as a priority corridor for infrastructure safety improvements as part of the Caltrans PCH corridor study.

“We have seen far too many serious crashes on PCH, and it is absolutely heartbreaking that five people have lost their lives in Santa Monica’s section of the highway since 2019,” said Santa Monica Mayor Phil Brock. “Santa Monica is committed to making our roads safe for everyone. Since we don’t have jurisdiction over PCH, our partnership with the state and regional agencies is critical to our mission to eliminate fatal and severe injury crashes in Santa Monica through our Vision Zero initiative.”

For information on safety updates, campaign pledges and access to digital assets, visit GoSafelyPCH.org.