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The Malibu Times The Malibu Times NEWS PA PER • MAGAZ I NE • O NL I NE
NEW S PAPER • MAGAZINE •ONLINE Malibu’s Award-Winning Community Paper Since 1946
VOL. LXXV • NO. L
THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2022
malibutimes.com • $.50 • WEEKLY
Water District plans increase of recycled wastewater After state cutbacks, districts will need to start operating with less imported water By JIMY TALLAL Special to The Malibu Times
Department of Water Resources (DWR) officials announced on Friday they were cutting State Water Project allocations from 15 percent of what had been requested by water districts to 5 percent, due to extremely dry conditions. The State Water Project is just one of Malibu’s water suppliers — other sources include groundwater and the Colorado River. “We’re experiencing climate change whiplash in real time, with extreme swings between wet and dry conditions. That means adjusting quickly based on the data and the science,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth in a prepared statement. “While we hoped for more rain and snow, DWR has been preparing for
a third consecutive year of drought since October. We are continuing with a series of actions to balance the needs of endangered species, water supply conservation, and water deliveries for millions of Californians.” Because announcements like this are expected to become even more commonplace in future years, most water districts have already started planning changes to become less reliant on imported water. Locally, the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District (LVMWD), which serves “90265” residents outside the City of Malibu and across the Santa Monica Mountains, is doing just that. Since September 2020, the district has been operating the Pure Water Demonstration Facility on Las Virgenes Road, a high-tech water treatment plant that completes the process of transforming wastewater into Public Affairs Associate Riki Clark conducts a tour of the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District’s Pure Water Demonstration Facilidrinking water. Following a free ty on March 19. The public tours explain the process of recycling wastewater into pure drinking water. Photo by J. Tallal/TMT public tour, a souvenir glass of the and flavorless. drink perfectly clean water that Clark, who led the tour. As Las “We have to overcome the ‘yuck’ started off as wastewater,” said Virgenes literature states, it’s recycled water is given to each CONTINUED ON PAGE A7 person to taste and see that it’s clear factor of people being afraid to Public Affairs Associate II Riki
Spring beckons you to go outdoors Blossom-filled hikes await you in Malibu By JUDY ABEL Special to The Malibu Times
S
pring is here. Daylight savings time is upon us and it’s time to get outdoors. With nearly perfect weather in Malibu and after a long winter Covid-19 surge that kept many of us masked and indoors, this is the perfect time to spend time outside with nature. The Point Dume headlands area is currently teeming with coreopsis. The yellow wildflower blooms every spring on top of the cliffs at the Point Dume State Nature Preserve. While you’re there, follow the
boardwalk to the viewing platforms at the tip of the headlands overlooking Westward Beach. This is still whale watching season and if you stare out toward the Pacific you’ll likely catch a glimpse of a Grey whale. Their migrating season is from February to April. And according to Malibu Parks and Recreation Commissioner Suzanne Guldimann, “A walk around the bluffs almost guarantees a look at the local sea lion colony, either hunting and playing in the water, or resting on the rocks at the base of the cliffs.” If you’re really adventurous, try rock climbing the steep cliff at the end of Westward Beach. At Malibu Creek State Park, you’ll find lupine in bloom. The purple stalks are blanketing meadows at the site that covers The coreopsis, a yellow wildflower, blooms every spring on top of the cliffs at the Point Dume State Nature
Pierson decision on commission appointee draws strong reaction Councilmember opts to remove Goldfarb from Parks and Rec panel sparking controversy By JIMY TALLAL Of The Malibu Times
City Councilmember Mikke Pierson recently decided to replace Georgia Goldfarb, M.D., his appointment to the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission. He had no comment to The Malibu Times other than saying he wanted to make a change. “I had a long talk with [Goldfarb], and I appreciate her,” he added. The town’s political activists and observers — particularly women — have weighed in on Pierson’s action, through letters to the editor and public comments at City Council. They have criticized the fact that he didn’t plan on replacing Goldfarb with another woman, using the case to illustrate how few commission appointees in Malibu are female. “An older woman is being replaced by a younger man, in a city where male commissioners greatly outnumber female commissioners,” CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
CONTINUED ON PAGE A8 Preserve. Photo by Julie Ellerton/TMT
LVMCOG Board addresses Camp Kilpatrick decision
Malibu businesses come ‘Full Circle’ on composting
INSIDE this week
Malibu City Councilmember airs concerns about moving juvenile offenders to Santa Monica Mountains facility
Compost organization works with Malibu schools to reconstruct their gardens
By SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times
By Samantha Bravo Of The Malibu Times
The process of composting can sound intimidating, but for organizations such as Full Circle Compost, all it takes is a little social willingness. The CEO of Move the World for the last 10 years, Cecilie Stuart, has been an activist for residents in the Santa Monica Mountains primarily engaging and sharing knowledge throughout Los Angeles in festivals, parades, events, libraries, and museums on primary climate regeneration and ecological challenges and solutions. “In the last two years, since 2019, Move The World started a program called Full
MIKKE PIERSON
Full Circle Compost Executive Director Cecilie Stuart (left) and Saloon Coffee manager and Cavi Kitchen co-founder Victoria Levinsohn are shown with one of Full Circle’s compost bins. Photo contributed
Circle Compost and the goal is to really implement climate solutions throughout the Santa Monica Mountains,” Stuart said. “We do a number of things to achieve that one. We install compost systems at schools, residents, and businesses. We train and educate CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
On Tuesday, March 15, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 with Supervisor Kathryn Barger dissenting, to house juvenile offenders at the Camp Kilpatrick facility, located right off of Mulholland Highway about one mile from Kanan Dume Road beginning May 1. During the Las Virgenes-Malibu Council of Governments Board meeting, airing simultaneously as the Board of Supervisors meeting, LVMCOG President and Malibu City Councilmember Karen Farrer addressed the item and said the issue came up rather quickly. LVMCOG Executive Director Terry Dipple said the state law was signed by Gov.
Gavin Newsom last year which proposes to move those offenders to Camp Kilpatrick, which is located in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, Westlake Village and Agoura Hills. “President Farrer brought this to my attention a week ago Friday, and we began a number of meetings with the county and the ultimate question is the juvenile offenders that fall into this category are currently being held at the Barry Nidorf Center in Sylmar,” Dipple said. “So the question is whether or not the governing board wants to support President’s Farrer’s request to write a letter on behalf of the COG opposing the relocation and to further simplify matters.” On May 14, 2020, Newsom announced that the California Department of
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Prosperity Market makes a return to Malibu Village. PAGE B1 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . A2 News Briefs . . . . . . . . A3 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . A4 Real Estate . . . . . . . . A8 Malibu Life . . . . . . . . B1 Legal Notices . . . . . . . B3 Business Svs. & Dir. . . . B7 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . B7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . B8