SLOW DOWN ON PCH ENJOY THE SIGHTS
M A LIB U ’S AWA RD W INN IN G N E WSPA P E R S I N CE 1 94 6 VOL. LXXIX • NO. IX
THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2024
malibutimes.com • $.50 • WEEKLY
Nobu Malibu’s July 4 TUP revoked
Planning Director Richard Mollica resigns after 20 years of service
High-profile holiday event likely to be held without permits
Mollica’s resignation is effective July 25 and the city is launching an executive search to replace him
By JUDY ABEL Special to The Malibu Times
A flawed and incomplete Temporary Use Permit (TUP) previously approved by the City of Malibu for a July 4 party at Nobu restaurant has been revoked. The TUP was rescinded June 26 after tickets to the exclusive event at the celebrated venue were already being advertised online. Numerous elements of noncompliance and the city’s false assertion that it was required to issue a discretionary permit apparently led to the city’s flip-flop on the restaurant’s permit. The annual event led to near-disaster on Pacific Coast Highway last year, infuriating public safety officials and residents when overcrowding at Nobu led to the mother of all traffic jams that snarled access for hours. The event in question, called “Red, White, and Bootsy,” is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Prices for tables range from $10,000 to $75,000, which include huge amounts of booze. (No alcohol-free spots are advertised.) Guests are required to wear white. Paid sponsorships from luxury brands target the celebrity and influencer clientele attending. The Malibu Times identified numerous inconsistencies and falsehoods in the application for the TUP. It states the event is by invitation CONTINUED ON PAGE A9
By BARBARA BURKE Special to The Malibu Times
City Manager Steve McClary and Deputy City Manager Alexis Brown high-five during the Cruise Malibu campaign on Thursday, June 27, at Malibu Bluffs Park. Photos by Samantha Bravo/TMT.
City, residents, law enforcement, and Pepperdine hold ‘Cruise Malibu’ campaign at Malibu Bluffs Park Group debuts creative ideas to encourage moterists to drive safely on Pacific Coast Highway By SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times
“Cruise Malibu Campaign is more than just a slogan, it’s a movement,” Deputy City Manager Alexis Brown said to start off the event last week. “A call to action for all of us to embrace a safer more mindful approach to driving along Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu’s main street. As we cruise through tonight’s presentation, we are reminded
to slow down and soak in the stunning scenery and contribute to the safety and tranquility to our coastal paradise.” On Thursday, June 27, community members, City of Malibu leaders, law enforcement, and partner agencies gathered at Malibu Bluffs Park for the community launch event of the city’s Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) safety campaign “Cruise Malibu — Surf, Sand, Slow.” The campaign was designed by a focus group of longtime residents,
A bird’s-eye view of The Park at Cross Creek in Malibu, recently sold to PacificWest Asset Management Corporation, is shown. Photo Courtesy of PacificWest Asset Management Corporation
Soboroff Partners and Gerschel family sell The Park at Cross Creek shopping center
By BARBARA BURKE Special to The Malibu Times
“It’s bittersweet to sell The Park at Cross Creek,” said Steve Soboroff, managing director of Soboroff Partners, a shopping center development and leasing company with properties across Southern California that helped develop the retail center. Soboroff managed and co-owned the center with the Gerschel
family. “My partners wanted to sell as part of their estate planning,” Soboroff added. On July 1, Soboroff and the Gerschels announced the sale of the retail center to PacificWest Asset Management Corporation, based in Costa Mesa. Bill Bauman, Vice Chairman of Newmark’s Capital Markets team, represented the purchaser, while Kyle Miller of Newmark represented the sellers. The sale price was not disclosed. The property, which totals 39,350 square feet on 5.96 acres, is the only retail center in Malibu that is currently fully occupied. The Park at Cross Creek was CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
Construction on PCH has created frustration among residents who commute through Malibu on a daily basis. One parent expressed her concern on the construction near Carbon Canyon and said she even pulled her child out of Malibu High School to a school in Santa Monica because of the traffic and asked the city and Caltrans for their support in making these improvements. Last week, the Public Works and Public Safety Commission held a joint meeting to receive a presentation from Caltrans and their proposed PCH master plan. “This construction can’t go past August, we really need roads to be open for school transportation — we can’t afford to spend two hours to getting from one end of Malibu to the high school, it’ll devastate our schools,” Commissioner Wade Major said. “We desperately need that consideration and for the current work as well.”
INSIDE
this week
PHOTOS ON PAGE A9
Caltrans provides update on PCH master plan during Public Works and Public Safety joint meeting
By SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times
The property, sold to PacificWest Asset Management Corporation, is the only fully occupied retail center in Malibu
CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
Pepperdine students, the LA County Sheriff ’s Department, CHP, and city staff. “Today’s event is a celebration of community spirit, collaboration, and a shared commitment to making Malibu a safer place for everyone,” Brown said. Brown introduced Mayor Steve Uhring to the podium, and Uhring introduced the guest speakers, also known as the Cruise Malibu Focus Group.
Despite residents’ requests, director says construction near Carbon Canyon can’t be moved to nighttime due to safety concerns
“It has been an honor to serve Malibu residents,” Malibu Planning Director Richard Mollica stated as he turned in his resignation on June 28 after serving as a city employee for 20 years. “I was fortunate enough to grow up in my grandfather’s Malibu barber shop alongside my aunt’s beauty salon, and I enjoyed weekly shrimp brunches at the Malibu Sea Lion. “Working for the city has allowed me to give back to the community in ways my family members did as members of the LA County Lifeguards, Lion’s Club, Navy League, and Kiwanis Club. As part of the first graduating class of Malibu High
Some residents have expressed their frustration on NextDoor and asked their neighbors to email the mayor and and mayor pro tem to move the construction to the nighttime. “Tell them to move the project to the night, tell them how miserable the traffic is!” Romy Bennett from Rambla Pacifica said in a Nextdoor post. “Email again and again and have your neighbors and friends email. I just emailed again!” The day after the meeting, at the Cruise Malibu Campaign event at Malibu Bluffs Park, Public Works Director Rob DeBoux provided a statement and said the construction can’t be moved to overnight due to safety concerns. “If they do it during the night, it would substantially lower production, cost, and make it very dangerous,” DuBoux said. “What they’re doing out there, they need to have good vision, they’re digging in the ground, if they cross a gas line and they don’t see it, it could explode.” Public Works Chair Jo Drummond and Chair Chris Frost asked if they are able to open up the middle lane to let traffic flow. “We’re looking into that,” DuBoux said. CONTINUED ON PAGE A6
Skydog Ranch in Malibu saving abused and neglected horses |B1
News Briefs . . . . . . . . . A3 • Have a safe and happy July 4 holiday Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . A4 • Events Business . . . . . . . . . . . A7 • Business column: Independent pharmacies are closing at record rates Real Estate . . . . . . . . . .A8 Malibu Life . . . . . . . . . B1 • Indio Downey debuts for his hometown at last Friday’s Trancas Summer Nights concert People . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 • Ben Marcus: The Power and the Glory Legals . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4 Business & Directory . . .B5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . .B8 • Malibu Volleyball Club places second in national tournament