City Claims It Owns Winding Way And Murphy Way, Not MRCA

Bu Promises To Maintain Public Access To Ramirez Falls Trail

The City of Malibu has sued the MRCA, claiming that the outside parks agency does not own trails or easements that allow the public to visit Escondido Falls via Winding Way or Murphy Way.

There has been no early reaction from the Mountains Resource and Conservation Authority, but the city and MRCA have been in negotiations to settle the issue for months. 

Th city claims that, as a municipal government, that MRCA lost ownership of all trails that had been held by Los Angeles County at the time that the city was incorporated, in 1991.

As a result, a property transfer attempted by Los Angeles County in 1998 is void, the city argues.  It was in 1998 that the county board supervisors transferred its supposed property in Malibu to the MRCA, instead of the new city.

Residents along Murphy Way and Winding Way have been arguing for years that the MRCA cannot enforce easements along those private streets, because the legal right to do that had transferred to the city of Malibu.

The lawsuit seeks quiet title … or an order by the court, transferring ownership or any interest in the trails from the county and the MRCA to the city. 

The lawsuit also points out that the city has formally warned the MRCA that the lack of parking at its trailheads “posed significant safety and logistical risks. 

“That letter cautioned that directing visitors to park along PCH and cross on foot was extremely dangerous, noting the high traffic volume in the area and a documented pattern of illegal parking, illegal U-turns, and pedestrians walking along the unimproved shoulder, pinned between parked vehicles and oncoming traffic.”

Last February 8, a parkgoer named Joshua Farmer was struck and killed on PCH near Winding Way in the vicinity of the trails at the center of this lawsuit. 

“The City can no longer accept the status quo,” the lawsuit states. 

The 257-page complaint further alleges that MRCA’s management has resulted in environmental damage to sensitive coastal resources, failure to comply with the requirements of the California Coastal Act, inadequate trash removal, and failure to enforce boundaries protecting public open space. In a press release today, the city said Malibu remains committed to open-space preservation, public trail access, and collaborative stewardship of the Santa Monica Mountains. 

“Commencement of this legal action does not change that commitment; it reaffirms it,” the city said. 

This is the second lawsuit filed by Malibu against the MRCA.  It is also a defendant in a February lawsuit that blamed the parks agency for failing to perform adequate brush clearance on its parkland holdings in eastern Malibu, contributing to the destruction off the easterner one tenth of Malibu in the Palisades Fire. 

Malibu residents have formally notified the MRCA of these dangerous conditions in the months and years preceding recent fires. The City contends that this failure to clear overgrown vegetation was a substantial contributing factor to the rapid spread and intensity of recent wildfires.

“The City acknowledges that MRCA has recently initiated new brush and vegetation management contracts for 2026 and welcomes those steps, but they are too little, too late.”

And the city vowed to maintain the public trails within the City’s borders, that are safe, well-maintained, environmentally sound, and accessible to everyone who wishes to enjoy them, while also protecting hikers and visitors.

Agoura Hills Fire Plan Includes Closing Kanan-Dume Rd At Its City Limit

The city of Agoura Hills plans to close Kanan Road in some circumstances, if a major fire emergency that requires the evacuation of the Santa Monica Mountains.

That’s part of the city’s draft emergency evacuation plan … which goes up for public comment Thursday night in Agoura Hills.

Residents of the county areas south of Agoura Hills … in the Malibu mountains … are most unhappy with this.

They say Agoura Hills has already approved major increases in housing density along Kanan Road and near Agoura Hills High School.

These roads are already overburdened and they serve as critical emergency evacuation corridors. 

The Agoura Hills traffic study says Kanan Road …. One lane in each direction … has more than enough capacity for traffic leaving the mountains area.

But … the traffic study does not count any vehicles leaving Malibu.

It makes the remarkable assumption that people would not leave Malibu if a fire breaks out in the region.

The city of Malibu emergency evacuation plan relies on people heeding early evacuation warnings …. And using Kanan Road to get to the 101 freeway.

Under the draft Agoura Hills plan … that city plans to have the sheriff’s department close Kanan Road … prevent the public entry into evacuated areas.

Two of the Agoura Hills evacuation areas are alongside Kanan Road on the Malibu side of the freeway.

The road closure would have to be done by the Malibu Lost Hills sheriffs

The Agoura Hills Planning Commission will vote on its proposed evacuation plan Thursday night at 6pm … at the Agoura Hills city hall …. On Agoura Road at Ladyface Court.

Controlled Burn Planned For Topanga Canyon

For the first time in decades … a controlled burn is planned in the Santa Monica Mountains. 

A large pile of dead wood and weeds that has been removed from a fire road above Topanga Canyon will be intentionally burned next Friday.

City council member Doug Stewart says LA County Fire and the MRCA are conducting the burn … as part of a brush clearance project aimed at stopping potential fire spread.

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“This coming Friday the 17th as a pile burn schedule for Topanga area. It’s along the summit to Summit motorway at Topanga Canyon Boulevard and this is to burn the brush cuttings that were cleaned out by the brush clearing process project and burn them right there in a safe safe environment.”

But Stewart says … don’t expect a large area to get burned intentionally.

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“You can’t build a Great Wall of China brush clearance that’s not the way this works.

“The idea is to have fire management so that there’s control controlled areas to stop the fires from the burning wild.

“All operations are dependent on favorable weather and air quality conditions. Los Angeles County will make a final go no go for the burn operation on the afternoon of April 16 are not will be postponed.

“If conditions are not suitable. The burn will be postponed.”

Again … the intentional burn is scheduled for this Friday … weather and fire conditions permitting.

Landowners Responsible For Brush On State Land Within 100 Feet Of Houses, With a $150 Fee To Clear It

Malibu homeowners who live near state parks lands are being told … that they are on the hook for removing brush and other fire dangers within 100 feet of their homes … 

And that is the law …. even if the brush is on state land. 

And California State Parks is charging 150 dollars for residents to get an entry permit. 

Superintendent Richard Fink appeared at the city council meeting last night … and said it doesn’t make sense to him either. 

But the state law sets the rules.

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“The right of entry permit allows a resident to come onto the state park land and conduct fuel modification activities, whether that be brush clearance, removal of invasive plants, replacing them with native species.”

At the city council meeting last night … the park superintendent said the obligation is on the homeowner … but state parts is trying to make it easy.

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“It’s a simple process: you contact our office, State Parks will send out an environmental scientist to your property. 

“They will walk your property with you, both your side of the property line and the state park side. 

“The environmental scientist will work with you to come up with a customized plan for your home.

“Usually that is some of the ideas of the resident, but we will also provide recommendations as well.”

But still it costs 150 dollars.

The obligation to pay the state to get permission to clear brush next to a house does not sit well with some city council members.

Marianne Riggins. 

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“Those employees that are reviewing those applications are gonna be working regardless, so why charge so much for having the homeowner get those permits? 

“I just wanna tell everyone I got that notification, I got the letter in the mail because I live adjacent to one of the parks.”

California State Parks owns land in the Malibu Lagoon … at Bluffs park … and along PCH west of Trancas.

Update On Malibu Pier And Topanga Ranch Motel Coming

State Parks gave an update last night on two Malibu issues.

The Malibu Pier … and the Top[anag ranch Motel site.

We will have those stories …. Tomorrow. 

SCE Almost Finished In PCH Fire Undergrounding Zone, But Bad News On Ugly Comm Cables

Southern California Edison is nearly finished with its big underground power line installation in the eastern Malibu fire area.

That’s the good news. 

The bad news is that the big thick telecommunications lines are going to stay.

At least for now. 

City manager Joe Irvin told the city council last night … there city is trying to get the big black cables buried too.

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“The thing that we’re hearing a lot relates to telecom and what is happening with telecom. 

“And I just wanted to say that telecom are not required by law to underground at the same time as the electric companies. 

“We are working with them to try to make it attractive for them .. to have some value in doing this.”

Companies like Charter Spectrum … AT and T … T Mobil and crown Castle have no financial incentive to bury their lines.

They are voluntarily burying their lines in Topanga Canyon … as a result of community demand. 

But not in Malibu.

150 Potential Jurors Called For Grossman Damages Trial

About 150 people were summoned to jury duty yesterday in Van Nuys … as jury selection began in the civil trial lawsuit brought by the mother and father of two little boys run down and killed in Westlake Village.

The survivors of Mark and Jacob Iskander are suing Rebecca Grossman and her husband … burn surgeon Peter Grossman … for wrongful death.

Grossman is in prison for murder … her husband has been caught trying to hide their financial assets. 

He owned the high-performance racing sedan that his estranged wife had been driving that night. 

The trial is expected to take weeks.

Also on the defense … former baseball player Scott Erickson

He was Rebecca Grossman’s boyfriend … also was on the road the night of the crash.

Grossman and Erickson were playing racing games … when her car mowed thru the Iskander family in a crosswalk.

Iskander’s family lawyer yesterday told the potential jurors … they wanted damages in the 10s of millions of dollars.

Jerry Springer Show Breaks Out At Malibu Chumash Festival

Sheriff’s deputies have revealed why two people were arrested at Malibu Bluffs Park in the middle of the very-popular Chumash Day Pow Wow.

A fracas broke out in the middle of the popular festival and art show…

It turns out … a 15 year old girl had runaway from her home in Oxnard to be with her new boyfriend. 

Sgt. Chris Soderlund says the girl’s parents took thing into their own hands.

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“They found out from the female’s ex-boyfriend that she was going to be at Chumash Day with her new boyfriend … 

“And so the family members and the mom decided to go to Chumash Day persuade her to come home. 

“The new boyfriend did not want her to leave and a fight ensued. 

“The mom of the new boyfriend decided to obstruct the deputy’s arrest. 

“And she ended up getting arrested … for obstructing investigation.”

It was a regular Jerry Springer Show … in front of hundreds of spectators at the city’s premiere cultural event.  

That was apparently the most serious crime incident in our fair city in the last two weeks.

But the minor crime rate in Malibu has just about doubled in the past month.

Some of it is burglary from construction sites. 

Some of it is people stealing stuff out of parked cars at the beaches.  

Soderlund says it’s simply more people at the beach.

Weather For The Malibu 

Dry and warmer weather is expected for the remainder of this week. Gusty northerly winds will affect much of the area on Thursday, shifting to northeast and becoming focused over Los Angeles and Ventura Counties on Friday.