Malibu red-tags 16 lots along PCH, but fencing remains inadequate
The city says it red-tagged parcels as a public safety measure, but most sites still have fencing that blew over months ago.
By Hans Laetz
In the eastern part of Malibu, 12 miles away from Point Dume, only a few lots have been fenced off as ordered by the city of Malibu last week.
Last week, the city said it had red-tagged several parcels as an immediate public safety measure. The goal: prevent pedestrian access to unsafe areas and protect the public from potential hazards associated with the deteriorating coastal embankment and roadside edge along PCH.
If that was the goal, it was not achieved. Over the weekend, we observed that most of the area still had those temporary fences — the ones that had blown over months ago.
Last week, the city said "several" lots had been red-tagged. Turns out, 16 lots were red-tagged one week ago — that would be a year and a half after their protective houses and wooden planks had burned in the Palisades Fire.
And the city has not given any update on the urgent discussions it held Tuesday with the governor's office, Caltrans, County Waterworks and the Southern California Gas Company about protecting the highway and the critical pipelines under it.
Caltrans has maintained that no section of the highway is at danger of falling into the ocean within Malibu city limits. But they do say they are worried about a quarter mile of PCH near the Getty Villa Museum, outside of the City of Malibu, in a county island between Malibu and Los Angeles.
That area is called Ratner Beach, where the state has placed concrete railings along the highway. On the other side: churning surf rushing up at high tide, right up against the rocks and dirt supporting the road.
Also in those unprotected embankments: the city's only water supply pipes. Last week's waves again battered that 10-foot vertical rock and dirt face.
Caltrans says they are having difficulty getting permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Coastal Commission to protect the road at Ratner Beach. There had been a popular swimming beach there, enjoyed by the public for more than 100 years. It's gone.
Also observed over the weekend: high tide water had made it across several burned-out lots at the Carbon Canyon area, all the way up to PCH.
Comments (1)
yet they have permitted some ! wether they were previously permitted before the fire is questionable. to allow the building with a protective buttress wall to protect pch seems odd to me . Fred