Lines In The Sand Drawn In Malibu

The picturesque homes along the cliffs in Broad Beach in Malibu, California face potential danger but the residents and the surrounding neighbors are divided.

Part of the Broad Beach District has voted to bring in 22 thousand truckloads of sand to restore the beach and protect properties but some of the surrounding neighbors say enough is enough.

The Malibu West Homeowners Association has said, “23 million tax dollars have already been collected but not one grain of sand moved.”

While this issue specifically wasn’t on the ballot this Nov. 7 election day, three seats on what’s known as the Broad Beach Geological Hazard Abatement District Board of Directors were.

BBGHAD is a political subdivision that was formed in 2011 by property owners along Broad Beach in response to decades of beach erosion.

With a total of 5 board members and the BBGHAD considered a “landowner voting district”, the property owners were delivered a Vote-by-Mail ballot and declarations of candidates were due 88 days before the election. 40-50 days ago, it was reported that there were no candidates that presented applications other than incumbents so the election was canceled.

All the directors stand in favor of moving the sand project forward, but the timetable is uncertain.

The Click spoke with the project’s legal counsel, Ken Ehrlich who said that all of the permits are in place but there has been one last hurdle.

“The Zuma Beach to Broad Beach bridge is getting redone and workers cannot bring in sand while the bridge is being constructed so the project is delayed another year and a half,” Ehrlich said.