Safety Panel Is Left Out of School Planning Process

BY SUZANNE GULDI MANN

The City of Malibu's Public Safety Commission expressed displeasure and concern that the panel has not been given an official opportunity to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District's Measure BB-funded Malibu High School improvement plan, which includes significant changes to Morning View Drive.

"I don't think the proposed solution from the school district addresses the issue," Malibu activist Ryan Embree told the commission, during public comment.

"I think it's crazy to have kids picked up and dropped off on the street," Commissioner Susan Tellem said.

"This is something that really bothers me and now we are jumping in at the tail end," stated Commission Chair Carol Randall.

"When [the school district] proposed we meet with them, we made comments on the draft report and even made comments from day one," City of Malibu Public Works Director Bob Braeger said. "We know the draft DEIR is out and we're going to make more comments.  

"Our position is they need to address this. They always respond that [the school] isn't the city's jurisdiction to advise. They kind of ignore our comments."

Braeger said his department is "coming back with some very hard comments. Public works has commented on this and we are making comments," he said.

The commission discussed having a special meeting in advance of the Sept. 15 DEIR comment period deadline to, in Randall's words, "at least look at the plan we have."

However, the panel was told by recording secretary Mary Linden that only the city manager could authorize a meeting. "I will talk to the city manager about if it is appropriate to have a special meeting," she said.

"They had said they were going to come back and discuss it," Commissioner David Saul said.

"And what Bob has said is [the district's representatives] have said they are pretty much going to do their own thing."

"I feel uncomfortable about that, that it's decided outside the commission," Tellem responded.

"All commissions are advisory in nature," Linden replied.