The Malibu City Council motioned to spend a maximum of $25,000 on a third-party reviewer to investigate all of the current details on the Malibu Lagoon restoration project set to begin June 1, 2012.
This past Monday evening, January 23, 2012, the Malibu City Council held a regular meeting open to the public at the City Hall in Malibu, Calif. During this assembly, Council member John Sibert’s proposal made on January 9, 2012, to hire an outside consultant who has no ties to the Malibu Lagoon was motioned to pass. Once agreed upon the who the nonbiased consultant will be, the reviewer will be in charge of thoroughly investigating the effects of the project on the beach and surf conditions. Proponents of finding a consultant gave the stipulation of going through all of the information within 30 days while opponents view this motion as a waste of money that could be put towards appealing the Judge Ernest H. Goldsmiths’ ruling against the plan.
Many Malibu locals with strong ties to the Lagoon oppose this idea and view it as a waste of time and the city’s money. Andy Lyon stood up to the council calling Mayor Laura Rosenthal out for still not publically saying whether or not she supports the project. Lyon said, “It has been months and months! We should know if you are going to be at the ribbon ceremony for the lagoon or if you are going to be with us chained to the bulldozers!”
The council members pointed out to the enraged Lagoon restoration opponents that the reason for not rushing into any decision about the project is because it is apparent that there is a lot of confusion about what the project truly is, causing the key dilemma for this whole process. The original pitch for Malibu Lagoon restoration made by the California Department of Parks and Recreation in 1983 encompassed the excavation of three channels in the western part of the lagoon to try to help the natural flow of Malibu Creek as well as reinforce the marine and ecosystems within the lagoon.
It was not until 1996 that there was funding for the initial restoration project, but even though the money was there the plan to restore remained on pause due to the split perspective on what people believed to be the right thing to do with the lagoon. In 2005 the proposal became more widespread and communities began to dig deeper into this impending project.
Those people opposing the project see this as drawn-out struggle that seems to strictly make the basis for the ruling to be scientific facts rather than emotional insights, money or politics. Sibert pointed out to the audience that his reasoning behind backing more scientific research is that, “science teaches you is that it is not pro or anti anything it is about a decision process that you try and get to verifiable truth.” Sibert clarified that he is not on an opposite side to those against the project rather he feels the need for not only the city council but also the people of Malibu to get a better handle on what the project actually entails because there have been too many misstatements as time has gone by.
Following Sibert, Mayor Pro Tem Lou La Monte exclaimed, “I do not know enough about this [project] to make a decision without the correct scientific information in front of me.”
The Council clarified to the audience that they want to give the city of Malibu a fair decision with the project and feel that spending $25,000 and hiring an outside person to give the people their perspective will do nothing but benefit the end result of whether or not the bulldozing will begin at the start of Summer.
Mayor Rosenthal said, “We need to get the truth and information to be able to make the best decision.”
