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Juan Cabrillo Collection, a children’s art exhibition

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In an effort to encourage their “personal artistic journey,” 360 works of art by the students of Juan Cabrillo Elementary School, grades kindergarten through 5th, will be displayed for two days at the Mc Lean Gallery beginning Saturday.

The show will include landscapes, cityscapes, seascapes, portraiture, mixed-media collage and block prints.

This is the second annual art show designed to commemorate the students’ hard work and creative exploration. The students of Juan Cabrillo chose all the work displayed. Last year’s event was at Point Dume Elementary School.

Sage Laskin, who is the art instructor for Juan Cabrillo and Point Dume, says it is a way for the children to “exhibit their art on a museum wall away from the classroom setting, and say, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s my work.’ “

Laskin went on to say that the children are so proud to be able to choose the best of their work, without anyone judging them.

“In celebrating the children’s hard work, it actually encourages them to continue their personal artistic journey,” says Laskin.

She added that last year’s event was so gratifying for the children, and in viewing their works in progress, it was evident they were having fun.

McKenna Furgurson, 8, reaffirmed Laskin’s comment, saying: “Art is special, you get to paint, do collages and have fun.”

In addition to the “fun” aspect, the young art students also gain something else from their work– the ability to communicate in another medium.

“There are no rules in art, you draw something and just express yourself,” said Sara Crenshaw, 8.

Cameron Ritchie, 9, finds that “art expresses something to me, it is a story. It’s a great thing to do.”

Pat Cairns, principal of Juan Cabrillo, is a big supporter of the art effort. “I can’t think of a more wonderful way to showcase all of the children’s artwork,” says Cairns. “Art is such an important part of a child’s total development in school.”

This view is reflected by Gerardo Resendiz, 8, who says he likes art because “when I see art that I am working on, it’s like I’m really there.”

Amount of open-land bond measure may be several million too high

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Despite the advice of a seasoned conservation finance consultant who suggested lowering the amount of a proposed $15 million open-land bond measure to something as low as $11 million, a coalition of Malibu residents decided to hold to the $15 million number for the November ballot.

If the bond measure passes, that $15 million would be used to purchase open land for parks, ballfields, a community center as well as numerous other programs in the Civic Center area.

The $15 million number could cause the measure to fail, according to Christopher Mann, a conservation finance consultant with Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit organization that works with communities to help protect open land. Asking for an amount that voters will support is the single largest determinant in whether a measure will pass or not, he said.

Measure O, a $15 million advisory bond measure on last November’s ballot that garnered only 59 percent of the vote, was not successful because voters didn’t understand what it was all about, or the price tag was too high, said Mann. ” A revised measure that provides more information and/or has less money has a good chance of passing,” he said.

Ozzie Silna, a member of the bond coalition steering committee, said the size of the bond coalition is less important than just getting it passed.

The Trust for Public Land’s Conservation Finance Program has worked with more than 80 communities in the last few years to assist in successful passage of similar ballot measures. Mann’s services are free of charge and the group intends to continue working with him.

“We like very much the suggestions he made and we think we’re very close to language the community will also like,” Silna said. The coalition presented the $15 million number to the City Council along with Mann’s suggestions. Ultimately, the amount of the bond and how the bond measure language will read on the November ballot will be up to the City Council.

The coalition’s steering committee approved the final language at a May 10 meeting. If approved by the City Council, the following language will appear on the November ballot: “Shall the City of Malibu acquire land for parks, playgrounds, playing fields, trails, a community center to serve children, teens, families, adults, and seniors with recreation, social and education programs; to protect natural areas and wildlife habitat; and to limit sprawl and traffic congestion; and issue its general obligation bond in the amount of $15 million? Not more than 10 percent of these funds shall be used for improvements or construction.”

Incorporating so many diverse interests into the bond language may also cause problems in the future, such as on what or how to spend the funds.

“Is it going to create an ideal trail?” asked Mann. “No it’s not.” Nor will it create an ideal playground, playing fields, etc., he added. “Nobody’s getting everything they want, but everybody’s getting a lot of what they want.” Mann added that each piece of land could serve multiple purposes. One piece of land can give Malibu residents their trail, their playground, and their playing field, he said.

City Councilmember Tom Hasse said the $15 million pool would allow Malibu to apply for grants two to three times that amount. ” I think the voters of Malibu will be pleasantly surprised how far $15 million can go,” said Hasse.

According to Hasse, the land in the Civic Center area is $500,000 to $1 million per acre. It will be up to the City Council to decide how the allotted $15 million will be distributed if the measure is successfully passed.

Mona Loo, a proponent of keeping the $15 million number, put things into perspective for Malibu residents voting in the November election. According to Loo, the approximate cost to a property owner would be a little less than $30 per hundred thousand dollars of assessed evaluation. Assessed evaluation can be found on one’s tax bill. It is listed as “net taxable value.”

Loo said it’s important to recognize that assessed evaluation is lower than market value and can be substantially lower depending on how long a person has owned their home. For example, a home with a $600,000 net taxable value would have a $180 increase in the annual tax bill ($30 x 6 = $180).

The coalition plans to launch an aggressive campaign to earn the support of Malibu residents. The group expects a low voter turnout since there are no other measures on the November ballot. There are 9,000 registered voters in Malibu. According to Loo, there is normally a 40 percent voter turnout. The coalition, however, only expects a 30 to 40 percent turnout this November.

Bond measure proponents are considering doing a test mailing (to get residents’ reactions to the bond measure language) from a randomly selected group of likely voters (voters who have voted in the last election). The group is also looking into conducting an informal poll in lieu of the test mailing.

Laureen Sills, founder of PARCs (People Achieving Recreation and Community Services), said Malibu doesn’t own anything of its own. “The city doesn’t even own a swing set or the land to put one on,” said Sills. “The city is 10 years old. It’s time to fish or cut bait.”

Bluffs deal may go to EIR stage

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News analysis

By Kristine Hansen/Special to The Malibu Times

and Arnold G. York/Publisher

After many months of negotiation, a proposed development deal to solve the problem of where to relocate the ball fields at Bluffs Park may be approaching a solution.

The baseball and soccer fields located atop Bluffs Park sit on land owned by the State of California, but the lease for those fields expires in May, 2002. The state has said it does not want to extend the lease because it wants to build a visitors center there. Malibu has been hard-pressed to find new suitable land and the dollars to make the move.

The proposed multi-part development deal brought to the council on Monday was negotiated among the City of Malibu, the state, the Coastal Commission and Roy Crummer. Crummer is a Malibu landowner who owns a major portion of the bluff.

In the proposed deal, the current ball fields would be removed from state-owned land and new baseball and soccer fields would be built on a 6.2-acre portion of the bluff adjacent to Pacific Coast Highway. Crummer has offered to donate the land to the City of Malibu and he would, in return, earn the right to build eight single-family estate residences on the other end of the bluff. Each lot size would be about two acres, making the total subdivision approximately 18.74 acres.

According to Planning Director Barry Hogan, the city would waive certain portions of the Interim Zoning Ordinance (IZO) slope density, lot size and total square footage to allow the homes to be constructed.

Crummer said his father and grandfather, who were early developers of Malibu, “always felt ball fields were important.” Later, the family sold most of its holdings to the Malibu Bay Company, except for a few parcels like those atop the bluffs adjacent to Bluffs Park.

Others in the government and parks and recreation community spoke out in favor of the proposed deal at Monday’s meeting.

Russ Dingman, park planner for the State of California, said the city would have to move quickly because the lease on the ball fields expires soon.

Laureen Sills, parks and recreation commissioner, said she supports the deal but noted that the rough proposed layout might be a problem because foul balls would land in Pacific Coast Highway. She said the Parks and Recreation Commission wants to be more involved in the planning, to perhaps help eliminate problems like these.

Park Commissioners Doug O’Brien and Dermot Stoker supported the deal. Stoker said, “This is a great day in the history of Malibu parks.”

Marissa Coughlin, a parks activist, also supported the deal. She said she hoped the community would accept the plan with the intent that it’s given.

Councilmember Sharon Barovsky voiced some hesitation because of the amount of grading involved in the deal and also echoed some of the concerns of Malibu Road homeowners located below the proposed residential development. “In all fairness I’m not going to support 72,000 cubic yards of grading to fill up a canyon … that’s too much for my tastes,” said Barovsky.

Councilmember Ken Kearsley was more optimistic. “I think we have a unique opportunity to sort of meld the public and the private sectors into a regional park,” he said.

The council voted to go the next step and send the proposed Bluffs park development deal out for an Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

Capt. John O’Brien retires

The council and audience gave Capt. John O’Brien, the very popular retiring commander of the Lost Hills Sheriffs’ Division, a standing ovation for his years of service to Malibu. O’Brien, who came to the station in 1977, served as a deputy, sergeant, lieutenant and later, captain of the division. Mayor Joan House described O’Brien as “among the finest they have to offer.” See story A6.

The bond committee reports

The independent Malibu Bond Measure Coalition Committee gave the council its version of the $15 million open land bond initiative’s language.

The council placed the item on the agenda for its May 29 meeting. Interim City Manager Christi Hogin said council members are free to campaign for the bond as long as no city funds are used.

At its next meeting, the council will have to grapple with final ballot wording.

At Monday’s meeting, the committee said they feel it’s doubtful that the $15 million bond initiative could get the two-thirds vote necessary for passage, based on a survey the city conducted, which revealed that just 58 or 59 percent of Malibu supports it.

Cross Creek reconstruction

The city has plans to reconstruct and reconfigure Cross Creek Road.

A grant in the amount of $500,000 has been recommended, and will help offset the cost, which is estimated at between $800,000 and $900,000.

Home occupations

The council introduced the new Home Occupation Ordinance, which covers home businesses in Malibu, but then unanimously approved moving the matter to a hearing on May 29. The new ordinance would permit home business operations like piano lessons, riding lessons and swimming lessons. Planning Director Barry Hogan said, “They still have to be good neighbors. There has to be a compatible use.” The draft ordinance requires that parking be provided on-site, which could pose a serious parking crunch for many hillside neighborhoods.

In other news, an appeal of a Planning Commission decision to deny construction of a house on 32804 Pacific Coast Highway between Decker and Encinal Canyon roads was returned to the commission for further hearing due to the changes that the applicant made to the original plan.

Also, the City Council unanimously approved a Flood Mitigation Plan.

malibu seen

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The best of the best

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It isn’t a panicky whine. And it isn’t frightening. The metallic voice cuts in, “Station 71. Alert … Medical Alarm … ” Malibu firefighter Dave Saltmarsh fixes his eyes on me, then hops up and dashes through the door. “I gotta go on a run,” he says. “C’mon, you wanna go?”

We’re squealing up Pacific Coast Highway, swerving through frozen midday traffic and Saltmarsh is introducing me to the crew. He couldn’t be cooler. He explains to me what a medical alert is. “It could be that someone hit their alarm, could be a motion detector went off, could be a false alarm.”

Whatever the case may be, Saltmarsh, a certified paramedic, and his five-man unit are more than ready–they are calm and confident.

Earlier this year, Saltmarsh was chosen for the Firehouse Magazine Award, an award for exceptional valor displayed while on and off duty. “Every year they [Firehouse Magazine] give out awards to guys for things they’ve done, heroic things they’ve done,” explains Saltmarsh. “A couple years back they created an award for community service–to honor guys who’ve done things for the community over the years.”

His voice is calm and humble through his thick, sandy blond mustache. He is straightforward, with tough, weathered skin and bright eyes. But his manner is kind, almost delicate. “So a couple of years back my captain nominated me and it went through. So I got the award … mostly for the work I’ve done with Children of the Night and Camp Dreamstreet.”

The nominating captain, Don Schwaiger, has since moved from Station 71, and still contends that Saltmarsh is among the best of the best. “The best patient care paramedic in the L.A. County Fire Department,” says Schwaiger, of Saltmarsh. “The most giving of his time. The absolute best and an honor to work with.”

The parade of red fire trucks blurring through a Point Dume residential community comes to a stop. A sheriff’s black-and-white has already arrived at the house, and the deputies wave off the 71st, ” … a false alarm.”

After a thorough check of the premises, and finding everything safe and in order, the guys hop back in the trucks.

As we head back toward the station, Saltmarsh explains to me the organizations he volunteers for. “Dreamstreet is a camp we’ve done for years, right here up in a Malibu, to help kids with life-threatening diseases. It’s a lot like a summer camp, but obviously the kids need a lot more attention. And because I am also a paramedic, I can sort of help out everywhere–it works out better.”

Saltmarsh, who has volunteered with Dreamstreet for more than a decade, and his partner, Susie, who is also his wife and a paramedic herself, watch the children 24 hours a day for one week straight, once a year. They supervise the children’s use of medication and make sure they get enough rest.

He explains the whole event matter-of-factly. There is no question in his mind as to whether or not he should be giving himself and his time to the children.

“And Children of the Night is an organization where they take kids that are involved in prostitution off the street and get them in a 24-hour shelter.” Saltmarsh speaks warmly of the organization. “It’s really amazing. It’s made specifically for kids who have been in prostitution. They don’t really fit in at other shelters, you know.”

Saltmarsh has done everything from searching the streets of Hollywood in the wee hours of the morning with his wife for prospective “children,” explaining the program to them, to going on speaking engagements, running fundraisers and donation campaigns.

He has helped children go through Children’s education program, processes with a social worker, through drug and alcohol rehab, back out into the world with a job and an apartment.

He stops himself to explain that his own personal heroes are Lois Lee, founder of Children of the Night, and Patty Grubman, who runs Dreamstreet. And he quickly defers everything–the award, the attention–to point out that all of the acclaim is only worthwhile if he can use it to create greater support for the programs.

When the Los Angeles native is pushed as to why he felt compelled to do so much for others–Did he see a painful dark side in his youth in Glendale? Did he see a loss of friends to prostitution? Did AIDS rear its head early in his life, creating the superhero mentality?–he says, “This job is only 10 days a month. I felt like I could do something to help.”

Saltmarsh also gives money to the organizations. He says he could do only that, but he sees the need to give of his self, so that he can, in a direct manner, help the organizations he respects and support the work toward their goals.

Behind his mirrored-lens Oakleys, Saltmarsh’s eyes are clear of any trace of vanity, of any hubris. His soft-spoken confidence merely reflects someone entirely at ease with himself, completely comfortable in his life.

While he is proud of the fact that he and his wife can give so much of their selves, Saltmarsh does smile and say, “Well, we work hard and we play hard.”

This summer the couple is going to Fiji, to a surf camp. “Scuba diving, surfing … it’s going to be great.” And from the sun-drenched parking lot behind Station 71, Saltmarsh laughs, “Life’s good … I’ve got a great job and I can’t complain about this setting.”

Tribute to Meckler

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I want to join many others in a tribute to Zane Meckler, who passed away May 5. I was the beneficiary of Zane’s last political campaign – he was my campaign manager for my November election to the Santa Monica-Malibu Board of Education. I consider Zane a genius of grassroots precinct politics.

In my election, I placed first among all the candidates in all 19 Malibu precincts and first among all of the candidates in 50 of the 66 precincts in Santa Monica – the Santa Monica vote total unheard of for a Malibu candidate. Those numbers were a direct result of the leadership of one man: Zane Meckler.

As strident as he was in challenging his campaign workers to make their deadlines and call every voter (and he was strident!), all who worked with him also appreciated a gentle and caring side of this man who had a very big heart. We will miss you, Zane, but we will never forget the many positive contributions that you made to this community.

Mike Jordan

Santa Monica-Malibu Board of Education

Conservation runs amok in powerless summer

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The Guv says if we’re to survive the summer of being powerless we must conserve energy. This will help him out of his political morass while he fast-tracks (that’s Guvspeak for environmental bypass) construction of new power plants, the resurrection of old decrepit ones and the building of more oil refineries.

Meanwhile, the Vice President says conservation doesn’t cut it. We need to drill, drill, and drill our way to energy independence. And the President says he doesn’t give a rodent’s rear about global warming, so we’re not going to curb our carbon dioxide emissions no matter what the rest of the world thinks.

But what they’re all really talking about is how to beat the price, short- and long-term, and nary a word about saving the planet.

Lost in the debate over who is to blame for the soaring price of gasoline, natural gas, electricity and every commodity that owes its being to any kind of fossil fuel, is the fact that there’s a finite supply of the stuff.

A scientist I know well says people forget the earth is a closed system. Every lump of coal, every barrel of oil and every drop of water that ever was or ever will be are already here. It all just changes form. The scientist says conservation is not a quick fix; it’s a way of life. She not only recycles everything, she buys recycled everything. She uses canvas shopping bags, cloth napkins, doesn’t buy products made with rainforest wood, doesn’t buy food that’s shipped long distances. She writes phone messages and grocery lists on tiny scraps of paper, filters the tap water instead of buying designer water in bottles. She inspires me. She gives me her Real Goods catalog.

So now I own a dozen earth-friendly energy savers: a solar powered gizmo that emits obnoxious noises underground driving voracious gophers from the garden (beats using exhaust fumes from the old ranch pickup to gas them); an indoor sonic pest repeller (no more exterminator spraying toxic chemicals); a 60-gallon rain barrel made of recycled plastic; a manual weed whacker; a rotating compost bin; a medieval bug catcher (made of recycled bottle glass); a solar mosquito repeller; a skinny watering wand that recoils itself and wastes not a drop; a solar oven (basically a foil-lined box with a sloping glass top); shade cloth for the south-facing patio and flexible screens for the patio doors.

It takes about a week to figure out how to work all this stuff, but I’m saving money on the power bills, I think, and polluting a bunch less.

Actually, the rain barrel is back ordered, but it’s not likely to rain any time soon.

So I put up the screen and open my door to catch the evening breeze. It works, even though there’s a tiny gap at the weighted hemline, and the temperature is dropping four degrees every 20 minutes or so. No more air conditioner for me, no siree.

I’m sitting on my couch reading and feeling very smug when I detect a quick little motion out the corner of my eye. Ohmagawd, it’s a tiny field mouse dashing behind the library cabinet. It must be the damn screen. I’ve never had mice in here–in the garage maybe, but not in here.

I go to the garage and wake the gray cat. The orange one is a better hunter but he’s nowhere in sight. I shut the door. Mouse may have friends out there, and it’s cool enough already. I position Cat facing the library. Cat gets up and cases the room, sniffing here and there. I reposition Cat who assumes sphinx-like posture staring into space. Mouse darts out and back several times. Cat stares but doesn’t move. Soon Mouse makes a beeline for the other corner where the radiant heaters sit just off the floor. This becomes the rodent raceway, back and forth, behind the file boxes, over the desk, in and out the computer cables. I reposition Cat, who reassumes sphinx posture, purring. Mouse makes a pass, just inches from Cat’s whiskers. Cat’s tail twitches. I move the file boxes, pick up the computer cables, and retrieve a broom and the shop vac from the garage. Good hunter kitty is still not around. Somewhere, I have some glue boards, but where?

Cat has taken the high ground, statue-like with front paws outstretched, on the arm of the couch. Cat’s tail is not twitching. Cat’s eyes are closed. Mouse is back behind library, poking head out every few minutes. I move shop vac into position, turn on motor. Cat blinks.

Mouse doesn’t react to the noise. Maybe the sonic pest control thing has damaged its hearing. Mouse darts out, I thrust vac wand forward, Mouse darts back. The mouse-and-vac dance continues for the better part of an hour. Cat observes. I’m exhausted. Mouse miscalculates–a desperate plunge meets its mark. Mouse disappears. With the power still on, I push the shop vac outside, way outside, then pull the plug. I evict Cat, collapse on the bed and reflect. I probably used as much power to run the vacuum as the air conditioner. Oh, well, tomorrow the glue boards and re-fit the screen. Hey, I’m saving the planet.

Sierra Club battles beachfront residents

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Two multistory, $5-million houses on a private beach are at the center of a complex legal battle set for court May 31, when representatives of two rival Malibu factions will face off over an alleged infringement of city zoning laws.

Representing the plaintiffs is attorney Frank Angel, who is suing the city and the homeowners on behalf of the Sierra Club. Angel has close associations with a group of Malibu environmentalists and activists loosely associated with Malibu Coastal Land Conservancy and founder Gil Segal.

On the other side is City Attorney Steve Amerikaner defending after-the-fact city variances granted for the Latigo Shores Drive beach houses. Evangelina and Russell Shears own the houses, designed by architect Mike Barsocchini, a longtime foe of Segal.

Political observers say the lawsuit is just one more arena where the political foes are clashing.

The lawsuit challenges the height of the two houses, which fell under dispute in March, 1999 after City of Malibu building inspectors noticed that the 36-foot elevations violated the city’s 24-foot height limit at the site and ordered construction to be stopped. Shears’ attorney, Alan Block, points out that the city had approved the plans two years earlier, but apparently did not notice the violation during the plan review process.

“There was no reason to notice it,” he explained. “Neither did my clients’ builder, architect, contractor, or anyone else, because it was an honest and understandable slip-up. The property couldn’t be developed any other way. That is the only logical way to build there and it is in conformance with all surrounding property.”

But Angel called the violation willful, adding that his law firm took the case because it sets a terrible precedent.

“They knew what they were doing when they did it, and the Sierra Club says that under such circumstances, variances should not be granted.” he said. “When they got caught they willfully ignored stop work orders. In situations like that, retroactive variances should not be allowed.”

Angel is asking that the violation on the 4-bedroom, 4 1/2-bath properties “be corrected,” but he stopped short of explaining how. Although the only technical way to correct the violation is to demolish the houses, Angel will not elucidate, saying, “Let’s wait and see what Judge Dzintra Janavs decides.” His petition for a writ of mandate also seeks $8.5 million in fines.

Amerikaner said he is hoping the case will be thrown out because it is based on building code procedures rather than environmental issues. Establishing a legal precedent could make it impossible for cities to enforce their municipal codes.

“I tend not to want to use words like frivolous,” said Amerikaner, “but most cities, including Malibu, have innumerable structures built without permits, and people are asked to come in and get them. If you make it impossible for people to comply with the law, they’ll stop trying.”

Amerikaner said a variance’s purpose is to allow people to do the same things their neighbors are doing, but which they cannot do because there is something unique about their situation, which, in this case, is the topography.

“City Council explicitly said it was not considering the fact that the structure was partially built when they granted the variance,” he continued. “They were treating the request as though there was nothing on the property. Angel is basically saying that every time a city notices a pre-existing violation they should tear the building down, get a permit, and then put it back up again.”

The lawsuit is concerned only with process, says Amerikaner, questioning why the Sierra Club would embrace a case with no impact on the environment.

Angel responded, “Allowing this will make it much more likely that developers will tend to get plans approved that do not reflect the development that they’re actually going to be constructing. Then, if they get caught violating the zoning requirements, they’ll attempt to get variances to continue.”

Some speculate that the battle is very personal. Angel unsuccessfully represented Segal one and a half years ago when Segal tried to block construction of his next-door neighbor’s swimming pool, which also had been designed by architect Barsocchini.

Meanwhile, Shears, who, at 75 years of age is a diabetic who has had a stroke and faces possible open-heart surgery, says he is being victimized by the lawsuit.

“I only wanted to do everything the city asked, and everything the Coastal Commission wanted me to do,” he explains. “When they asked me to change something, I did it even when I didn’t think I should. I always have been a good citizen, but they’re making me feel like someone who has robbed a bank. They won’t let it go. Even if we win, they’ll appeal–they always find something, then wait until the last minute to appeal it. I can’t get a good night’s sleep. The servicing of my loan is substantial. The maintenance and upkeep are horrendous. Costs are adding up. I can’t understand why they would do this to a sick man.”

Tourists rescue victim from fiery car crash

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A 22-year-old driver of a black BMW Z-3 Roadster was found lying by his burning vehicle and pulled to safety by a couple who were visiting from Tennessee.

The young driver was allegedly heading westbound on Pacific Coast Highway near Topanga Beach Road, at 75-plus mile per hour, before he lost control of his vehicle, spun around and crossed the center divider, hitting two eastbound vehicles at 9:04 p.m. on Monday. Four people were injured.

The vehicle first crashed head-on into a Mercedes that was eastbound in the left lane and continued to spin before it hit a Ford Thunderbird in the right lane. It came to rest near a residential wall bordering PCH and burst into flames, said a sheriffs’ official. The driver managed to get out of the car before it caught on fire.

“I don’t know how he got out,” said Detective Hugh Wahler of the Lost Hills Sheriffs Station. But Wahler indicated that the driver must have been wearing his seatbelt because he could not have survived the crash otherwise.

“You can’t survive an impact of that magnitude without a seat belt,” said the detective, who is still waiting on reports to find out how the driver got out of the car.

Mark Hopper and his fiancee, Rebecca Ritter, were driving right behind the Mercedes when they saw the BMW spinning as it approached the two cars ahead of them. The couple, who flew into California on Sunday from Tennessee, was returning from a day trip in Oxnard when they saw the vehicle swerving onto oncoming traffic.

They were first on the scene after the accident and saw the driver of the BMW laying next to his burning vehicle. In an effort to save him, Hopper screamed at a nearby onlooker for help. When someone came to assist him, Hopper moved the young driver away from danger while Ritter helped a shaken female driver out of her Thunderbird after the airbag had deployed.

Hopper said the firefighters and an ambulance arrived on the scene, followed by the sheriffs.

A total of three drivers and one passenger were injured in this accident.

When the sheriffs arrived, the BMW driver was found to be unconscious. He had lacerations on his face and a sprained neck and back. He was transported to UCLA by helicopter along with the older male driver of the Mercedes, who had a fractured left shoulder and abdominal and neck pain. The Mercedes driver’s passenger, who was transported to UCLA via ambulance, had a broken back, a fractured knee and pain in her left hand and neck.

The driver of the Thunderbird had chest, arms, back and neck pain, and she was released from the hospital.

Christian Little, owner of Pacific Parking Services, the valet company for which the young driver works, said he heard rumors circulating that the driver was on a joy ride with a customer’s car.

“It is completely false,” he said. The driver, who just started working for them, left work at 9 p.m. in his own car.

Sheriff’s deputies are currently investigating to find out if the driver of the BMW was drunk at the time of the accident, but his employer indicated that this was unlikely since he had just ended his shift with the valet company at a nearby business.

Guest editorial

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Watchdog of the coast

As members of the California Coastal Commission we want to express our views regarding the recent Superior Court decision declaring the Commission unconstitutional because its appointment structure violates the separation of powers provision of the state constitution. For many years, Commission opponents have made this very same argument in other cases and every court has rejected it and upheld the Commission appointment process — until now. We are confident this decision will be overturned on appeal.

For nearly 30 years, the Coastal Commission has been operating under an appointment process that was carefully and specifically designed with a number of checks and balances built into it. This structure was modeled after the highly successful San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) created in 1965 (the Governor only appoints 9 of BCDC’s 27 voting members). The fact there are 3 appointing authorities with equal power to appoint an equal number of voting commissioners has been essential to the protection of California’s coast and safeguarding the integrity of the Coastal Act. To assert there is a violation of separation of powers because the Senate Rules Committee and the Speaker of the Assembly appoint 8 of 12 voting members (the Governor also appoints 3 of 4 non-voting members), implies the legislative appointing authorities do not have independent perspectives. Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, each has appointed commissioners of significantly different philosophies and experience. In addition to the balance between 3 appointing authorities, 6 of the voting members must be locally elected officials selected from a list submitted by local governments from specific geographic regions along the coast. Each voting commissioner selects their own alternate to serve in their stead when the full commissioner cannot attend.

When voters established the Coastal Commission in 1972, they wanted an independent body reflecting the social diversity of the state and not dominated by a particular philosophy about the conservation and development of the coast. It is precisely the appointment structure that has preserved the Commission’s independence and diversity. To concentrate appointing authority in one elected official is to remove the vital checks and balances built into the existing appointment process that has served the public so well for nearly 3 decades.

The protection of California’s coast is too important to be under the control of one official who may not have the best interest of the coast at heart. It is vital that California preserve a strong, independent and balanced Coastal Commission by retaining a proven, fair and effective appointment process.

In the current climate of federal hostility to environmental protection, California needs a strong Coastal Commission — now more than ever. For example, offshore oil drilling is again a real possibility. The Commission is the only state agency in California empowered to regulate oil drilling in federal waters. The Coastal Commission must be strengthened not weakened. We ask all Californians to join us in defending the Commission’s composition to preserve the integrity of the Coastal Act. The protection of California’s precious coast for the benefit of current and future generations is at stake.

Signed by the following members of the California Coastal Commission:

Sara Wan, Chair; Dave Potter, Vice-Chair; David Allgood, Chris Desser, Shirley Detloff, Cecilia Estolano, Gregg Hart, Pat Kruer, George Luna, Patricia McCoy, Pedro Nava, Trent Orr, Mike Reilly, Deborah Ruddock, Amanda Susskind, Dan Weinstein, John Woolley

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