Outgoing Mayor Announces Clean Water Ballot Referendum

BY BILL KOENEKER

Using the reorganization meeting of the Malibu City Council this week to make several newsworthy announcements, outgoing Mayor Pamela Conley Ulich talked about plans for a clean water ballot referendum, more money for the library fund and gave an update about the landscaping project on the Pacific Coast Highway median.
“In the coming year, I will work with others on our city council to propose a ballot referendum to clean up polluted waters in Malibu and along our coast. We need funds to pay for better stormwater pollution prevention. Legacy Park and the runoff treatment facilities at Paradise Cove and the Civic Center need funds for operation and maintenance. We need funds to pay for a centralized wastewater recycling plant in the Civic Center by 2013,” said Conley Ulich.
She said the proposal would also entail asking commercial facilities that generate more than a thousand gallons per day of wastewater to their onsite wastewater systems to pay “a bit more to give us clean water.”
The more wastewater you produce, according to Conley Ulich, the more you should pay for environmental protection. “That just makes sense,” she added. Those that hook up to the new Civic Center water recycling facility will have a different rate structure.
She went on to say some of Malibu's beaches are still unsafe for surfing and swimming because of fecal bacteria pollution. “Malibu Creek and lagoon are in a state of poor ecological health. These are problems that we can solve, but we all need to do our part,” she explained.
The outgoing mayor said that for "less than [the cost of] a cup of coffee, we can generate enough revenue to greatly upgrade the city's stormwater and wastewater management programs.”
Conley Ulich also reported that the city has been awarded more money based on the memo of understanding it has with Los Angeles County about library operations. “We have $3.6 million plus additional annual funding [that] will be used for the library,” she said. The funding is coming from the existing library taxes of Malibu residents that have now been earmarked only for use at the Malibu Library in lieu of the countywide library system.
Conley Ulich also leaked what she said was the good news almost “miracle” of the efforts to landscape the PCH median.
She allowed Jo Giese, who heads up the Malibu Green Machine, to elaborate.
Giese said MGM recently received the encroachment permit from Caltrans to break ground on the medians.
“We can tentatively start work the week of Feb. 16 on the landscaping project,” said Giese.
However, Giese said Caltrans would be informed the work will start in phases. “Phase one is Cross Creek to Webb Way because we have funding for that,” added Giese.