Left to right: Samantha Skuro (2025), Casey Ovsiowitz (2025) and Cole Ovsiowitz (2027) participating in the Malibu 5k. Multi-sport athletes at Malibu HS! Samantha is ranked in SoCal for pole vault, Casey is a 4 year level player, and Cole just completed season. Go Sharks!
Malibu Foundation restores indigenous biodiversity one microforest at a time
The project’s goal: “Replant love” to increase biodiversity and cooperation and competition between plant
By Barbara Burke
Special to The Malibu Times
They gathered on the early morning of Nov. 5 at Juan Bautista De Anza Park in Calabasas adjacent to the Las Virgenes trail, armed with shovels, mulch, and native seeds collected and propagated in Malibu Foundation’s nursery.
“I think it’s a really good experience that helps the environment,” Volunteer Jude Potenza, 8, said. “You think you’re just helping a little, but I realize that I’m helping to change the whole world!”
The project’s goal: to “replant love” by installing a microforest mimicking nature, thereby increasing biodiversity and cooperation and competition between plants. Such microforests also bolster plants’ survivability by encouraging less dependence on water, thereby significantly reducing the temperature in the area where they are planted, a welcomed, beneficial side effect in our warming world.
The De Anza microforest, the first in the Santa Monica Mountains, is composed of densely planted, hyper-local native plants in a multi-layered small forest that acts as a self-sustaining ecosystem that reconnects back to nature. The concept of planting microforests is based on botanist Akira Miyawaki’s method of afforestation which involves very densely planting local, indigenous, and regionally adapted shrubs and trees, while ensuring that no two plants of the same height are side by side, which allows for maximum growth and fosters natural vegetation restoration. The planting technique not only provides shade, but also cleanses carbon-based greenhouse gases from the air.
Microforests provide many benefits, including native insects and animals returning to the microforest, which supports soil health and creates a thick forest quickly.
Los Angeles County’s first microforest in Griffith Park is a huge success and became self-sustaining in the two years since its planting. The county’s two microforests will provide a seed bank, which will ultimately enable more microforests to be planted.
Planting microforests
Participants at the event encountered posters providing step-by-step planting directions to achieve various layers of vegetation, consisting of an understory, shrubs and trees, and overstory trees.
Sub-trees included coyote brush, a common shrub that grows in chaparral regions from Baja California to Oregon and whose white and yellow flowers attract bees and moths; California scrub oak; blue coffeeberry; and hairy ceanothus, an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 15 feet high and can live from 100 to 200 years. Other shrubs and perennials include black sage, California sagebrush, California wild roses, which exude a beautiful fragrance when blooming and grow from the coast to the foothills of the mountains, and mugwort, golden currents, narrowleaf milkweed, purple needlegrass and sawtooth goldenbush.
The next layer of the forest is composed of Southern California black walnut trees, a species that is endangered in large parts of its range due to overdevelopment, but which attracts birds who eat the tree nuts and like to nest in its branches. Valley oaks and coastal live oaks provide the canopy for the microforest.
Those attendees who were somewhat daunted by the planting process were instructed to follow seven easy steps: Unpot a plant, loosen its roots, set the plant in its pre-dug hole, backfill the hole with soil, create a berm to make watering easier, apply 2-3 inches of mulch around the plant past the berm, ensuring the mulch does not touch the plant’s stem, and finally, water with a minimum of 5 gallons per plant.
Sponsor Malibu Foundation’s goals and accomplishments
Malibu Foundation was formed in 2018 after the Woolsey Fire, which burned more than 150 square miles of the Santa Monica Mountains. According to Executive Director Evelin Weber, to help prevent another disaster, the nonprofit organization first focused on helping fire victims and the City of Malibu rebuild.
“The Foundation now focuses on bolstering community-based disaster preparedness efforts and community resilience through its efforts to combat climate change through nature-based solutions, including planting microforests in burn areas which remediates damaged soil and increases biodiversity,” Weber said. “The Foundation conducts GIS mapping a lot and before planting at DeAnza Park we conducted soil testing to measure microbial bacteria in the soil, which provided a baseline of the soil’s composition.”
Weber noted that after the planting, the organization will monitor soil conditions and temperatures, providing more analytics as a baseline for potential future microforest plantings in the area.
“Microforests are very beneficial to the environment and are efficient,” Weber said. “They capture two to three times the amount of carbon than traditional planting and they grow five times as fast because of root competition. It’s a better way to plant because, if we plant 500 plants in a microforest, it’s like planting 1,500 plants in the traditional way.”
Malibu Foundation has planted 25,000 plants since the Woolsey Fire, according to Denise DeGarmo, community outreach coordinator for Malibu Foundation.
“Planting microforests can be done virtually anywhere — people’s homes, bus stops, or on center dividers on road thoroughfares,” DeGarmo said. “Our goal is to plant such areas throughout Southern California.”
It takes a village
A team of volunteers helped to plant at De Anza, including a cohort from the Climate Action Corps.
“I’m volunteering with the Corps for this project because I strongly care about climate change,” Mallory Finley said. “Although it’s important to hold big corporations accountable with regard to climate change issues, we cannot give up on the participation of individuals and small citizen groups and we need to have them empower communities to mitigate climate change.”
Families and individuals also volunteered.
“I brought my three boys to this event because it teaches them the value of volunteering,” said Ashley Potenza, whose 11-year-old son, Jakob, chimed in saying, “I think it’s a great way to get together and plant a mini-forest that will really help the environment.”
Pausing to watch the family plant, one could only note that, as the next generation learned to both give back and look forward to the future, they were planting the next generation of plant life.
The Replant Love event was co-hosted by Clarins, a family-based cosmetics brand that uses locally grown plants and organic ingredients for its products.
Clarins representative Lucas Petry noted the company pioneers plant science and technology methods in the cosmetics sector and has expertise in phyto-chemistry.
“We’re a nature-based company that is focusing on the earth near Malibu today,” he said.
The Replant Love event was also supported by local companies Anawalt Lumber, which partnered with Kellogg Garden Products to contribute cedar mulch and garden products, as well as by Sperber Landscaping, which donated shovels, rakes, hand towels and gloves for the effort.
“We want to see microforests all over Los Angeles,” said Scarlet Eskew, grants and program manager for Malibu Foundation. “Therefore, we’re issuing a call to action to anyone in any city in the county to reach out to us. We’d love to come plant for them!”
For More Information contact Denise@themalibufoundation.org.
Volunteers help conduct vital environmental research
Heal the Bay and UCLA host volunteers in eDNA data gathering events
A collaborative effort between Heal the Bay and UCLA has been making waves for nearly a year now, as the two teams host volunteers monthly to help conduct very important research.
The eDNA (environmental DNA) Community Science event is hosted every last Saturday of the month and gathers volunteers for a cutting-edge science event designed to gather data from Malibu’s Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
All marine life off the coast of Malibu’s shores leaves traces of DNA in their environment, and Heal the Bay and UCLA have introduced a fun and social experience that turns local volunteers into partnering scientists and environmental conservators who help collect sea water samples for eDNA water testing. Analyses gathered by the samples help gauge the quantification of biodiversity in a standardized way within a marine ecosystem, making it an ingenious tool for monitoring Marine Protected Areas.
The research campaign is led by UCLA PhD candidate Moriah Byrd. She said the purpose of the research is to understand the effectiveness and importance of Marine Protected Areas in regards to the native marine life compared to non-protected areas.
“From the DNA samples we can find out the biodiversity in these areas and it tells us how many organisms are in this ecosystem, and what their populations are,” Byrd said. “That can tell us the health of the ecosystem, so our hope is that in these MPA’s where we protect our oceans, the biodiversity increases.”
Volunteers meet at Westward Beach, where they participate in a brief orientation followed by a volunteer practice activity to learn how to best capture the water samples. Participants are led by Byrd and Heal the Bay Coastal and Marine Scientist Emily Parker in the practice that has volunteers walk right up to the ocean and enjoy the waves coming to them as they fill up their sample collectors with seawater, avoiding the collection of beach sediment.
Once briefed, volunteers are split into four teams and equipped with an eDNA pack/water collection kit and carpool to the four collection sites. The sites are Point Dume SMR2A, Broad Beach SMCA2, Latigo Point OE2, and La Piedra OW2.
Parker explained the importance of the work done by the volunteers. She explained that volunteers are split between two MPA sites and two control sites and the samples collected are compared to explore the effects between the protected and non-protected areas.
“We’re showcasing how eDNA could be used as a long-term monitoring tool to help us measure the success of these MPAs, to tell us how well they’re working and help us make adaptive changes to make them better,” Parker said.
She said volunteer participation is instrumental to the project’s success.
“Having volunteers here helps us get information quickly and efficiently, but also ensures we’re collecting beaches at the exact same time, within 30 minutes of each other, making the data as comparable as possible versus just one scientist collecting the data within hours each other and having had different tides, different currents, different conditions, making data not comparable,” Parker said.
Byrd said that another very important aspect of having volunteers is continuing to create interest in marine biology and environmental conservation and making stewards for marine life preservation and protection.
“Everyone that comes out is very engaged and interested, I have nothing but positive things to say about it,” Byrd said. “These types of event are how people learn about marine science, learn about the avenues and careers they would not have access to otherwise and it’s really about opening up the field to everybody not just a select few.”
Undergrad student Ashley Barba said the eDNA event offered her an opportunity to explore her interests in different types of biology.
“I have never done something like this before; I have been getting an insight into what I may be interested in” Barba explained. “I thought the experience was interesting, it wasn’t too hard, and I learned how to identify different kinds of waves, which I thought was pretty cool.”
The Heal the Bay and UCLA teams hope this program can help solidify eDNA as a tool to replace more difficult, time-consuming, and costly methods.
“Collecting water samples is much easier than scuba diving or taking a boat out for visual surveys so our aim is to adapt eDNA to the management protocol, continuing a cheaper and less invasive method of gathering data,” Byrd said.
The program is concluded for 2023 but will return in January 2024 and will continue throughout next year. Residents interested in participating in this important research are urged to follow @healthebay on Instagram or visit healthebay.org.
Letter to The Editor: Urgent Call for Change on PCH to Prevent Further Loss of Lives
Dear Editor,
I am writing about the ongoing safety issues on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) that have resulted in tragic accidents and the loss of precious lives. It is imperative that we take immediate action to address these problems and ensure the safety of everyone.
Malibu’s 21 Miles is renowned for its breathtaking scenery and its significance to our local communities, as well as its attraction to tourists from around the world. However, its reputation has been marred by a series of accidents, some of which have been fatal. It is heartbreaking to see families and friends mourning the loss of loved ones due to preventable incidents on this highway.
While some measures have been taken to enhance safety on PCH, it is evident that more needs to be done. We cannot afford to lose any more lives on this road. It is the responsibility of our local authorities and government agencies to prioritize the safety of PCH users. This includes addressing issues such as:
Traffic Control and Enforcement: The enforcement of speed limits and other traffic regulations must be rigorously pursued. Additional measures, such as installing traffic cameras and increasing police presence, can help deter reckless driving.
Improved Signage and Lighting and crosswalks with flashing lights: Clear and visible signage, especially at dangerous curves and intersections, is crucial. Adequate lighting can also make a significant difference in nighttime safety.
Public Awareness Campaigns: Education about safe driving practices and the unique challenges of PCH should be part of a comprehensive strategy. Encouraging responsible behavior on the road can save lives.
Investment in Infrastructure: It is necessary to invest in infrastructure improvements that can reduce the risk of accidents, such as wider lanes, improved intersections, and additional turnouts for slower-moving vehicles.
I understand that our local and state authorities are working towards collaboration with transportation experts, community members, and safety advocates to develop a comprehensive plan to address these issues. However, we must emphasize the urgency of the situation. We cannot afford to wait any longer. PCH cannot continue to be a deadly thoroughfare. The lives of residents, visitors, and commuters are in immediate jeopardy, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure their safety now, not later.
Let us remember the lives that have been lost on PCH and honor their memory by making meaningful changes that will prevent future tragedies. Together, we can transform PCH into a road that is not only picturesque but also safe for all who travel on it.
Linda Walker, Malibu
The following incidents were reported between Oct. 18 to Oct. 25
10/18
Vehicle Theft
A vehicle parked near Leo Carrillo State Beach was broken into, and an iPhone, a wallet, and $200 in cash were stolen. The victim locked their vehicle but left the window cracked open, went surfing, and returned to see their items stolen. The victim was notified of an attempted purchase of $15,000 at an Apple store, but the purchase was declined. The suspects made a successful purchase of $5,000 at the same Apple Store. The iPhone was worth $1,000. There were no security cameras available for evidence.
10/22
Grand Theft
An estimated $1,820 worth of hygiene products were stolen from CVS Pharmacy on Malibu Road. The victim notified staff that a large amount of beauty products were missing from the beauty care aisle but was unable to find the footage of when the incident took place. The deputy told the victims they could submit the footage for evidence.
10/24
Grand Theft
A vehicle parked on De Ville Way was broken into and ransacked. The victim locked the front doors but forgot to lock the back two doors. The victim’s purse, credit cards, and dog medication were stolen. The victim’s purse was worth $600. The medication was worth $30.
10/24
Vehicle Theft
A vehicle parked near Malibu Lagoon State Beach was broken into and ransacked. The victim said they hid their keys under the vehicle, went surfing, and upon return, the key was missing, and their vehicle was ransacked. The victim received multiple unauthorized charges made to their credit cards at Best Buy for $3,748 and Nordstrom for $5,316. There were no security cameras available for evidence.
10/25
Burglary
A vehicle parked near Escondido Beach was broken into and vandalized. The victim returned to their vehicle and noticed the driver-side door lock was broken, their wallet had been moved, and multiple cards were stolen. The suspects also used the victim’s credit cards at an Apple Store for $1,312 and attempted to do another transaction for $1,017. The damage was estimated to cost $300. There were no security cameras available for evidence.
New poetry stones introduced at Legacy Park
“The poetic sensibility is a different way of looking at the world,” Ann Buxie
A growing poetry program in Malibu is being celebrated with the addition of two new poetry stones at Malibu’s Legacy Park. The stones, which are more like a sculpture or work of art, are set up along a pathway in the park located in the heart of the city. Appropriate since the stones are etched with words that come from the hearts of Malibu’s poet laureates who have been spreading their love of verse with the community.
Ann Buxie, Malibu’s most recent former poet laureate whose term ended in September after a two-year position explained more about the poetry path.
“We want each poet laureate to have a stone,” she said. “We’re setting them up along the path in Legacy Park. The city has created an area with decomposed granite to frame off the stones.”
They’re big. Buxie’s, engraved with her poem “Something Pushes,” weighs an astonishing 1,100 lbs. The stones were purchased from a Ventura stone yard. Buxie accompanied Malibu’s first poet laureate Ricardo Means Ybarra to pick out the first.
“Ellen Reich was the next poet laureate to be gifted with a stone,” Buxie recounted. “We went up there and she thought she could never fall in love with a stone but she sure fell in love with one.”
Unfortunately, Reich died part-way through her term. John Struloeff took over the rest of Reich’s term. Buxie was next. The current poet laureate, Nathan Hassall, will eventually choose a poem for engraving.
The stone yard prepares the surface and then the piece is sent to an engraver to etch the poem onto the stone. The latest stones were delivered at the end of October.
There are actually five poetry stones in Legacy Park. One, in the children’s play area, is engraved with verse written by a local elementary school student, Mandy Mulligan. Buxie was impressed by the youngster’s writing talent.
“She gave such a beautiful definition of a poem that I felt it needed to be engraved on a stone,” she said.
Malibu Arts Commissioner Peter Jones added the children’s smaller stone is engraved with a poem analogizing poetry as a river that flows forever.
“It’s really gorgeous, presented in waves of grass,” Jones said. “It doesn’t look like the ocean but it has the movement of the ocean, flowing water. It’s beautiful.”
Elementary school children learn about poetry with the poet laureates who typically visit all the local Malibu schools to share and teach poetry workshops.
“We wanted to have a poetry path in Malibu because I really believe that poetic sensibility needs to be part of Malibu,” Buxie explained. “It’s more than ‘is this going to make money or not?’ It’s more than profit and loss. The poetic sensibility is a different way of looking at the world and I think that sensibility needs to be supported and encouraged in Malibu.”
The Malibu Arts Commission is a strong supporter. Caffeinated Verse is a city program that’s been running in Malibu for the last few years. It’s supported in part by the Malibu Library. On the third Saturday of each month in the library’s multipurpose room you’ll hear selected readers present poems, an open mic and conversation. Hassall is now the host who selects featured readers.
The next Caffeinated Verse is Nov. 18, then Dec. 16. Upcoming, Hassall will offer a poetry workshop entitled “The Ripple Effect.” Watch for dates.
“I’m really looking forward to the workshops because as I said I think a poetic sensibility is important to support community,” Buxie said. “It allows time to dream and vision about what you see for our community so you can create a vision you want to work toward. That’s why I like so much that the city is supportive of poetry.”
Jones had lots of praise for the poetry program.
“The poetry program is one of the most successful endeavors of the Arts Commission. With the superb and generous backing of Kristin Riesgo (Malibu Community Services Director) we have had a series of poetry programs that are well attended and joyful,” he said. “I’m very pleased by its expanding audience which is really person by person. New people wander in and like it and they tell their friends. It’s a program that’s done nothing but good, which is so rare in the world in which we live.”
Letter to The Editor: Urgent Call for PCH Safety After Pepperdine Tragedy
Dear Editor,
I extend my gratitude to The Malibu Times for hosting last week’s Malibu Business Round Table. The discussion on the safety issues surrounding the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and our community’s potential actions is not only timely but crucial.
The recent tragedies have left an indelible mark on our community, and the loss of the four Pepperdine students is a heart-wrenching reminder that we must advocate for change. Their memories implore us to prioritize safety and take concrete steps toward this goal.
I fervently hope that The Malibu Times will continue to spearhead such vital conversations. As a community, we are called upon to unite and devise solutions that will protect our families and children. The Business Round Table has planted a seed of change, but it is the ongoing commitment of our community that will cultivate a safer future.
Let us honor those we’ve lost by being the force of change. We cannot delay; the safety of our roads and the well-being of our community depend on our immediate action.
Sherry Talon, Malibu
Ghost tires placed to honor four Pepperdine students, who were also known as “Our Girls”
Family, friends, roommates, and city officials gathered on Tuesday night to remember the young women who were killed last month on Pacific Coast Highway.
The Malibu and Pepperdine community gathered around while four white tires were being painted with colorful hearts and the names of Deslyn Williams, Niamh Rolston, Asha Weir, and Peyton Stewart, also known as “Our Girls” to the community.
Friends and roommates placed roses and candles to honor the four girls at last weeks vigil.
The ghost tire memorial was inspired by the Ghost Bike (also referred to as a Ghost Cycle or White Cycle), a bicycle roadside memorial placed where a cyclist had been killed or severely injured, usually by the driver of a motor vehicle.
The idea for a ghost TIRE memorial sprang up when Streets Are For Everyone – a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers alike by reducing traffic-caused fatalities to zero – joined a coalition of nonprofits and Assemblymember Laura Friedman to introduce Assembly Bill (AB) 645. The bill would allow for a pilot program to install speed cameras, with a priority around schools and high-injury networks, to eliminate traffic-related deaths.
Bridget Thompson spoke at the vigil and said she stood on the side of PCH until 3 a.m. crying and begging for her best friends to be okay.
“I lost my sisters, I lost my everything, but it wasn’t just me that lost everything, on October 17 we lost four girls who were going to change the world—Deslyn Williams, Niamh Rolston, Asha Weir, and Peyton Stewart—were going to change the world,” Thompson said. “They were four of the most ambitious, loving, selfless, and kind people you’ve ever come across; it was an absolute privilege to be loved by them.”
Malibu/Lost Hills Captain Jennifer Seetoo was one of the featured speakers at the PCH Taskforce meeting the city held earlier that day and honored the four women during the vigil on Tuesday night.
“We need to focus on education, we need to focus on enforcement, and we need to focus on engineering to protect the people, the 15 million people that come here every year that enjoy this beautiful beach,” Seetoo said.
Attendees at the vigil also called on to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to take action to stop the deadly accidents on a stretch of road along PCH referred to as “Dead Man’s Curve,” due to the high number of accidents which often involve speeding drivers.
Earlier that day, the city held a special public meeting of the PCH Taskforce at Malibu City Hall with city, county, and state elected officials and Caltrans to discuss ways to address dangerous conditions on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.
State Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (42nd District) chaired the meeting, and was joined by State Senator Ben Allen (24th District); Malibu Mayor Steve Uhring; LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath (3rd District); Malibu City Manager Steve McClary; Malibu-Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station Commanding Officer Capt. Jennifer Seetoo; Rafael Molina, Deputy District Director, Division of Traffic Operations, Caltrans District 7; and Lee Haber, Chief Safety Officer, Division of Traffic Operations, Caltrans District 7.
Rafael Molina and Lee Haber represented Caltrans at the meeting on Tuesday and presented the actions they have been taking since the fatal collision.
They said they have been conducting speed studies to identify where they need to focus on safety.
“Our goal is to lower the speed limit on PCH,” Haber said. “Our goal is to complete daytime and nighttime reviews by December.”
Residents who spoke asked for more enforcement on PCH and for Caltrans to begin making progress on their actions.
Founder & CEO at Vivid Candi Creative Chris Wizner spoke during the meeting in the morning and at the vigil that same evening.
“I don’t want this to ever happen again,” Wizner said. “I’ll just give my point from Caltrans and what I saw today at the PCH Taskforce [meeting]—I didn’t see empathy, I didn’t see activeness, I saw passiveness, I didn’t see solutions, I didn’t see an action plan, I heard a lot of words that we’re the right words, it felt textbook, but I didn’t feel the passion, I didn’t see it, and I doubt I’m going to see an execution, and I’m quite sure, I’m not the only one, so Caltrans FixPCH.”
The Fix PCH Action Team will be holding a Wolrd Day of Rememberance on Sun, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on the corner of PCH and Webb Way for an art installation of 58 Ghost tires to remember those lives lost to tragic and unnecessary traffic violence on PCH. Parking is available on Civic Center Way.
Board of Supervisors to develop a resiliency plan to protect beaches from coastal erosion
The proposal would involve beneficial reuse of sediment and deploying living shorelines
The loss of sand has become a growing problem. The dangers of beaches disappearing from the impact of sea level rise is not news to anyone who lives, works, or even visits beaches in LA County. The noticeable impact continues to prompt local activists and agencies to bring awareness about the threats of climate change.
In the latest Board of Supervisors meeting on Nov. 7, The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion to protect beaches from coastal erosion by developing a resilience plan that incorporates the reuse of sediment and living shorelines.
The coastal resiliency plan proposal would protect beaches from coastal erosion through the beneficial reuse of sediment and by deploying living shorelines.
Third District Supervisor Lindsey Horvath made the motion with a second by District Supervisor Holly Mitchell during the Board of Supervisors meeting last week.
“Two of the county’s most iconic beaches, Zuma and Redondo Beach, have narrowed year on year as winter storms wash away our golden sand and last winter, storms washed out Westward Beach road at the iconic Point Dume,” Horvath said. “The scientific consensus is that sea level rise will accelerate in the coming decade and we need to plan working with nature to confront this reality.”
Horvath said the county has spent more than a year with technical experts in creating a coastal resiliency strategy, which is providing a road map.
“The strategy will largely rely on Mother Nature to provide solutions to prevent coastal erosion, particularly through the creation of living shorelines,” Horvath said. “Living shorelines involve building sand dunes with native plants, who’s roots provide an anchor, keeping sediment on the sand, while at the same time providing habitat on the beach for wildlife.”
The strategy plan requires mutually beneficial efforts from a coalition of government, nonprofit, academic, and community partners, including coastal cities, tribes, nonprofits, academic institutions, and potential technical and regulatory experts that can participate in regular convenings to guarantee these essential county resources can adapt to a changing climate.
“The beaches we know and love came to exist due to deliberate planning, conservation and investment which began nearly 100 years ago,” Horvath said. “We owe it all to Angelenos and the wildlife we share the coast line with to ensure that our beaches remain resilient and accessible in the next century.”
Residents, activists and water quality scientists submitted public comments in favor of the motion. Malibu resident Madelyn Glickfeld submitted a letter and emphasized the importance of protecting the beaches from more coastal erosion and having the support of the county agencies.
“Los Angeles County beaches are emblematic of the California lifestyle and are the reason why many people live here and why so many tourists come here,” Glickfeld said. “The world knows Los Angeles County beaches through thousands of films, programs and of course surfers and surf music. Our coastline is a big part of what attracts new residents, businesses and tourists here. The beaches have helped to develop the tourist industry and the jobs it brings. Thus, the beaches are essential to our tourist economy and part of Hollywood’s stature as the center of the film industry. We must restore and protect these beaches for all of these reasons and this: as the climate heats, the coast will be an essential respite from inland heat for millions.”
Glickfeld also calls for the support of the Department of Beaches and Harbors, the Department of Public Works, and the LA County Flood Control District.
“The motion also calls for involvement of the best academic and technical experts to invent the best strategies to make it possible to move millions of tons of sand down the watershed again,” she said. “However, this motion should also specify involve citizens and other essential stakeholders from up and down our watersheds as the agencies and experts move forward solutions. This effort cannot succeed unless the communities are involved from the onset, and can understand and support this effort.”
Heal the Bay, a nonprofit environmental organization, and a group of members dedicated to making the coastal waters and watershed safer, submitted a letter in favor of the motion.
“Beaches are where families gather, where people go to relax and have fun, and where anglers obtain food for their families,” the letter says. “Beaches also provide habitat for coastal species. Some offer sandy shorelines, while others offer rocky intertidal zones. We need all of these natural habitat types for our coastal ecosystem to thrive. The combination of sea level rise stripping sand away, human activity obstructing natural sediment deposition, and coastal development hindering natural beach movement puts Southern California beaches at risk of shrinking and even disappearing.”
The letter also emphasized the importance of not responding to sea level rise.
“Depending on our response to sea level rise and our approach to coastal development, Southern California is predicted to lose between 31 percent and 67 percent of its beaches,” the letter says. “The motion by Supervisor Horvath prioritizes a nature-based approach to resiliency within the coastal watersheds of Los Angeles County by focusing on living shorelines, and on the beneficial reuse of sediment from various dredging activities across Los Angeles County, including consideration of natural sediment transport that could benefit aquatic habitat along the coastline and throughout the watershed.”
Redondo Beach City Councilmember and LA County lifeguard Nils Nehrenheim also spoke during the meeting, saying the loss of sand has become noticeable since COVID-19.
“This is a dramatic need that we need here in Redondo Beach amongst many other places here in the LA County coastline,” Nehrenheim said.
According to the report, in 2022, the district developed a Sediment Management Strategic Plan (SMSP), estimated that over the next 10 years, the district will need to remove approximately 15 million cubic yards of sediment from its various facilities at a cost of $570 million.
Currently, dredged sediment is sent to sediment placement sites in the Angeles National Forest (which are expected to reach capacity within 20 years) or sent to regional landfills.
An updated SMSP is being developed, and it would include the potential beneficial use of sediment removed from district facilities for beach replenishment and include updated cost estimates, environmental impacts, sediment testing protocols, community outreach, logistics, transportation, and permitting requirements.
The district is also considering other alternatives for sediment that may not be suitable for beaches, such as use for sandbags to assist during storms and floods.
The potential beneficial reuse of sediment from the district can nourish local beaches with sand, maintain and restore our coastlines, and provide the expanded area necessary to implement the hybrid living shoreline strategies that will enhance coastal resilience, native habitat, and biodiversity.
The director of beaches and harbors, the chief sustainability officer and the director of public works, will provide a report back in writing within 90 days with an outreach and fundraising strategy for the implementation of the Coastal Resiliency Strategy.
Anawalt Lumber celebrates 100 years in business
Malibu community celebrates the family-owned and operated business
Friends, neighbors, family, and local community members gathered at Anawalt Lumber on Saturday for a celebration of 100 years in business. Although the Malibu location of Anawalt only opened 12 years ago, the family-owned and operated lumber, hardware, and gardening supply store wanted to thank the Malibu community for its continuing support with special giveaways at its centennial celebration party.
Festivities Saturday included dollar tacos, drinks, free popcorn, and raffle items that included plants and all the accoutrement to keep them growing and thriving just as Anawalt Lumber has been during this past century.
“We’re celebrating our 100-year anniversary. We opened up in 1923 on Pico and Sepulveda,” said Rieff Anawalt, general manager at the Malibu location on Cross Creek Road. “We’ve had five celebrations, this being the fifth; two at our Pico yard, one at our Highland yard (in Hollywood), one at our Palisades yard and we’re ending the parties at our Malibu yard. My dad and I are both members of this community so we thought it was fitting to finish in Malibu.
“Rieff went to Malibu High and I’ve lived here most of my life,” said David Anawalt, the company’s chairman of the board and grandson of the company’s founder, Harmon Fred Anawalt Jr. “We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished over 100 years.”
“We’ve had support here in the community. Our growth doubled in the first five years or so and we still increased in the past four years,” Rieff added. “We’ve had exponential growth. Right before the Woolsey Fire we were really going, and then post Woolsey Fire we’ve had some huge growth with so much building in the community. The main thing is we are here to serve the community. That’s our main goal, to be a service-oriented store. What sets us apart from the big box stores is greeting customers, going the extra mile helping them, being friendly, and stuff you might not receive in the big box stores.”
Some of the products you may not find at the so-called big box stores are products Anawalt Lumber carries from locally owned businesses such as Malibu Compost. Randy Richie from Malibu Compost was on hand for the celebration.
“Anawalt has been selling Malibu Compost for over 10 years now. We’re here to celebrate with them,” Richie said. “The Anawalt family has been amazing to us. We’re here to show our real organic, real farm-made, biodynamic compost that is unique to the whole landscaping world. Farmers and gardeners don’t get this kind of compost unless they have a farm. That’s what makes us different.
“Malibu Compost gets good feedback from customers. Our fan base, once people use Malibu Compost they don’t use anything else. Once they see you can use just a little bit because it’s loaded with nutrients they always come back to it. Our seed starter is the best by far and our potting soil is very different than what you get in normal potting soil. Our customer base expects the highest quality from us and we deliver.”
“We’re huge supporters of Malibu Compost. It’s the best soil on the market, extremely nutrient dense,” according to Rieff Anawalt. “What we really try with our associates is also what he does (Richie), is being enthusiastic, reading customers, having great product knowledge, and trying to set ourselves apart from someone who doesn’t really care so much.”
Anawalt Lumber President Rolando Robles said, “We’re here celebrating the 100th anniversary of a family-owned business that you don’t really see much anymore. To celebrate 100 years is a great milestone. Vendors, customers, $1 tacos, to thank the community for supporting us, especially here for the last 12 years, but in general 100 years for the company. There’s a family culture we try to create here so that everybody is like family. You can sense it with all the employees. That’s what we distill to the managers that we want to keep in this business.”
Rieff pointed out all the family connections Saturday and noted, “Our store manager brought one of his sons today and we definitely try to be family and community based.”
“We’re proud to be out in the community this way. We’re a community serving business. We’ve had tremendous support from this community and we employ a lot of locals,” remarked David Anawalt.
David then proudly said of his son, “Rieff is the fourth generation Anawalt to be involved in Anawalt Lumber. We look forward to being here for years to come.”
