Malibu West Lawyer Attacks ‘Billionaire Beach Bullies’ For Threatening To Grab Their Beach House, Broad Beach Lawyer Blames Them Even After Courts Rule Against Him – Twice

Malibu West homeowners are accusing Broad Beach homeowners of being billionaire bullies.

This … as the Broad Beach sand district is marching forward with plans to seize the Malibu West Swim Club … on Board beach … and auction it off.

Broad Beach claims Malibu West owes them almost a half million dollars in back taxes … 

These taxes were levied by the Broad beach homeowners in a sand replacement project that has taxing authority … but has failed to move any sand in 15 years.

Malibu West homeowner Jason Riddick .. an attorney … spoke before the Malibu City Council last night. 

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“The Broad Beach Geological Hazard Abatement Dstrict … known as the BB GHAD … or simply as the GHAD … has now officially gone rogue.

“As you know, the GHAD has taxed all of the owners along Broad Beach, including Malibu West, because of the location of our beach club, millions o dollars since 2015, under the promise of restoring Broad Beach, and protecting the shoreline.

“Yet after more than a decade … not one grain of sand has been delivered … and by all accounts the GHAD has been an absolute failure.”

That’s the lawyer for the Malibu West homeowners association … and the Malibu West Swim Club.

He told the city council last night that Malibu West has already won its legal case against Broad Beach, and this case has been definitively ruled on by the California Court of Appeal.

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“We won.

“That should have been the end of the story. 

“Unfortunately the GHAD continues to attempt to collect … and threatens to sell the Malibu West Beach club to force payment of illegal taxes. 

“Let that sink in. 

“The billionaire bullies of the GHAD and their henchman .. Ken Ehrlich … are saying that unless Malibu West pays taxes … that the court has already conclusively determined are unlawful … they will foreclose on the beach club … add it to their $24 million war chest of ill-gotten gains.”

This so-called “henchman” is Broad Beach sand district lawyer Ken Ehrlich.

Malibu West claims Ehrlich has used loopholes in state law … to have himself appointed as the tax collector.

Ehrlich and the sand district has been given great legal powers of taxation.  This is because the Malibu city council … as it was sitting 18 years ago … decided it wanted to dodge the issue of Broad Beach washing away.

The council members back then said they did not want to deal with the sand issue at Broad Beach … and they set up the GHAD to do the deed.  They gave Broad Beach homeowners legal authority to set up a GHAD … a sand district … and tax the property owners there. 

One of those property owners is the group of 280 houses across PCH in Malibu West … who live at the far end of the proposed artificial beach … and who will not directly benefit from it.

The state Court of Appeals has ruled … in a binding ruling … that unincorporated associations like the Malibu West residents do not pay property taxes, and are therefore immune from the assessments.

Ehrlich told KBUU News overnight that … and we quote … “Malibu West chose to initiate litigation despite numerous attempts by the BB-GHAD to try to resolve this dispute. 

“Now that Malibu West has chosen to go to Court, the BB-GHAD remains confident in its position and looks forward to the Court process.”

So …  where does the beach replenishment project stand now … in terms of using its $25 million in taxes accumulated over 15 years???

They hope to get a new Coastal Commission permit renewal … and move their first grains of sand this fall.  

The district has already spent more than 25 million dollars in Broad Beach tax money on engineering studies and lawyers. 

The ultimate project needs more one hundred million dollars. … by some estimates.

Broad beach has filed yet another lawsuit against Malibu West to stall the auction of the beach clubhouse.

Ehrlich has had himself appointed official tax collector for the event.

Cause Of Franklin Fire In Malibu Canyon Is Officially ‘Undetermined,’ Says City Official

Arson investigators are listing last winter’s Franklin fire as a fire that broke out of an undetermined cause of ignition.

The Franklin Fire destroyed 20 houses in the Serra Retreat neighborhood near Malibu Lagoon on December 9th.… as it came roaring down Malibu Canyon.

Public Safety Director Susan Duenas .. at last night’s city council meeting …  says the western LA County fire chief Drew Smith told her the department has listed the cause as undetermined.

One city council member … Steve Uhring … says he has pictures of a homeless camp … up Malibu Canyon … and voiced suspicions …  that the campers may have sparked the fires.

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“Right after the fire, I had a bunch of pictures sent to me from an encampment that was taking place across from Francisco Ranch Road.

“It appears to be a homeless process. 

“I mean, I have this concern with the fire season coming up, if it was homeless, we need to know that. 

“Because that was like the second time they tried to burn me out of my house and I really don’t want to go through a third time.”

Duenas said the fire department does -not- have evidence that the fire was caused by homeless people. 

The Franklin Fire was four thousand acres … and it hit three weeks before the Palisades Fire … which took out 68 hundred houses and businesses. 

The Franklin Fire not only took out 20 houses in Malibu … it damaged another 20.

Most of those houses were in the Serra Retreat section of Malibu Canyon.

Detectives Still Seeking ID off Individual Struck By Car On PCH 3 Months Ago

Traffic detectives are still trying to find out the name of the person who was struck by a car and terribly injured on Pacific Coast Highway near the Carbon Beach fire station in late September.  

Sgt Chris Soderlund at last night’s city council meetin:

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“The latest information that I have is that the victim is still alive pending next of kin notification. 

“We have been unable to identify them and we are using all of our databases at federal databases to try to identify this victim..”

The driver of the car has not been publicly identified … but he is reportedly a Malibu area teenager. 

Deputies say he was driving legally in a traffic lane when the pedestrian suddenly appeared out of the darkness … at the curve, just approaching the traffic signal at Carbon Canyon Road..

The driver was cooperating with sheriff deputies and has not been cited.

Names Released For Woman and Man Killed On Wilshire Blvd Sidewalk In SM

Both off the pedestrians killed in a hit and run crash Friday have been identified, as police search for the driver of the orange Dodge Charger caught on surveillance video fleeing the scene on foot.

The victims have been identified as Maura Cohen and Brad Lipshy, both 61, police said. Lipshy is the founder and CEO of Event Solutions, a local company that plans events in Santa Monica, according to the company’s web site.

Police believe the two had left a sushi restaurant in the area when they were struck on the sidewalk near Euclid Avenue by the car traveling in the wrong direction on Wilshire Boulevard.

The suspect was seen running away down Wilshire and turning on Euclid.  If he has been identified, his name has not been publicly released.

Malibu Moves 5K Raises $70,000 for Malibu Charities

Last weekend’s Malibu Moves 5k run on Zuma Beach has raised 83 thousand 600 dollars for charities … with 70 thousand dollars of that staying in Malibu.

Erica Segal is director of the Malibu Moves event gave the breakdown at last night’s city council meeting.

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“$30,000 will go to the Malibu education foundation, $35,000 will go to the community brigade, and $5000 will go to the Emily Shane foundation. 

“After the fires we knew we wanted to create not just a community event that brought people together and lifted morale, but also to help Malibu become a more resilient community moving forward. 

“I’m incredibly proud of what this event brought to Malibu: a true celebration of movement, community and resilience..”

Malibu Moves is one of the two fundraisers that are allowed to use Zuma Beach for big fundraisers.

The other is the Zuma Beach Triathlon … which happens every September.

It raised 150 thousand dollars for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, and the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu.

Horvath Kills Plan To House Homeless Mental Health Patients On Ocean View Bluff In SM

It was an outrageous plan. 

A Los Angeles real estate speculator was going to take county money … buy two ocean view apartment buildings in Santa Monica … and convert them to housing for mentally ill homeless people.

It’s been been killed. 

Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath yesterday ordered county bureaucrats to terminate the proposed Ocean Avenue interim housing projects. 

This would have added dozens of homeless mentally ill people to the Santa Monica Palisades area … already overloaded with people sleeping on the streets.

Residents in Santa Monica were blindsided when the project was announced. … as a done deal.

Says Horvath … “the lack of transparency and coordination in this process is unacceptable.

And she says it won’t happen again. 

She wants a county mental health services reorganization .. to prevent such a project from being sprung on residents without notice and discussion.

Clark’s Oyster Bar Plans To Open Today At Cross Creek Ranch

A new restaurant called Clark’s oyster bar will open today at the Cross Creek Ranch… The new shopping center on Civic Center Way in downtown Malibu.

It is the sixth restaurant for the Texas based firm … not quite a chain restaurant yet under city of Malibu regulations.

11 varieties of oysters… Grilled octopus… Linguine with clams and cioppibno are on the menu.

The publicity sheet says that a large saltwater aquarium will be the centerpiece.

Clarks’ Oyster Bar is scheduled to open for business today.

Dodgers Go 18 Innings To Win And I Am Too Sleepy To Transcribe That Audio

If your coworkers are dragging this morning … here is why.

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That was the historic call last night on the Fox Television Network … as the longest game in World Series history ground on towards the midnight hour.

The Dodgers had run out of pitchers … Clayton Kershaw  was called in in the 11th inning … with bases loaded … to save the day.

Or … to save the night. … which he did.

By 11:50 in Los Angeles  … starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto was warming up to pitch relief in the 19th.

Incredibly … Yamamoto had pitched a complete 9 inning game … just two nights earlier. 

But Freeman’s solo home run  in the 18th short circuited that plan.

Final score … Dodger 6 … Blue jays 5 … in almost 7 hours of play.

Freddie freeman says ,,, the Dodgers are tired but not exhausted.

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First pitch tonight … 5:10 … on channel 11.

The forecast … Santa Ana winds blowing hot from the north … And we was born to ride.