During the morning rush on Friday, Aug. 14, there was an accident by Coastline Drive. A half-hour after impact, two wrecked cars and two highway patrolmen were still making 10,000 people late for work. If the 10,000 are powerless against two sociopathic patrolmen, then we have truly arrived at a totalitarian police state.
Don May
The California Coastal Commission last week postponed the city of Malibu’s application for funds to complete its Local Coastal Plan, officials said.
In other developments, commissioners approved Pepperdine University’s application for relocation of a wastewater station and improvements to certain playing fields; Carden Malibu Preschool requested a continuance of its application to rebuild and place a temporary classroom trailer on its Las Flores Canyon site.
The LCP grant was postponed until commissioners reviewed the city’s work product, which was delivered only last week, the first day of deliberations, said commission Vice Chair and Malibu resident Sara Wan.
According to city Planning Director Craig Ewing, the commission staff needed time to review the city’s issue papers before it would consider the application for the $42,690 grant. Although he was disappointed with the commission’s action, Ewing expressed appreciation for the potential grant. “It’s not a big deal,” said Ewing, referring to the delay. “It’s nice to get the support.”
Pepperdine’s improvements were consistent with its Long Range Development Plan approved in 1990 and therefore could not be denied, the commission said. The university plans to move a wastewater flow equalization station from a Banowsky Boulevard-adjacent to a John Tyler Drive-adjacent underground site, install a scoreboard on its soccer field/running track and level out the Alumni Park playing field.
The Carden school application was postponed to give the commission more information from licensed consultants, said Alan Armstrong, son of the school’s founders. The additional information should allay the staff’s concerns about potential floods, fires and mud slides at the Las Flores Canyon site, he noted.
After a two-year struggle through the city of Malibu’s planning process, Isaac Shachory was given the nod of approval to build a self-storage facility near the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Kanan Road. The Planning Commission voted 5-0 in favor of the project at a public hearing Monday.
Neighbors asked the commission to stop the project, citing issues of traffic and safety. Some said they would rather see the lot used for a restaurant or a small apartment complex.
Diane Farad told commissioners her concerns for the self-storage project. “They’re used for all kinds of illegal activity and all kinds of illegal things are stored in them,” she said.
“This is not appropriate on Pacific Coast Highway,” said Brian Holmes. “You’re going to have U-turns all over PCH with trucks and trailers.”
“The intersection of PCH and Kanan is a deathtrap,” said resident Victor Stevens, who said the intersection could not accommodate traffic from a storage facility there. “There is no safe way.”
“I want to thank the opponents for inadvertently making our case for us tonight,” said project consultant Don Schmitz, who pointed out that a storage facility would generate less traffic than other commercial businesses. Mini-storage is “at the very bottom, below a single-family residence,” he said. Schmitz pointed out that other businesses, such as restaurants, would require septic systems and rest room facilities. Also, he said, “The self-storage facility will generate less noise by far than any other type of use you would see there.”
“What are all the people here worried about? It’s beyond me,” Shachory said. “Mini-storage does not cause any traffic or noise or pollute the air.”
“I’m really sorry to see this turn into a fight,” said Commissioner Jo Ruggles. “I was surprised you guys weren’t happy,” she told opponents. Ruggles pointed out that the decibel level was too high at that intersection to allow residential development, and she said the residents would probably prefer the storage facility to another project that was proposed for the location, a 24-hour Jack-in-the-Box. “I think it’s very appropriate. I think the residents will probably like it at the end.”
Ruggles also pointed out that illegal activity can happen anywhere. “We just found bomb material in a residence in Malibu,” she said.
“We’re not going to have homeless people sleeping in there,” agreed Commissioner Ed Lipnick, who said that neighbors should call the police in the case of any illegal activity.
“I think the applicant’s met not just the letter of the law but the spirit of the law,” said Commissioner Andrew Stern. “He’s not asking for any sort of variance. He’s come before us with an allowed use.” Stern added, “It does by far and away have the least amount of traffic.”
The commission made two modifications to the proposal before giving its approval. The facility must have an earth-tone roof, instead of the proposed red tile, and security lighting must be triggered by motion sensors to help keep bright lights from disturbing the neighbors. The neighbors have 10 days in which to appeal the commission’s decision to the City Council.
In [the Surfside News story of Aug. 13] about reaction to low test scores at Juan Cabrillo Elementary, a Cabrillo teacher is quoted as saying, “The focus should not be to look around for who to blame.”
An invitation to participate in a poll on newly designed currency (Los Angeles Times “Life & Style;” Aug. 9) reads, “If more money is revamped, who would you like to see pictured?”
Pity the poor pronoun; misuse isn’t confined to who/whom. It’s not just teenagers who say things like, “You gave it to my friend and I,” “He invited John and I,” or “Dad and me are going for pizza.” Plenty doctors, lawyers, and elected officials can’t speak straight. Add teachers to the list.
“The Handbook of Good English” by Edward Johnson and a score of other books on the topic often limit discussion of subjective and objective cases to about a page. Hopefully, those teaching our children and those editing the publications we read will want to assimilate one page on pronouns.
No Expert on Grammar or Punctuation
My friends you needn’t worry
About new fees and the likes;
Nor about the miles of traffic,
While waiting for a light.
The home business license soon to come
Will be a paltry thing;
And, inner strife at Round Tables —
A yawn they’ll hardly bring.
But when our friend, Sir Babbitt
Declares our Malibu,
A Habitat for Gobies!
You had best to think it through!
From sea to door, and along our shores,
Everything will change!
The rest that plagues us constantly
Will be of minor range.
The collapsing roads and landslides
Can be handled as they do;
But Malibu, a “Goby Habitat”?
Will be hard to believe is true.
Consider what you cannot do,
When the Gobies are in charge;
They will override the TSG’s
And the commission’s deep regard.
But be assured that all will out,
When the Gobies rule!
Let’s take it with a happy smile
And show them we’re no fools.
H. Emmett Finch
The sheer joy of poetry and literature as expressed in “DeLoss McGraw: As a Poem, So Is a Picture,” currently on exhibit at the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art on the Pepperdine campus, makes this back-to-school season a cause for celebration.
The early fall showing of nearly 100 pieces of McGraw’s work, divided into series, each of which is devoted to a particular author, was booked nearly two years ago by the Weisman’s director. “Since the artist lives in Los Angeles, we were able to formulate the show over a long period of time,” said Michael Zakian. “We talked about ways to utilize the space in an imaginative way.”
With one’s first stride into the main gallery, imagination, innocence and whimsy nearly burst the eye. Larger than life sculptures depicting the Mad Hatter’s tea party from Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” beckon the viewer into McGraw’s own world of wonder.
The paintings that accompany the works of W.D. Snodgrass, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet with whom McGraw often collaborates, go well beyond illustrations. The painter and the poet construct a balance between brush and pen that brings to mind a choral composition for two voices.
Featured here are the vibrant series “In Response to the World of W.D. Snodgrass” (1982-83); “The Death of Cock Robin” (1983-85), based upon the 18th century English nursery rhyme, “Who Killed Cock Robin;” and “W.D.’s Midnight Carnival” (1989).
While Scottsdale Center for the Arts organized the exhibit, one grouping was created this year specifically for the Weisman. A circle of 19 angels, each 8 to 10 feet high, soars overhead. In all postures of flight and repose, the figures sing praise to the celestial visions of William Blake.
Appearing in the more intimate of the two downstairs galleries is a progression of small encaustics (1988-90) inspired by “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Powerful Depression-era commentary and a deep sense of art history are evident in “Rambling Shoe,” a series that interprets John Steinbeck’s novel, “The Grapes of Wrath,” as well as the lyrics of Woody Guthrie.
The exhibit continues upstairs with “Frankenstein and Mary Shelley: Monstrum I,” a sequence of paintings that darkly parallel Bart Thurber’s contemporary poem. McGraw turns again to Blake (1757-1827) to explore spiritual, romantic and gothic themes for the series, “In Response to William Blake.” A monumental canvas entitled “Interruption” (1992), which is based upon Blake’s novel, “The Return of Martin Guerre,” dominates one wall.
The artist, who was born and raised in Oklahoma, was graduated from California State University Long Beach and received a master of fine arts degree from the Cranbook Academy in Michigan. He studied at the Otis Art Institute and at the Instituto de Allende in Mexico.
McGraw’s works are represented in the public collections of more than 20 museums, universities and major libraries across the nation and appear in many private collections. In addition, his art is published in literary journals such as the Paris Review, Ploughshares and the Southern Review and in various books and children’s stories. McGraw has shown in numerous one-person exhibitions in the U.S. and in Europe since 1974.
Perhaps it is because McGraw synthesizes a wide range of historical sources, from Giotto and late Medieval painting to Marc Chagall and Paul Klee, that the museum’s director says, “It’s the type of work that when you see it, you feel you have always known it.”
Returning students and the community alike can’t help but share Zakian’s long-ago discovery that, “The message behind DeLoss’s work is that literature fires the imagination. Reading is fun.”
“DeLoss McGraw: As a Poem, So Is a Picture,” Tuesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Oct. 4. Reception for the artist Aug. 29, 4 to 6 p.m. Children’s art workshop Sept. 19, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Poetry reading by W.D. Snodgrass Sept. 24, 7 p.m. For information, call 456-4851.
Long-stalled efforts to rebuild the rotting Malibu Pier may be on track again. A City Council subcommittee recommended last Thursday that the Sacramento firm Williams-Kuebelbeck & Associates, Inc. (W-K) act as consultant for the project.
Plans for the city to take over the pier from the state have undergone four years of revisions that began with former Supervisor Ed Edelman. At one time, the deal hinged on a county demand for $125,000 a year to cover operating expenses at Surfrider Beach.
A tentative agreement between former Mayor Jeff Jennings and Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, negotiated last December, would have released $2.9 million in county bond money in exchange for a portion of future pier revenue. However, in what appeared to be a political strategy to defeat Jennings’ bid for re-election, the City Council squashed the deal in March.
According to the presentation by Lawrence E. Williams, W-K specializes in waterfront projects, having worked on the Redondo, Huntington and Ventura piers. Williams pledged to handle 90 percent of the work himself. “He’s the best!” concluded City Manager Harry Peacock. “The real McCoy,” added Mayor Joan House.
W-K’s bid was the lowest, at $30,000 compared to bids of $35,000 and $38,665 submitted by the competition.
Once a contract with the city is finalized, Williams said he expects a business plan to be completed within 14 weeks.
W-K will evaluate the optimum uses for the pier. According to Williams, “The uses will have to be a blend of what will satisfy the community and what will do the job and with a minimum of financial, liability and operational risk to the city.”
Williams explained that one option to consider is San Francisco’s “Pier 39 model,” in which there is a single master developer lessee that controls the entirety of the pier. “The city does nothing but cut the grass and collect the rent,” he said. On the other hand, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz have maintained more control over their piers. Williams asked, “Should the city be aggressively involved in redevelopment or should the city deal with one or two lessees?”
House said she wanted to make sure that the business plan took into consideration the problem of parking around the pier, which she said is bad enough already.
City Treasurer Peter Lippman said, “We don’t know how big to build in order to make a profit.” He asked that the plan include minimum and optimum square footage for the buildings, which Williams agreed to provide. The existing pier currently supports four buildings, a boat launching ramp and a two-ton jib crane.
Approximately $4.22 million has been allocated for the pier’s reconstruction: $2.9 million from the 1992 Proposition A bond measure, through the Regional Park and Open Space District; $700,000 from the county, through the 1996 Parks and Open Space Bond issue; and $620,000 from the state. The city still must negotiate the conditions for release of the money.
The county is still asking that $125,000 be set aside for patrol and maintenance of Surfrider Beach, Lippman said. The county also asks the city “to put proceeds in a sinking fund, to create a reservoir of money for maintenance and repair of the pier,” said Joel Bellman, Yaroslavsky’s aide.
Lippman added that state money will not be released unless an agreement is reached with the county first. “I’m sure the money will be available but I’m not sure when and under what conditions,” he said.
A nationally known political consulting firm produced the video that figured prominently in the outcome of the last City Council election, and that campaign filings indicate was produced for a fee a source says is substantially lower than what is customarily charged for such a service.
The Road Worriers, the political action committee that campaigned heavily against former Mayor Jeff Jenning’s re-election bid and for freshman Councilman Tom Hasse’s election, hired the consulting firm, Goddard Claussen/First Tuesday, to produce the video. The PAC then distributed the video to Malibu voters.
Malibu-based Goddard Claussen/First Tuesday, whose main clients are major trade groups and large corporations, achieved prominence in the political consulting world after producing the folksy “Harry and Louise” television commercials, which are widely credited with helping defeat President Clinton’s proposed national health care plan. The series of commercials, which ran in 1994 and were paid for by an alliance of health insurance companies, featured a husband and wife sitting at a kitchen table or on a living room sofa fretting over various elements of the ultimately doomed health care reform plan.
The firm also produced campaign commercials for Russian President Boris Yeltsin and is currently representing casino operators in Las Vegas and Reno, Nev., in their attempt to defeat an initiative on the November ballot that would authorize gambling on Indian lands in California.
According to campaign statements filed with the city clerk last month, the Road Worriers paid approximately $2,600 to the firm for its services in producing the master videotape. That service typically includes the writing of the script, which on the Road Worriers’ tape was read by actor Jack Lemmon in voice-over, the score, shooting of original footage and editing. The original footage in the Road Worriers’ video included panoramic views of Malibu, traffic on PCH and, for ominous contrast, congested streets in the heart of Laguna Beach.
The PAC also paid another $4,200 to other companies for the recording of the voice-over, dubbing, duplication of the videotapes and packaging for the videocassette.
A source with extensive experience as a political consultant for a major interest group, who spoke only on condition of anonymity, expressed disbelief that the services provided by Goddard Claussen/First Tuesday would cost $2,600, as the campaign filings indicate.
“There is no way it could have cost only $2,600, unless it was shot at someone’s house using only a camcorder,” the source said. The high-quality video in no way resembles a home-video. The source said that he would have expected the firm’s fee to have been $15,000. The approximately $4,000 paid for dubbing, duplication and videocassette packaging is consistent with what is customarily charged for those services, the source said.
Remy O’Neill, chair of the Road Worriers, refused to answer any questions regarding the services provided by Goddard Claussen/First Tuesday or the production of the video.
“The Malibu Times is not an unbiased paper,” she said. “I won’t comment because of [Publisher] Arnold [York’s] bias.”
Representatives of Goddard Claussen/First Tuesday also did not return calls seeking comment.
The Malibu Times reviewed the Road Worriers’ campaign filings, and from the information provided estimates that approximately 2,000 copies of the videotape were made. Based on expenditures the Road Worriers made for special envelopes in which to mail the video, it appears that close to 800 of the tapes were mailed and the remainder handed out. O’Neill and other supporters of the Road Worriers were seen at public events prior to the April election distributing copies of the video.
City Attorney Christi Hogin would not comment on whether the costs associated with the production of the video, as reported in the filings, are part of her investigation of whether there was a violation of the local ordinance limiting campaign contributions to $100 per person.
“I don’t even want to go into it,” she said.
Hogin will report the results of her investigation to the City Council. She is currently on vacation until Sept. 1.
