SAFE AND CLEAN SHOPPING FOR YOUR HOLIDAYS
CONNECTIONS BREAKFAST WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9 • 8am at Dreamland Malibu • 22969 E. PCH with Guest Speaker Mikke Pierson – The Power of Positivity
Mikke Pierson
The Malibu Times The Malibu Times NEWS PA PER • MAGAZ I NE • O NL I NE
NEW S PAPER • MAGAZINE •ONLINE Malibu’s Award-Winning Community Paper Since 1946
VOL. LXXVI • NO. XXVII
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2022
malibutimes.com • $.50 • WEEKLY
Malibu City Council approves Term Sheet for school district split
Public input requested by Dec. 16 on proposed camp sites Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority unveils overnight camping plans in Malibu
Financial details still to be hammered out By JUDY ABEL Special to The Malibu Times
The City of Malibu and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) have jointly agreed to a detailed framework and process to pursue the separation of the two territories into two separate school districts. In a 3-0 vote Friday, the Malibu City Council approved the self-styled Term Sheet with Bruce Silverstein abstaining and Steve Uhring absent. After years of negotiation, proponents of the Term Sheet argue that this is the closest Malibu has come to forming its own school district, a process confusingly called “unification.” A joint announcement was issued Friday as to the approval of the Term Sheet, which sets forth a conceptual, financial model that states it is intended to ensure maintenance of no less than the current level of educational programs to students in both territories, as well as a description of the agreements that the city and the district would need to finalize in order to effect unification, including a tax revenue sharing agreement, an operational transfer agreement, and joint powers agreement. The Term Sheet affirms the need for special legislation to assist in the implementation of the unification. Finally, the Term Sheet sets forth a detailed but nonbinding timeline for the process. Under its terms, the earliest Malibu could achieve educational autonomy would be July 1, 2024. “After years of hard work and negotiations, we finally have a viable framework for an independent Malibu Unified School District,” Malibu Mayor Paul Grisanti said. “We would not be here without the hard work, dedication, and compromise made by the district and the city’s negotiating teams. Now that the Term Sheet has been accepted by both the SM-MUSD Board of Education and the Malibu City Council, I am hopeful that the process and framework set forth will guide us to the ultimate goal of two separate school districts.” Some local observers online, however, argue that the Term Sheet amounts to little more than an agreement to agree, noting that the key elements in disentangling the district’s complicated and messy finances are punted to the three key agreements, all of which remain to be negotiated. Councilmember Silverstein wrote to The Malibu Times with a warning to read the “fine print.” CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
By JUDY ABEL Special to The Malibu Times
Four-year-old Reef Nilsson and mother Beth Nilsson dressed as Ghostbusters for the Malibu Bluffs Halloween Bu Bash on Friday Oct. 28. Photo by Samantha Bravo/TMT
Bu Bash Halloween Carnival held at Malibu Bluffs Attendees were able to donate a new pair of socks for Sock-tober, a donation drive for the homeless and those in need of creatures for the annual Malibu Bu Bash Halloween Carnival on Friday, Oct. 28. From fairies to butterflies to The event included carnival skeletons and scarecrows, Malibu games, bounce houses, an art acBluffs Park was filled with all kinds tivity with the Malibu Library, inBy SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times
teractive S.T.E.A.M demonstrations with MakMo Mobilemaker, and a costume parade on the “Cat Walk.” Face painting with Fancy Pantz and food from D’Amores Pizza Truck was also available for
families to enjoy. Parent Rachel Hall brought her son Ethan 9, to the event and said she has been attending the city events since he was 11 months old. PHOTOS ON PAGE A8
Malibu observes fourth anniversary of Woolsey Fire, Borderline Shooting
this week
The community comes out to support Malibu Search and Rescue |B1
Smoke rises over the hillside as residents prepare for evacuation orders on Nov. 9, 2018. Photo by Julie Ellerton/TMT
As the fall season approaches, community. On Nov. 7, 2018, 12 in a shooting at the Borderline bu experienced the worst wildfire Malibu is reminded of two tragic people, including Pepperdine stu- Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks. in Los Angeles County history, historical events that changed the dent Alaina Housley, were killed The following day, Nov. 9, MaliCONTINUED ON PAGE A10
Land-use expert outlines steps to improve city planning wait times Malibu is the only California city not required to get planning applications to a hearing in six months By JIMY TALLAL Special to The Malibu Times
In an Oct. 6 presentation, local land use expert Don Schmitz lists a dozen ways the city planning process could improve current wait times that average 2.3 years for a single-family home in Mal-
CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
INSIDE
Devastating blaze came just hours after bar shooting that killed 12 people, including one Pepperdine student By SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times
A controversial plan to allow overnight camping at two sites in Malibu was presented by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) headed by Joe Edmiston. The Lower Cost Accommodations Public Works Plan for Ramirez Canyon Park, which already has an existing campground, and Bluffs Park, an open space next to an existing park facility, was revealed in a virtual scoping meeting on Oct. 27. The plan for Bluffs includes 8 to 12 yurts that can accommodate 10 to 12 people each, 16 to 20 tent cabins that can accommodate six to eight people, and 18 to 22 tent pad sites that can accommodate six to
ibu. (That doesn’t even count the time spent on design, application prep, Coastal Commission, and appeals, which bring the average total time up to 4.3 years). Whereas Malibu takes an average of 28.6 months to approve an application, according to Schmitz, other coastal cities do it in a small fraction of that time: Santa Cruz does it in 3.4 months, Capitola in 2.5 months, and Newport Beach in three to four months. The California average is 2.3 to 3.4 months. “The statistics show that our
planning system is not working to a degree that’s literally unprecedented in the state of California,” Schmitz pointed out. He maintains the Malibu system is broken and has been for well over 20 years, saying it needs real reform and “proper procedural guidelines.” “Every Planning Director Malibu ever had has been committed to reforming the department, and yet it’s never happened,” Schmitz said. “It’s not going to happen unless the whole community gets behind it … We’re looking to
create momentum so there can be positive reforms for improvement, working with decision-makers.” He gave the example of one resident waiting five years to get a septic system approved for a multiunit building, because his project kept getting kicked down the road to the next Planning Commission meeting. In another instance, a family waited so many years to get approval for a home, they finally canceled the project — their kids had literally grown up while waiting for the building permit. CONTINUED ON PAGE A10
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . A2 News Briefs . . . . . . . . . A3 • Missing man found in Santa Monica Mountains confirmed shot Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . A4 • Events News . . . . . . . . . . . . . A7 • Venice-based artist Jules Muck chosen by Arts Commission to display her work in Malibu Real Estate . . . . . . . . . A8 Malibu Life . . . . . . . . . B1 • Rachel DeAngelis continues her reign and wins Miss Teen United States People . . . . . . . . . . . . B2 Community . . . . . . . . . B3 • Local artist Bobbi Bennett, celebrated in Malibu Legal Notices . . . . . . . . B5 Business & Directory . . . B7 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B7 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . .B10 • Kelly and Mulder, former Sharks volleyballers, see each other on college court