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2023 RESOLUTIONS EXPLORE THE PARK SHOP  EAT  PLAY

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. LXXVII • NO. XLII

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023

malibutimes.com • $.50 • WEEKLY

County supervisors pass series of gun control measures

SMMUSD plans to opt in to free virtual mental health counseling service for K-12 students

New regulations ban sales of .50-caliber handguns in unincorporated areas, possession of firearms on county property in Malibu

Probably starting next fall, all Malibu students will be eligible

By JIMY TALLAL Special to The Malibu Times

The LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a series of gun control measures on Feb. 7 following last month’s mass shooting in Monterey Park, where a gunman killed 11 people and injured nine others. The package of new and proposed Dashing dads dressed in formal attire escorted their dazzling darlings to the annual Father Daughter Valentine Dance on Saturday night. Photo by Julie Ellerton/TMT regulations is intended to reduce fatal shootings in LA County, but some of the ordinances will need to go through an additional vetting process before becoming law. Only two of the ordinances are father/daughter valentine’s dance reminding them of their inner such as face painting, games, a expected to take effect relatively By EMMANUEL LUISSI soon — one would prohibit the on Feb. 11. beauty. photo booth, snack stations, and an Special To The Malibu Times sale of .50-caliber handguns (fireThis year’s theme, “You Are The sold-out event saw over 500 arts and crafts area where families arms with half-inch-thick bullets) Pink sparkling dresses shined BeYOUtiful,” focused on the father/daughter duos grace the could create edible dessert art. The evening was topped off by a in unincorporated L.A. County — on the dance floor once again for love fathers give their daughters dance floor Saturday night. CONTINUED ON PAGE A8 Malibu Pacific Church’s annual by spending time with them and CONTINUED ON PAGE A9 The event also featured activities

Father-and-daughter duos dance the night away Malibu Pacific Church hosts a successful Father/Daughter Valentine’s Dance

Council tables appeal fee discussion Community Services Department hopes to hold a public hearing in the summer on the Skate Park By SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times

Image shows what the proposed Sea View Hotel project would look like upon completion. Images Courtesy of Luis Tena.

Coastal Commission approves Sea View Hotel project near Malibu Pier Property owners will make payments to city, MRCA, Los Courage Camps, and Fire Department By JIMY TALLAL Special to The Malibu Times

On Feb. 8, the California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to approve amendments (with minor modifications) to Malibu’s Local Coastal Plan (LCP) that will pave the way for local developer

Norm Haynie to proceed with the Sea View Hotel project near the Malibu Pier. The city had already approved the project pending the commission’s decision. As Haynie pointed out during the meeting, 65 percent of the new 39-room luxury hotel project will consist of remodeling an existing office building as opposed to new construction, and the remaining 35 percent will involve demolishing an old gas station that was described by at least one public speaker to be an eyesore.

New construction will include a restaurant/bar, spa, rooftop deck, and a swimming pool. Traffic engineering analysis indicated that the planned hotel would generate less traffic than the current office building. The Coastal Commission voted to change the zoning of two parcels at 22741 Pacific Coast Highway from Community Commercial, which doesn’t allow hotels, to Commercial Visitor Serving-Two, which does allow hotels. The two CONTINUED ON PAGE A7

During the Malibu City Council meeting on Monday, Feb. 13, the council considered eliminating the fee for an appeal to the City Council only from a grant by the Planning Commission that is within the appealable jurisdiction of the Coastal Commission. As a general matter, before a party can appeal a local agency’s decision respecting a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) to the California Coastal Commission (CCC), the appellant must first exhaust all local appeals. There is an exception to this rule where the local agency charges a fee for the local appeal — on the theory that a party should not have to pay a fee to be heard in opposition to the grant of a CDP. The City of Malibu charges a fee for an appeal to the City Council from a decision of the Planning Commission. Accordingly, where a decision respecting an application for a CDP is granted by the Planning Commission and is appealable to the CCC, some objectors appeal directly to the CCC — thereby bypassing the City Council and denying the City Council an opportunity to decide whether it agrees or disagrees with the decision of the Planning Commission. This removes an element of local control

that is the object of Malibu being a city with its own Local Coastal Program. By eliminating the fee for an appeal to the City Council from a decision of the Planning Commission that would be appealable directly to the CCC if there were a fee for an appeal to the City Council, the City of Malibu could improve its local control over local development issues because there would be no right to appeal to the CCC until after an appeal has first been taken to and decided by the City Council. “Let’s table it for the future and see and come back to it,” Councilmember Doug Stewart said. “I think we have a good solution in search of a problem.” Mayor Pro Tem Steve Uhring suggested to hold on this item as well. “If we still think it’s a good idea, we can always go back and revisit it,” Uhring said. Mayor Bruce Silverstein shared his remarks on the proposal. “As for small-town argument, it’s already the case that the vast majority of CDPs granted within the appeal zone are for homes being built by uber-wealthy and developers,” the mayor said. “Billionaires are building some of those homes; it’s not the people leaving Malibu; it’s for very wealthy people that are doing strange projects that we ought to have an opportunity to review even though the Planning Commission has approved them, rather than letting the appeal be leapfrogged over us, and potentially be approved by the Coastal ComCONTINUED ON PAGE A5

On Feb. 2, LA County Office of Education (LACOE) officials announced that they’re teaming up with school-based telehealth company Hazel Health, Inc., based in San Francisco, to make virtual therapy available to the county’s 1.3 million students in public K-12 schools. Local school districts can opt-in to Hazel Health’s virtual therapy services, provided by “compassionate, licensed therapists,” which students can access from home or school. The LA Unified School District and Compton School District have already signed up, and dozens more districts are expected to opt in over the next few months. CONTINUED ON PAGE A7

INSIDE

this week

Hot off the press: Malibu Middle School’s spring musical ‘Disney’s Newsies Jr.’ |B1

Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . .A2 News Briefs . . . . . . . . . .A3 • Academy Award-winning composer Burt Bacharach dies Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . .A4 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . A5 • Latest talk in Malibu Library Speakers Series features ocean science expert News . . . . . . . . . . . . . A6 • Point Dume access road and parking lot reopens after storm damage Real Estate . . . . . . . . . A8 Malibu Life . . . . . . . . . .B1 • Young Malibu woman gets rave reviews for her bagels People . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 Community . . . . . . . . . .B3 • Malibu High School student receives prestigious awards Legal Notices . . . . . . . . .B5 Business & Directory . . . B7 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . B10 • Sharks girls basketball advances to CIF quarterfinals