HOP ON OVER…
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. XLV
THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2023
malibutimes.com • $.50 • WEEKLY
Efforts to restore Topanga Lagoon bolstered by $4.9 million grant
MRCA threatens Malibu’s Winding Way neighborhood with legal action against ‘encroachments’
Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains gets funds from Wildlife Conservation Board
Work crews reportedly remove one homeowner’s property — mailbox, garbage pad, and landscaping
By JIMY TALLAL Special to The Malibu Times
It’s been a long time coming — the idea to restore the Topanga Lagoon back to its original state first came up back in 2001 when State Parks acquired the 1,625acre property that borders Malibu’s far eastern edge. Over 20 years later, the proposed project is finally starting to gain some traction and more funding. A $4.9 million grant was awarded on February 16 to the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains (RCDSMM) by the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) to purse the lagoon restoration project. RCDSMM is the lead agency on the project, which is being cooperatively planned along with the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, State Coastal Conservancy, California Department of Parks and Recreation (State Parks), and Caltrans. The grant money will be used to develop the technical studies, CONTINUED ON PAGE A6
By JIMY TALLAL Special to The Malibu Times
Malibu Canyon Road was closed in both directions after a boulder and rockslide came tumbling down the hillside around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1. Authorities were on scene signaling vehicles to turn around. Photo by Samantha Bravo/TMT.
Rockslide causes closure of Malibu Canyon Authorities responded to the incident before the rockslide occured; no injuries were reported By SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times
On Wednesday, March. 1, vehicles were stuck waiting and wondering why traffic stopped on the hillside of Malibu Canyon. As
Meet your City Clerk: Kelsey Pettijohn
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Sheriff ’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers were seen signaling vehicles to pass through one lane at a time. While vehicles were able to pass through, CHP officers noticed more rocks falling and decided to pause on allowing vehicles to drive through, and that’s when dirt and rocks tumbled down and completely covered both lanes, making them unpassable. CHP quickly notified other
safety agencies and forced closures on Malibu Canyon Road south of Piuma Road to Civic Center Way near Pepperdine University. CHP announced around 4 p.m. that the area of Malibu Canyon Road would be shut down for about 12 hours. Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff ’s Station eventually closed Civic Center Way to prevent other vehicles from entering the canyon. CONTINUED ON PAGE A6
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INSIDE
this week
The Malibu Community Labor Exchange relocates its trailer and receives a restroom facility
Pettijohn grew up in Malibu as part of a family that goes back six decades in the area
The City of Malibu, LA County, and SMC worked together to support MCLE
By JUDY ABEL Special to The Malibu Times
f you’ve attended any Malibu City Council meetings in the last five years, you may have noticed City Clerk Kelsey Pettijohn. And since meetings have been held virtually for the past three years, viewers may have taken more notice of Pettijohn’s role in helping to facilitate the proceedings. The young Malibu woman first started working for the City Clerk’s office during the 2016 election “to help out during the busy season.” She soon discovered, “I really loved the work and our team in Malibu so I just never left.” Pettijohn was officially appointed the deputy city clerk in 2017. She became city clerk in 2021. The Malibu local attended California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2015 “and then I found my path towards public service and really in Malibu specifically
vehicles started turning around, they were signaling vehicles to do the same. While most were turning around, some decided to keep going and found the reason — a large boulder covering one lane, making it dangerous to pass through. The incident began at around 2 p.m., when one large boulder was seen blocking one lane on Malibu Canyon. Malibu/Lost Hills
One resident in the Winding Way/Murphy Way neighborhood of Malibu, who asked to remain anonymous, posted on social media that he had received “a threatening letter” from the Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority (MRCA) regarding “encroachments.” It turns out that several residents in this same neighborhood had also received letters from the MRCA threatening legal action and fines if certain “encroachments” were not removed almost immediately. The MRCA, a state agency headed by Joe Edmiston, operates Escondido Canyon Park; which
KELSEY PETTIJOHN starting with that 2016 election.” Pettijohn was raised in Malibu, where her family goes back six decades. Her grandparents moved to Malibu in the 1960s to raise their children “by the beach.” Pettijohn says her parents wanted to do the same for her and her brother. She attended Point Dume Marine Science School, now renamed Malibu Elementary, then Malibu Middle, and Malibu High School. Working for the city she’s called home her entire life may have given Pettijohn an insider’s perspective on how things work in Malibu. “It definitely gives you an advantage day one starting out. At the very beginning you kind of have a leg up because you know a lot about the community and its values and also the stories about Malibu CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
Play Ball! Malibu Little League kicks off 2023 spring season |B1
News Briefs . . . . . . . . . .A3 • Point Dume access road closed due to debris flow; no current estimate for reopening
By SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times
The Malibu Community Labor Exchange recently relocated its office trailer to the northwest corner of the new Santa Monica College (SMC) Malibu campus parking lot on Civic Center Way during the campus construction. The city received Community Development Block Grants funds to rent a temporary office trailer and restroom trailer for the Labor Exchange’s use. The city, the Labor Exchange, LA County and SMC are working together to set up a permanent office and restroom facility for the Labor Exchange directly to the north of the current site. The MCLE has been working with the city to develop permanent and temporary solutions for its continued operations on the county property now that the Santa Monica College Malibu Campus is
Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . .A4 • Events Local News . . . . . . . . . A7 • Commission identifies potential solutions to Point Dume parking issues
The Malibu Labor Exchange Center Secretary Robert Thomason and Director Oscar Mondragón stand near the new MCLE facility that sits behind the Santa Monica College campus on Saturday, March 4. Photo by Samantha Bravo/TMT.
complete. Funding for this permit was not included in the Adopted Budget for Fiscal Year 2022-2023. Waiving the permit fees will result in a loss of revenue of $3,784 for Fiscal Year 2022-2023. During the City Council meeting on Nov. 28, the council approved the request from the Malibu Community Labor Exchange to waive the fees for the Conditional
Use Permit application to operate a day labor program on the County property on Civic Center Way. MCLE Director Oscar MondragÓn thanked the City of Malibu for its support. “It feels great; we appreciate the city’s help with the facilities here, [and] the college (Santa Monica Satellite) has been fantastic,” CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
Real Estate . . . . . . . . . A8 Malibu Life . . . . . . . . . .B1 • Former Webster PTA president sings in the Los Angeles Gay Men’s Chorus Community . . . . . . . . . .B3 • Student Art Exhibit celebrates community of young artists Legal Notices . . . . . . . . .B3 Business & Directory . . . B5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . B10 • Waves beach volleyball starts season with two victories in one day