8PM MON UPDATE: Two more Malibu oceanfront homes red-tagged after surf storm Play

Two more oceanfront houses on Pacific Coast Highway have been red-tagged by the city, after their supporting piers washed out in last weekend's surf storm.

But Malibu escaped the gigantic waves atop record high tides without the type of widespread damage that hit from Long Beach south into Orange County, a city official said Monday night.

The number of properties experiencing "concerning" beach erosion and drainage issues along the eastern Malibu oceanfront has ballooned from 56 to 78.

Homeowners of 31 houses along East Sea Level Drive at Lechusa Beach will have to wait another two weeks to find out what the plans are for allowing them to re-enter their houses. The road there has been barricaded off and is still not geologically secure below eight oceanfront houses on stilts.

"We just got a new contractor on board, we are hoping to get an answer for you," Community Services Department director Yolanda Bundy said. "We are hearing from homeowners every day who want to go back in. It is at the top of all of our priorities to get those families home."

It's been exactly five weeks since actor Nick Cage's house lost its septic tank and driveway, leaving the house suspended without access.

The Lechusa Beach Homeowners Association, as we reported last week, on Tuesday terminated the contractor that owns the street. A new one has been hired, and that company is making plans, Bundy said at Monday's city council meeting.

Homeowners along Malibu Creek have also lost their first contractor, and are looking for a different firm to help them remove tons and tons of debris in their neighborhoods.

California State Parks has told the City of Malibu that the creekbed is private property, and has not responded to requests from the city to start an earthmoving project now.

The state has vague plans to remove millions of tons of sediment from Rindge Dam, and the state has mentioned that it will prevent sediment from the dam removal project from building up in the Cross Creek/Serra Estates area.

But no agency has stepped up to say they will act now prevent flooding, which Cross Creek residents feel is essential. That includes the City of Malibu and the LA County's flood control agency, the Department of Public Works, or California State Parks.

[An upcoming public workshop for the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District Conference Room, 4232 Las Virgenes Road, in Calabasas.]

Up at the giant sand dune in Ventura County, where PCH is eroding near Point Mugu, Caltrans engineers have received authorization from Sacramento through a "director's order" to do what it takes to save the highway, the city reported.

A six-foot vertical wall of sand supports the highway right next to churning surf. Two-way traffic has been moved onto the shoulder and westbound lane, but the situation looks perilous, as each high tide eats into the sand wall supporting the eastbound lane. The eastbound shoulder is long gone.

Bundy said there is also concern about shared common seawalls that have failed in the Malibu Colony. And she is "worried" about the Adamson House.

Other areas of concern right now are uphill from the highway: Calle del Barco and Rambla Pacifico.

This is a preliminary article published during the city council meeting, at 8:03 p.m. Monday. A complete article will be filed Tuesday morning.