Bless the bay
Calling state parks “shabby and overused,” our waters “diverted, polluted and winnowed away” and our coastline “disappearing,” the Hon. Mary Nichols, secretary for resources for the California Resources Agency, lauded efforts of local environmental groups but warned that the public must be part of the stewardship.
Nichols spoke at a fund-raiser for Santa Monica BayKeeper, a community based, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to restoring the quality of Santa Monica Bay. The Beach Ball, held Saturday evening at the home of David Foster and Linda Thompson, honored Nichols with its Founder Award.
“After 12 years of serious and profound neglect and despite the very good work of many organizations,” Nichols said, “the combination of political indifference and economic hard times has left our state in a less good condition, frankly, than it was when I moved here in 1971 …
“We have made many strides in the areas that we’ve been able to push with technology and when we’ve been able to enforce the law. But in the most basic ways of all, which relate to our land and our water, we have not shown the kind of stewardship as a society that we need to.”
She warned, “Every day, as we watch it, the coast is disappearing, bit by bit … not only because of the conditions of nature but because of the things we as a society are doing to it.
“We dammed up the rivers that bring sand to the beaches. We have put barriers in front of those beaches in ways that cause the sand to erode. We move it around in ways that make it impossible for it to be replenished.”
According to Nichols, within the next decade, beaches will disappear as a result of anticipated severe storms. “We see more extreme weather conditions coming about as a result of misuse of energy, overuse of petroleum and the [substances] we’re filling our air with.”
As guests were arriving, Ladan Mahajerani, BayKeeper biologist, noted she was out of her wetsuit and very dressed up. At work, she said, she “patrols regularly, looking for polluters.” She and the organization’s volunteers “sample storm-drain runoff and watch for illegal dumping.”
One of BayKeeper’s projects sends skimmer boats to clean trash out of the bay. “There’s an insane amount of garbage we collect out there,” said Mahajerani.
Aboard what she calls her office boat, she heads a “kelp project,” monitoring and restoring local kelp beds. “Local dive groups adopt a kelp bed,” she said, “and watch for changes in status.”
Other guests included Dominic Gregorio, marine biologist with the Southern California Marine Institute, who believes the biggest challenge to environmental conservation is urban runoff. “It’s really not controlled yet,” he said.
He was catching up on environmental news with Dr. Wheeler North. “They used to call me Mr. Kelp,” said North.
North worked at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, in the late 1950s. The institute had received a grant to study kelp. “I was the only Ph.D. who knew how to dive, so they hired me, even though I didn’t know anything about kelp,” he recalled.
Kelp was, and still is, an indicator of ocean health. “It’s essentially an underwater forest,” Wheeler explained. “It provides a laboratory for a lot of species.
“At the time, kelp beds near large cities were beginning to disappear. We wanted to know why. Was it pollution? Harvesting? It turned out the biggest problem was the sea urchins, which were out of control because we were killing their predators.
“So I got a lot of hammers and we got a lot of students and we went out there bopping sea urchins.”
North has now retired and is “trying to write up all the data I’ve collected over the years.”
The evening began with a blessing by Mati Waya, ceremonial leader of the Chumash Turtle Clan.
“We worked for so many years protecting, preserving this area.” Waya said. “It’s the place where the Chumash people for 15,000 or 20,000 years have made their home. And now you have your home here. We share the land ….
“We have a lot of work to do, and we should be so grateful for the organizations that have dedicated their time and their effort and their energy to promote and protect what belongs to the children that aren’t born yet. That’s why we’re here. You have your dead buried on this land, and you have a responsibility just like us.”
Waya lit incense and blessed the event with a song.
Listening to the flow
I’m not sure what it means, but the aired City Council meetings are becoming at least as entertaining as anything on commercial TV (except for the Jonathan Winters ads, of course). Once council members grasp the distinction between speaking and mumbling, and that dime-store audio system they use is replaced with something produced after 1930, it may actually be possible to follow the proceedings.
Last week’s discussion of the specter of a water shortage brought on by the recent main break at Las Tunas Beach was especially interesting, at least what one could her of it because of that crummy audio system, in that some of the council seemed to believe that a drought, natural or of the line-leak variety, is just around the corner, and if we are to avoid dying of thirst, we’d better start building storage tanks and reservoirs left and right. For those who are interested, the break in the main was due to movement of the Las Tunas Beach landslide. It could have been avoided, as similar breaks in the future could be avoided, either by putting an 800-foot section of the pipe on the surface or, if Caltrans management ever gets around to approaching planning with some degree of common sense, stabilizing the landslide by dewatering it.
In the meantime, it would not be nearly so practical to renovate or enlarge the abandoned reservoir at Charmlee Park as our mayorette suggested, as to convert the tank farm enclosure at the end of Gayton Place to a reservoir. Charmlee Park is so far away, and think of the connecting line costs. Besides, I am much nearer Gayton Place and could use the extra pressure.
And does anyone realize that there are five to eight million gallons of groundwater stored behind the Rindge Dam? Stick a spigot in it, and there would be a ready supply at least for fire fighting, and even drinking if thirsty enough and one’s medical premiums are paid up. I am fully aware of the argument that it would be environmentally really neat if the dam were removed so that the trout could swim upstream as they once did, if they once did. But would they? Couldn’t we hire an ichthomaven to cart a bunch of them up there to see who they like it now? Think of how silly we would feel if, after blowing the dam, the trout refused to cooperate. On the other hand, in support of trout lovers everywhere, couldn’t the core of opposition to dam demolition, Rindge family members, be eliminated by the simple procedure of rechristening the dam? Call it the Damn Dam, or the Cracked Dam, or the Cringe Dam. Or maybe the council did discuss this, and I just didn’t hear it because of that rotten collector’s item of an audio system.
E. D. Michael
Lumbering angels
On Oct. 2, one could hear the sound of little hands at work on the front lawn of the Civic Center: children painting benches being built by Malibu Labor Exchange workers. Webster Elementary School’s Community Service Program was at it again! Last spring, the program provided organizational, labor and material support for the giant splash of a mural on Webster’s playground. Last summer, Webster children provided peanut butter and jelly to the Labor Exchange. This fall, we wanted to deepen our commitment. We dreamed of building benches with the Labor Exchange workers, because so many of them must sit on the ground, waiting for work.
Dreams sometimes cannot come true without a Fairy Godmother. Imagine Ron Cina, Malibu Lumber’s Manager, with wings and a magic wand. Malibu Lumber generously gave over $600 worth of paint and supplies for our mural last year, so we decided to ask him to help us again. This year, he provided all of the lumber for the benches. What’s more, Ron responded immediately and enthusiastically to both requests, simply asking us what we needed and providing it without hesitation. Malibu Lumber employees got involved: they mixed paint, cut lumber and provided advice about how to best proceed with these projects.
What excellent role models these Malibu Lumber individuals are for the Webster children who aspire to make Malibu more beautiful and humane. If the kind hearts and helping hands of Webster children, Labor Exchange workers and Malibu Lumber inspire you, please join us. We are trying to raise the money, about $1,000, to erect a simple canopy over the benches to protect the workers from rain and sun as they wait for employment opportunities. If you would like to donate any amount, large or small, please contact Malibu Labor Exchange Board President Mona Loo, at 310.457.1614.
Deirdre Roney
Webster PTA co-president
Pokin’ around
Just when you were starting to get “jiggy with it” when it came to your kid’s vocabulary, they’re off speaking a new alien dialect. Strange references to Pikachu, Squirtle and Bulbasaur are circulating around school lunchrooms and family living rooms. No, they’re not talking about the latest skateboard technique or Day-Glo candy. They’re talking about a hot, new fad that’s sweeping the nation.
Now that you’ve survived Furbies, Power Rangers and Beanie Babies, get ready for Pokmon. “It’s such a craze,” says local mom Carolyn Callahan. “Every time the kids get a new batch, they run all over the neighborhood and trade them like baseball cards.” Pokmon (pronounced po-kee-mon) is turning kids of all ages into pint-sized Wall Street types. “It’s really fun,” says 8-year-old Jasmine Callahan, “but sometimes I have to trade two cards to get one really good one,” adding, “and you want the really good ones.”
The Pokmon phenomenon started off (where else) in Japan as (what else) a cartoon, followed by (you got it) video games, toys and now trading cards. The inexpensive game has taken off and exploded into a multimillion dollar industry. Playing Pokmon, which means pocket monsters in Japanese, is fairly easy. The object of the game is to build up a collection, and if you’re lucky, you can become a Pokmon master. “Gotta catch’em all,” is the motto of the true master.
Various creatures inhabit the Pokmon forest. There are 150 in all, and each one has its own unique power and an ability to evolve into a higher level by winning battles against other Pokmon. The simple concept seems to have made it a hit among kids of all ages. “It’s as popular with the 6-year-olds as it is with the 12- and 13-year-olds,” marvels Callahan. In case you have any lingering doubts about the game’s popularity, consider this: Last week, 12,000 poke fans descended on the Woodfield Mall in Chicago to catch the Pokmon tour.
Yes, Pokmon seems to have replaced all else in young pop culture these days. Some parents and teachers may have discovered Squirtle shoots water, Charmander shoots fire and Bulbasaur can shoot out vines. As for the intricacies of the game, that might be better left to kids to explain. “I’ve given up trying to understand it,” says Callahan, “and I think it’s better this way.” On the upside, this mom finds Pokmon a great parenting tool. “When the kids get out of line, you take their poke cards away,” she explains. “It’s better than time out.” On the flip side, she says, when the kids are good, they get a new card as a reward.
Jasmine, meantime, is busy contemplating her next move. “You look for a good deal, and, at the end of the day, you get one, and you come home and you feel happy.” Sounds just like real estate.
City Council poised to revisit contribution limits
With Malibu’s April 2000 election barely eight months away, the City Council is scheduled to consider new legislation tightening loopholes and clarifying its existing law limiting campaign contributions.
The current ordinance contains two requirements that are more stringent than state law. One feature limits contributions that are made in cash not to exceed $25.00. The other sets a $100 cap on contributions per person per election. The California Political Reform Act sets a limit of $1,000 per year.
The last city election triggered criminal charges against civic activist Remy O’Neill and the Road Worriers. The charges were dismissed as untimely, and the court did not resolve whether the ordinance is so stringent as to violate First Amendment protections regarding free speech and free expression.
The U.S. Supreme Court may resolve similar issues this year in a case that arose in Missouri. Federal law, since the 1970s, limits individual campaign contributions to $1,000 or less. The justices have agreed to resolve whether such a cap under Missouri law violates the voters’ First Amendment rights.
In the meantime, however, the Malibu council may address the question anew on Oct. 13. If the matter goes smoothly, a revamped ordinance could be in effect by Dec. 8.
In a Sept. 20 letter to Mayor Carolyn Van Horn and fellow council members, City Manager Harry Peacock outlined revisions endorsed by the city prosecutor — William Litvak of the Los Angeles law firm Dapeer, Rosenblit & Litvak. Peacock appended a letter by Litvak and concluded the changes would help clarify certain provisions and make them easier to administer.
The 13-page Litvak memo acknowledges that the experience of prosecuting O’Neill has given “a certain degree of insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the ordinance” as currently written. Litvak added, nonetheless, that local requirements in excess of other statutes will almost certainly trigger legal challenges in the event of an enforcement action. He said although such challenges may be inevitable, the proper course is to edit and tighten the language, and to create more flexibility for the prosecutor when choosing an enforcement option.
The Litvak memo asks whether the City Council intends to prohibit any delivery of contributions from an intermediary. The enforcement action against the Road Worriers centered on a $400 check and the contributor’s explanation that she had already received the $100 contributions from her three adult children. Litvak suggests language could be added to the ordinance providing “no person shall make a contribution on behalf of another or while acting as the intermediary or agent of another.” Contributions through intermediaries are not forbidden under the state code.
The memo also seeks a “wobbler” provision that would allow the prosecutor to pursue a violator by filing charges as either a misdemeanor or an infraction. An infraction would preclude a jury trial or court-appointed counsel. The penalty would be a fine of $270 for a first violation, $540 for a second and $1080 for a third. The discretion to pursue one remedy or another would rest with the city attorney or the city prosecutor.
Student brings gun to Malibu High, faces expulsion and imprisonment
A student who brought a pistol to school Tuesday faces expulsion from all schools in the district for a year and, possibly, time in custody.
The boy brought the pistol to Malibu High School Tuesday morning, principal Michael Matthews announced. He was intercepted when he returned to campus after hiding the gun at a friend’s house. He admitted to bringing the weapon to school, and he led Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station deputies to the hiding place
The youth is in custody at the Lost Hills Sheriffs Station and will be recommended for expulsion, Matthews said in a letter to parents. [See below].
Bringing a “weapon” or “dangerous object” to school is grounds for automatic expulsion, according to the California Education Code, Matthews said in a telephone interview. He will recommend to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District that the boy be expelled from all schools in the district for a year.
But the boy faces an even graver penalty from criminal charges. According to Dep. Mark Borges of the Lost Hills Station Juvenile Intervention Team, the boy is charged with Penal Code Section 626.9, “Possession of firearms in public schools, universities and community colleges.” Under that law, the youth could be in state prison for two, three or five years. He was at Sylmar Juvenile Hall Tuesday, Borges said.
Letter from Principal Mike Matthews
Dear Parents,
I am writing to inform you about an incident on our campus today [Oct. 5]. My hunch is that you will be hearing about it from your children, and I would rather give you direct information about the incident than have you question the different versions and rumors that will inevitably occur.
A student in high school brought a pistol to campus this morning. This pistol had one bullet in it. He showed it to two students during first period, and several students reported it to the office at the beginning of second period. At this point we brought in the Juvenile Intervention Team from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. We learned that the student left campus after first period to get rid of the weapon. When the student returned to campus he was intercepted by one of our security officers. After extensive questioning from school and law enforcement officials, the student admitted he had brought the weapon to school, and he showed deputies the hiding place.
The student is now in custody at the Lost Hills Sheriffs Station and I will be recommending him for expulsion. I informed the staff immediately through a confidential memo, and at 1 p.m. I made an announcement to students explaining the situation to them.
This is my seventh year as principal of Malibu High School and this is the first incident of a gun on campus. In light of the tragic incidents at Littleton, Colo., and other high schools around the nation, we should all be highly concerned. We will be meeting as a staff on Friday to discuss the incident and what we learned from it.
In spite of the fear that such an incident provokes, I am pleased that we were able to deal with the situation quickly and effectively. Here are some thoughts you might want to discuss with your children at home.
- When a frightening situation occurs, we can deal with it so much more effectively when it is reported to us immediately. The students who reported this incident deserve a great deal of credit for making the campus safe for everybody.
- Our security officers, Milt Greene and Theresa Wallace, are outstanding people who know the students and the campus and are able to deal effectively with any situation.
- Our assistant principals were also on top of things, working with students to find out as much information as possible.
- The Juvenile Intervention Team from the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station was here immediately and provided immense assistance in dealing with the situation.
- The school is not afraid to share information with parents and students, even regarding a negative situation like this. Students and parents have a right to know and it is better to hear it from the school than to question the rumors that are being thrown around.
My primary objective at Malibu High School is to ensure student safety. I need everyone’s assistance in doing that. Today is a case where, working as a team together, we showed we can maintain a safe campus. I know that 1999 is a frightening time to be a student and a parent, but I also know that this is an extremely safe campus. Please call or e-mail me if you have any questions. I hope we can continue our efforts to reach every child emotionally and academically, and continue our efforts to make Malibu High School a safe and wonderful school.
Sincerely,
Michael D. Matthews,
principal
Once more into the mud
The next City Council election isn’t going to be held until April 2000, but the campaigns are already being launched, and some are coming out with guns blazing. Remarkably, the so-called “slow growth” group that has held control of the City Council for several elections now seems to be splintering again and going through another one of its periodic purges. There is a long history of these purges, and it’s always for the same reason. Someone, usually a former ally of Walt Keller and Carolyn Van Horn, gets expelled or quits the alliance because they get tired of being pushed around. Neither Walt nor Carolyn have what you would describe as a light touch. They tend to try and scare or bludgeon their supporters into submission and some obviously balk.
The latest casualty is Tom Hasse, who is now barely on speaking terms with his old allies Walt and Carolyn. Tom’s crime was that he wanted to find some ballfields and to work out some solution for the future of the Malibu Civic Center (read Chili Cook-off site and environs), and agreed to be part of an ad hoc City Council committee that was actually negotiating with the Malibu Bay Company. Walt and Carolyn were opposed, and they tried to lean on Tom. Now, I certainly have had my disagreements with Tom in the past, but I could have told them Tom Hasse wasn’t about to roll over and sit up just because they wanted him to. You would think they would learn from their past mistakes.
As you may remember, John Harlow, that great thorn in Walt and Carolyn’s side, was actually nominated to the council by Walt when Larry Wan resigned in 1992. They tried dictating to John, and he balked, and suddenly he became the “developers’ pet and avidly pro-growth.” He was thereafter the top vote getter in the 1994 election.
Then Carolyn kicked Les Moss, a long-term friend and supporter, off the Planning Commission for not rolling and voting the way Carolyn wanted him to on some issue. Recently, Sherman Baylin, another longtime Van Horn supporter, balked at endorsing them in the next election and was subjected to the same deeply personal attack and charges of being a traitor. The attacks against Hasse, and others, of course, all come in the same fashion. Last week, there was a letter to the editor in the Malibu Surfside News written by Norma Levy, a commission appointee of either Walt or Carolyn, I forget which, attacking Hasse. Levy, the wife of Andy Stern, who is a member of the Planning Commission and who is reputed to have his own City Council ambitions, seems to be throwing the first grenade of the 2002 council election in which they’ll try to purge Hasse. Let me just quote one line from the Levy attack letter: “Did Tom forget that his 29 vote victory was completely financed by the Malibu environmentalist ‘slow growth’ movement?” Tom obviously didn’t read the small print, which apparently says: We bought you, we paid for you and we own you.
Frankly, no individual worth anything is going to accept that, except perhaps for a few very ambitious, amoral characters. It’s precisely the reason Joan House has split off from them and is running as an independent. She was part of that slate in 1996, and, in fact, was the top vote getter in that election. It’s also the reason Ken Kearsley, also a card-carrying “slow growther,” has split off and is running independently.
Look for a very dirty campaign with House and Kearsley and others suddenly all being attacked and accused of being developers’ darlings.
It has all the earmarks of a very nasty family fight, and it really revolves around a very simple premise. In the real world, reasonable men and woman can differ, and they meet to try and work out their differences, which, in Malibu, means to try and balance environmental concerns with concerns for the children and new families and the need for city services. But, in the world of Walt and Carolyn, reasonable people can never differ because there is only one reasonable way, and that’s why, once again, this old, familiar drama is being played out.
Stepping up to the plate
I’ve lived in Malibu for 38 years, fought for cityhood because I believed in local control and supported City Council candidates who espoused show-growth philosophies. Sadly, it has become apparent that having good intentions and strong convictions don’t ensure effective leadership. Instead, legitimate debate in Malibu has degenerated into venomous personal attacks and anonymous character assassination. Today, all one has to do is read the local papers to understand that the divisions in our community are deepening, senior citizens are being pitted against our youth, longtime residents against recent settlers, supporters of active recreation against those who simply want to contemplate nature. I feel sure that most would agree this is not what we had in mind when we fought so hard to become a city.
It is time to stop the “us versus them” rhetoric that permeates our political discourse. It is time to understand that the needs of our fragile environment and the needs of our residents are not always mutually exclusive. It is time for our leaders to communicate with fellow council colleagues, outside agencies and the community at large in order to facilitate problem solving.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who have encouraged me to run for Malibu City Council, expressed their confidence in my ability to lead and believed that I would debate issues, offer solutions and avoid personal attacks. Because of that encouragement, I have decided to announce my candidacy and pledge that I will try not to disappoint those who are eager for an issue-oriented campaign free of personal invective.
Ken Kearsley,
vice-chair
Malibu Planning Commission
