Council Declines to Rescind Its Action on SMMC Amendment

• Conservancy Banks on Coastal Panel

BY BILL KOENEKER

Without comment, the Malibu City Council last week formally said “no” to Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Executive Director Joe Edmiston’s request for the city to reconsider its vote on an attempt to ban overnight camping in public parklands.
Edmiston during the holidays, when the council was recessed, had asked the council to rescind its vote on the highly controversial issue or else he would take further action.
The Conservancy had applied to the city for a Local Coastal Program Amendment for its parks and trails plan.
The city and SMMC had reached an agreement during the past year that lead to the Conservancy submitting an LCPA for city approval, instead of going directly to the California Coastal Commission.
Edmiston was furious with the results when the council did a turnaround, swayed by public opinion, and deleted all provisions for overnight camping
In a memo to council members, City Attorney Christi Hogin acknowledged that although the Conservancy did not obtain “all that it sought in the LCP amendment, the city approved or conditionally approved significant parts.”
Consequently, Hogin recommended that if the Conservancy feels that the city’s modifications are inconsistent with the Coastal Act, there will be an opportunity for the SMMC to make those arguments to the Coastal Commission. “Accordingly, out of respect for the full and lengthy public process that the city has undergone in connection with the Conservancy’s LCP amendment and because the process had not yet been completed, staff recommends that the city council allow the process set forth in the LCP and the Coastal Act to be completed according to its terms, notwithstanding the Conservancy’s request to the contrary,” Hogin wrote in her recommendation.
Edmiston did not actually wait for a formal response from the city council and has proceeded with an LCP override process and in effect will resubmit a revised public works plan.
In an ironic touch, Edmiston had recommended to the SMMC advisory committee and the board of the MRCA to grant additional funds to complete an Environmental Impact Report for the public works plan that will be submitted to the Coastal Commission.
The MRCA approved such a scope of work and the LCPA override at its meeting on Jan. 8.
Municipal officials had originally chastised Edmiston, when he was going to originally submit a public works plan, stating it would not have the level of review that an LCPA would have. It was one of the original arguments by city officials for attempting to convince the Conservancy to submit a LCPA. At the time Edmiston said it was not necessary.
Subsequently, the SMMC director has acknowledged there is a difference of opinion by counsel on that and proceeded to recommend an EIR for the parks and trail plan.
Additionally, the LCPA would also propose merging the park and city shuttles to link up Zuma, the Point Dume headlands, Charmlee Park and Corral Canyon. The state agency was granted $100,000 in funding to the city for such a project. That action will be considered by the SMMC board at its meeting on Jan. 28 when it will also consider adopting findings for a LCPA override with a public works project.