Hundreds attend paddle out at First Point before celebrating his life in an SRO memorial service

By Barbara Burke 

Special to The Malibu Times

“Matt always loved the rain and he loved going down to the ocean when it rained,” a tearful, grieving, shocked Jill Rapf said days after unexpectedly losing her wonderful husband and best friend, Matt Rapf, 61. Rapf died suddenly of a heart attack on Feb. 4, while paddling out at Zuma Beach in honor of Lyon Herron. When his family, friends, and our community lost Rapf, he was surrounded by his tribe as he transitioned in his absolute favorite place — the ocean.

So, it was fitting that on April 13, a dreary Malibu morning with rain impending, Rapf was again surrounded by his tribe of hundreds of friends and family who gathered to honor him with a paddle out at First Point, the very place that he grew up and made many friends and memories.

“How can he be gone?” a devastated Jill posted a few days after Matt passed, juxtaposing her post with the image of a brawny, smiling Matt in the ocean, the very picture of health and optimism, the image of him that many Malibuites will always recall.

“It was an epic paddle out in Matt’s honor,” Skylar Peak said. “He loved the rain piercing the ocean’s surface and our hills above beautiful Malibu.”

Andy Lyon, Rapf’s childhood friend, agreed: “The paddle out was amazing. We really lucked out because the forecast was for horrible weather and that freed up the whole beach and everyone could park.”

First Point was where Lyon and Rapf surfed for decades, Lyon noted, adding, “We could see Matt’s house from the paddle-out circle which was about a quarter of a mile from where he first surfed.”

Touchingly, Lyon recounted, “I was honored to take Matt’s ashes out on a big board with a wreath of leis.  I took him on his last go out and took him around the circle so everyone could see and honor him. Jill was able to spread his ashes and it was beautiful.”

Another of Rapf’s friends, Greg Beaton, described the entourage’s energy as family and friends embraced one another within the circle of love, honor and remembrance. “This is what surfing is all about – Having your friends around you, energy from the ocean and conversations that are as deep as the ocean,” he said.

Matt loved us and we loved him back. 

After the paddle out, those celebrating Rapf’s life proceeded to Malibu Gathering Church, where attendees honored him further, recalling how he befriended and helped so many in the community, his sometimes dark sense of humor, and his love of family.

“The memorial service was cathartic, emotional, and moving, and everyone felt Matt there with us,” Jill Rapf said. “It was not just somber or emotional because there was so much joy in it and the standing-room-only gathering was such proof of Matt’s life well lived and that he had touched so many people — there was such a great community response and it was a melding of all those who knew him, including people who he grew up with, who he surfed with, his real estate community, and his recovery community.”

Pastor Brian Kelly recalled how giving Rapf was, noting that just last December, he and five other dads took a trip to the Dominican Republic to learn about how Mission of Hope is helping Haitian children. 

“Matt was part of the Gathering Church for the last 15 years and God’s grace changed Matt’s life,” Kelly said. “Matt knew how important it was to remember that what changes your life is knowing that despite being more flawed than you know, God loves you more than you know. Matt was a great example of how God helps you be a better person, husband, father, and friend.” 

Tracy Stoker, who grew up with Rapf and attended church with him, shared, “I had the opportunity of watching Matt from the age of 10 through his teenage years and as a 20-to-30-year-old, and then, the transitions he made as he matured into life and its limits.” 

Barry Kearson, Rapf’s Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor, spoke of his giving nature: “Matt was generous, sometimes to a fault, and he was a caring human being who did so many things for people struggling with alcohol and addiction — our sponsor-sponsee relationship was very intimate and like many who are grieving his loss, I still cannot believe that he is gone.”

Dale Rhodes also spoke about Rapf’s sobriety journey and his extensions of deep friendship.

“I have known Matt since we were 18 years old,” Rhodes said. “I was a competitive surfer, a kid from the valley who sometimes clashed with local surfers back in the ’80s, but Matt and I became friends and ultimately, he has been my AA sponsor for the last 10 years.”

There were so many sharing reflections about Rapf’s friendship connections.

“Matt loved us and we loved him back,” Jill Rapf said.  

Beaton shared, “Matt lived his life with passion and expression with family first and service above self inside and out of Alcoholics Anonymous.”  

“At the end of his life, the life none of us knew would be cut so short, Matt was truly a beautiful soul who loved his family foremost and his community of Malibu, and especially, his church family,” Stoker said. “His legacy lives on through his sweet wife, Jill, who continues to embody the love and devotion that Matt held dear.”

Jill Rapf and Lyon both commented that at the end of the day after the memorial, the rain subsided and a double rainbow emerged right where the paddle out had been and there were other rainbows as well, all seemingly helping to ensure that Matt Rapf would want those grieving him to also feel and share joy.

And now, as the Rapf family and Matt’s friends carry on in life, they are embraced by his tribe, buoyed by his love, and they will always honor him. 

“Matt was a kind man — a family man,” Peak said. “His honorable soul left us too early — Malibu is a better place because of him — Long live Matt Rapf!”

Coastal vulnerability discussed; another workshop on Zoom scheduled for Tuesday, April 30 

The City of Malibu is taking steps to plan for predicted sea level rise and mitigate potential associated coastal erosion with a Coastal Vulnerability Assessment (CVA) and series of public workshops. Concerned residents and developers attended the second meeting held April 18 at Malibu City Hall. A summary packed with information was presented and then the public was invited to share concerns that will be incorporated into a final report.

A public survey of 76 respondents revealed 67 percent live along Malibu’s coast. A majority of respondents said they enjoyed beach activities such as surfing, walking along the beach, ocean swimming, and wave watching. However, 76 percent said they thought sea level rise and coastal erosion are issues in Malibu and cited loss of sand, increased erosion, rising tides, and wave runup, that they would like to see addressed.

Adaptation measures that could be taken include artificial reefs, submerged rock breakwaters, edging, dredging, revetment, dam removal, and beach dune and lagoon restoration. 

The city’s Environmental Sustainability Director Yolanda Bundy reiterated, “A majority of the survey responders have stated that they are seeing changes along Malibu coastline. This is possibly due to sea level rise, coastal erosion, sea water flooding, and other coastal hazards and are interested in what can be done to mitigate the effects of sea level rise.” 

Some local areas have been identified by Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors as possible targets for adaptation measures. Zuma Beach and Point Dume were singled out as coastal areas that could benefit from adaptation plans. Mitigation could include beach nourishment, living shorelines such as dunes and other measures to increase the resilience of the county beaches and public amenities. According to the CVA, Caltrans is also prioritizing sea level rise and climate change adaptation efforts for roadways throughout the state. Caltrans District 7, which covers Malibu, designated high priority for adaptation assessments for several bridges, small culverts, and roadway segments in Malibu for individual adaptation assessments. 

Coastal engineer James Jackson of Environmental Science Associates (ESA) addressed the meeting, saying the CVA “evaluates coastal hazards, existing conditions, future sea level rise” including flooding and erosion. It’s predicted that sea level rise will impact critical infrastructure, including wastewater treatment and the Pacific Coast Highway. 

ESA predicts 2.5 feet of sea level rise to occur between 2070-75. It gets worse with a projected 6.6 feet rise by 2100-30. 

“Sea level rise science is ever-changing and evolving as the scientific community understands and models the effects of sea level rise,” Jackson explained. “These projections are precautionary by design … It’s important for communities to plan ahead.”

Jackson stated low-lying areas are subject to coastal storm flooding and tidal inundation, which makes PCH vulnerable “as you can observe a number of reaches of the highway that are armored with revetment.” He added a sobering prediction: “Beaches in Malibu are primarily narrow under existing conditions. Five percent of the coast has little to no beach in high tides. If sea level rises by 2.5 feet, over 40 percent of the coast could be without a beach and nearly 80 percent of the coast could be without a dry sand beach with 6.6 sea level rise.”

Community input is sought before the Coastal Vulnerability Assessment is finalized.

Another public workshop on Zoom will be held on Tuesday, April 30, at 3 p.m. to provide your feedback and discuss the next steps on the projected impacts of sea level rise. Visit the virtual link to access the meeting. A recording of the first virtual workshop presenting technical results is available at Virtual Workshop Recording. Access the draft Coastal Vulnerability Assessment report, interactive GIS map, and additional information on the Malibu Coastal webpage (malibucity.org/859/Coastal). For inquiries, call (310) 456-2489, ext. 390, or email mbuilding@malibucity.org.

​By Barbara Burke

Special to The Malibu Times

A body of a deceased male was found on the afternoon of April 24 by a person who was driving through an off-road tract in unincorporated Malibu. The person came upon a male victim near a pickup truck.  Authorities responded to the 800 block of Westlake Blvd to follow up on reports of the shooting, according to Sgt. Chris Soderland of the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. Soderland, who added, “The area is in a remote area of the Santa Monica Mountains but when you Google it, you find it has a Malibu address.”

The unidentified victim in his 30s was shot multiple times in the upper body, according to a press release issued by officials.

​“We believe it was not a random act,” Homicide Detective Mike Modica with the Sheriff’s Department said, adding that detectives believe it was a targeted shooting and that preliminary ballistics evidence indicated that the shooting had occurred at the location where the body was discovered. Detectives believe that the dead victim and his killer or killers were on the tract before the shooting and there does not appear to be any threat to the community, Modica stated.

Malibu Times will keep readers informed of any new details revealed by authorities with regard to this crime. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact sheriff’s homicide investigators, Soderlund stated. The telephone number is: (323) 890-5500. 

The article was updated to correct a name and title of Sgt. Chris Soderlund.

The difficulty in redeeming CRV tax and recycling cans and bottles locally

The 54th Earth Day on April 22 is billed as the world’s largest event dedicated to preserving our planet. City-sponsored events in Malibu include Electronic and Household Hazardous Waste Collection, Document Shred Day, Organic Recycling Virtual Training, the 2024 State of the Watershed, and a Firescaping class, with all events free and open to the public. 

The city will also be posting sustainability tips on social media throughout Earth Month. But there’s been scant discussion on recycling cans and bottles that are subject to the state CRV (California Redemption Value) tax and receiving your deposit back from your purchase. 

The CRV tax was initially imposed in 1987 to encourage the recycling of bottles and cans that would otherwise end up in landfills. CRV is a fee that is paid to the state by beverage distributors, not a deposit. Distributors pass the fee along to customers through California law.

The program is administered by CalRecycle. Beginning Jan. 1, 2024, more beverage containers, especially those containing alcohol, are now charged the CRV value of either 5 or 10 cents per container. But the CRV is much less a redemption value now than it is a fee or part of the selling price. It’s more like a convenience charge, which the distributor is choosing to recover from the customer, but technically which the customer can recover by returning the container. However, redemption for cash value is extremely difficult, not to mention time-consuming.

In the last few years the business model for recycling centers bottomed out, forcing many to simply close because the bulk return rates were not sustainable for profits. Many grocery stores that used to recycle materials either inside or outside their stores stopped the practice, claiming that handling the materials is unhygienic.

According to CalRecycle, “If there are no longer traditional recycling centers to provide takeback opportunities in your area, state law puts the redemption obligation on CRV beverage retailers. A check of CalRecycle’s in-store CRV redemption locator database shows the following retailers returned signed affidavits to CalRecycle choosing to redeem in-store rather than pay a $100 daily penalty to fulfill their legal redemption requirements. Those stores are ARCO ampm, 29145 Heathercliff Road; John’s Garden; Malibu Chevron, 23670 Pacific Coast Highway; Malibu Ranch Market; Malibu Shell; Trancas Canyon Chevron, and Vintage Grocers.

When contacted, it appeared only Vintage Grocers and John’s Garden were accepting pre-counted can and bottle returns for CRV redemption with the latter, a restaurant, not equipped to receive large quantities of takebacks, but certainly willing to return deposits on containers purchased at the eatery. The other retailers in the database may not be actively in compliance with CalRecycle. 

As for other major grocery stores in Malibu, Whole Foods does not accept CRV redemptions; Pavilions, which previously accepted returns, no longer does; and Ralphs removed their automated return machines located at their storefront about six years ago. Ralphs and Pavilions, as well as CVS Pharmacy, have been paying a $100 daily fine to CalRecycle for non-compliance. As of their last payment on March 28, Ralphs has paid $186,000 instead of providing recycling machines. The Ralphs Corporation was unavailable for comment.

Redemption programs are about to change, though, with reforms beginning Jan. 1, 2025. Beverage retailers over 5,000 square feet and more than $1.5 million annual sales, excluding fuel, in what CalRecycle terms “unserved convenience zones” will no longer have the option to pay $100-per-day to not redeem. Instead, obligated retailers, including Ralphs Malibu, will have the option to either redeem CRV containers in store, or join a non-profit dealer cooperative that redeems on its behalf.

CalRecycle stated there is $300 million approved by lawmakers to expand recycling efforts that could include reverse vending machines, mobile recycling, and bag-drop recycling.

A reverse vending machine is described as an unattended machine allowing CRV containers for input one-by-one, or others allowing consumers to input many containers at once.

If a certified recycling center or obligated beverage retailer fails to fulfill its legal redemption obligations, Californians can file a formal complaint by calling 1-800-RECYCLE or emailing complaints@calrecycle.ca.gov. Non-compliant businesses face CalRecycle inspections and escalating penalties of up to $10,000 for each violation. 

The public is encouraged to weigh in on the proposed new recycling rules electronically, by mail, or by joining an April 30 hybrid public hearing starting at 9 a.m. in the CalEPA headquarters in Sacramento (Zoom registration required for remote participation).

More financial details explained in creating a Malibu Unified School District

As progress inches slowly toward the creation of a stand-alone Malibu Unified School District (MUSD), the City of Malibu held a second workshop to inform residents on the complicated process in divorcing from the Santa Monica-Malibu District. 

While a major milestone has been reached in the negotiation process with a Revenue Sharing Agreement (RSA) completed, albeit still pending ratification, two other agreements with Santa Monica still need to be worked out. They include an Operational Agreement and Joint Powers Agreement (JPA).

Cathy Dominico, a consultant for the City of Malibu and managing partner of Capitol PFG, presented a summary of the state of the schools’ separation process.

Dominico, a property tax expert, explained that the RSA memorializes the future allocation of what are currently all SMMUSD revenues between the successor educational entities. The Operational Agreement will define what will happen to the district’s assets including staffing, liabilities, and operational processes. 

The JPA will create a body governed by both parties to administer the separation.

A guiding principle in the separation of Malibu and Santa Monica schools is that each district have the funding to maintain a similar level of service at each school site as prior to separation. And that’s where things get complicated. As Malibu currently pays a disproportionate share of the school district’s overall budget relative to student population, Santa Monica has required assurances that it will receive transfer payments for some period of time to make up for its loss in revenue from Malibu property taxes and to keep its growth at no less than the historical rate of 4 percent.

Dominico and her associates working for Malibu stress-tested dozens of different scenarios to ensure that Santa Monica will be made whole while also ensuring sufficient funding for a MUSD. 

“Malibu has to make up the difference if there’s a shortfall in Santa Monica,” said Mike Matthews, former Malibu High School principal and retired superintendent of the Manhattan Beach Unified School District. Mathews is also a Malibu resident, now an educational advisor for the Malibu unification team. Under some scenarios, Malibu’s transfer payments would cease by the 2041-42 school year, while contractually the latest date would be 2051. 

“The agreement is not in perpetuity,” Dominico stated, noting that the 2051 termination date is fixed irrespective of how long it takes for the separate MUSD to commence operations.

Attendees asked whether Malibu’s tax base would sink should another natural disaster strike. Dominico answered that even with the Woolsey Fire, Malibu may have lost students who were forced to move, but aggregate city property taxes did not fall.

Dominico warned that for the initial MUSD budget, “It will be tight in the first couple of years.” 

Matthews concurred explaining, “We’ve looked at what we would need in terms of staffing, in terms of keeping everything going, and yeah, we believe we can do it. One of the things we hear a lot is, ‘I can’t wait till we can add a lot of stuff,’ and [initially] we’re not going to add stuff. In fact, one of our pieces of advice to the new district will be being a small district can be a dangerous thing because your resources are limited and giant unexpected expenses can be very harmful. 

“So, our advice will be when we do get increases in revenue to squirrel it away and put it in a really big reserve so that we as a small place can do that. It will even out eventually, but … we’re going to keep things the same, but hold off for a while until we feel secure that we can protect ourselves from anything that might come our way.”

Another Malibu consultant, La Tanya Kirk-Carter, a former chief administrative officer for the Beverly Hills Unified School District, added, “We could be more efficient spending our own money. You’ll get more bang for your buck.”

Dominico concluded, “What this gives us on day one is local control.”

City leaders are encouraging residents to voice their opinions and concerns. Comments or questions can be sent to the Malibu Deputy City Manager Alexis Brown at ABrown@malibucity.org or (310) 456-2489 ext. 300.