Santa Monica Mountains Task Force

Join the MRCA for a community meeting on Mission Canyon Park updates.

Thursday, February 17th from 6:30 pm-7:30 pm

They will be covering the following topics:
– Mission Canyon Presentation: Changes to the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration
– Public comments

The meeting will be held in English with Spanish translation via Zoom.

Zoom Info
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83435465318
Meeting ID: 834 3546 5318
Passcode: 774553

Dial by your location
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
877 853 5357 US Toll-free
When prompted, enter the Meeting ID

For support CEQA documents, please visit:
www.missioncanyonpark.com

---

La Autoridad de Recreación y Conservación de la Montañas (siglas en inglés MRCA) tendrá una reunión comunitaria, para compartir actualizaciones sobre Mission Canyon Park.

El jueves 17 de febrero a las 6:30-7:30 pm

Discutiremos:
– Presentación de Mission Canyon: cambios al studio inicial/declaracion negative de mitigacion
– Comentarios públicos

Zoom sitio, haga clic abajo
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83435465318
Numero ID de la reunion: 834 3546 5318
Passcode: 774553

Marca por teléfono manualmente
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
877 853 5357 US Toll-free
Despues de marcar, entre el numero ID de la reunión.

Para obtener documents de CEQA de soporte, visite:
www.missioncanyonpark.com

Happy New Year! As I write this, it’s raining… I’m delighted to say. This, plus the big rains we had at year’s end, are hopefully a first step to us digging out of our deep hole from drought and climate change. Soon, the Santa Monica Mountains will be greening up, and hikers and trail-runners can enjoy verdant vistas and a new crop of wildflowers.

Recently, those mountains got a big boost in court, as well. Following a hard-fought, one-month trial in Santa Monica Superior Court, attended virtually by several members of the Task Force, the Judge ruled that residents of a small enclave in Malibu called Sycamore Park have no right to bar access by hikers and the public from using their community to access trails in Escondido Canyon Park.

One defendant in the case was the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), a public agency who owns a parcel of land in the enclave. It lies next to an important trailhead leading to Escondido Falls, the largest falls in the Santa Monicas. Not surprisingly, this trail, and trail-system, are very popular. But in 2015, a handful of Sycamore Park homeowners got together and took it upon themselves to put up “No Trespassing” signs and hire a security guard to keep hikers and the public away from Via Escondido Drive. Not content with that, they sued MRCA (itself a holder of property easement rights on Via Escondido) alleging it had no right to invite in the public.

After hearing from dozens of witnesses and examining dozens of old property deeds, the Court disagreed. Famed hiking expert and author John McKinney testified as an expert witness for us. The Court is about to order the residents to remove their signage, including signs misdirecting hikers to a different trailhead a mile west on Pacific Coast Highway. It will likely order that the security guard can no longer keep the public out of Via Escondido.

MRCA was represented as counsel of record in the case by your Chair. This reminds us again that the Sierra Club Santa Monica Mountains Task Force is a trident with three prongs: trail-building and maintenance by our wonderful volunteers; leading of hikes and outings, to familiarize as many as possible with the trails, panoramas, and wonders of the mountains; and finally, activism in the political and legal arenas.

The Sycamore Park case is not over. Now that the court’s 16-page, single-spaced Statement of Decision has been made (as of January 17th), the trial enters Phase Two. MRCA will sue for money damages over the security guard’s wrongful exclusion of its rangers and agency employees, and deprivation of access to its property. After that, there will probably be an appeal.

But for the moment, there is much to celebrate. The last time we had this much joy was two years ago, when the Task Force went to court and single-handedly stopped wealthy U2 guitarist “The Edge” from grading pristine and protected wilderness above the Malibu Pier in order to build five mansions.

It’s a war that never ends, folks. Constantly, we need courage and stomach for battle. Again, Happy New Year to all. And hope to see you at our next Zoom meeting on February 7th!

Eric Edmunds, Chair
Santa Monica Mountains Task Force 

Like many other lovers of these local mountains, I was eager to see what the week of heavy rains had wrought along several (ostensibly water-adjacent) trails. And, like many, I wasn’t disappointed: gushing waterfalls, and creeks and streams with strong enough flow you might’ve expected a sun-speckled fish to pop out here and there. 

KTLA reported on this (temporary) wetting of our wildlands:
https://ktla.com/news/local-news/rain-brings-seasonal-waterfalls-back-to-santa-monica-mountains/ 

It’s important to keep in mind, though, that the rains weren’t heavy enough to relieve us of the drought. According to the State of California’s Drought Action website, it would take 140% of the state’s normal annual rainfall to put us in a surplus, so to speak.

At the same time, it’s hard to overstate the immediate damage that severe storms can have on trails, and parks in general. Personally, I witnessed the flood damage in Malibu Creek State Park: piles of debris so high and dense that it was difficult to even navigate a way to the M*A*S*H filming site. The Bent Arrow trail (above) is officially closed for the time being, and reports of landslides and downed trees in Hondo Canyon and the Garapito Trail, respectively, are but two of many similar incidents we are working in partnership with the land agencies to address.

See smmtf.org/trail-crew for information about volunteering to help repair the trails.

Governor Newsom’s 2022-2023 budget bears some heartening news for local wildlife and its supporters: namely, $10 million allocated for the Liberty Canyon wildlife crossing in Agoura Hills, a vision now quickly marching toward a much-needed reality.

Newly christened in September 2021 as the 101 Freeway Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, the bridge is projected to run 210 feet long and span the entire ten-lane freeway, and construction is set to begin this month.

The Coastal Commission has been given a new legislative weapon to fight those who would damage coastal environments.

Senate Bill 433 would ensure the Commission’s authority to levy fines for practices destructive to native flora and fauna, such as that of the Great Blue Heron, discussed in this L.A. Times article.

Previously, they could only fine private property owners who restricted access to public coastal areas. Now, those who bulldoze, or tree-trim, better think twice.

The Twenty-First Century Dams Act is a recently-introduced bill that would invest $21.1 billion to enhance the safety, grid resilience benefits, and power generating capacity of America’s dams, and provide historic funding to remove dams that are no longer necessary.

The Santa Monica Mountains Task Force, along with California Trout and the Surfrider Foundation Los Angeles Chapter, is in favor of passing this bill, and we plan to work to get it passed in congress to secure funds to help remove the Rindge Dam in Malibu Creek State Park.

The Rindge Dam was built in 1926 by the Rindge family, to have access to the Malibu Creek water to irrigate the crops on their ranch. However, the dam was decommissioned in 1960.

Southern California steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were abundant in the Malibu Creek before the dam was built; consequently, the Rindge Dam prevented the anadromous fish from migrating to the ocean. As a result, the Southern steelhead is now on the endangered species list.

The removal of the Rindge Dam would restore the Malibu Creek ecosystem and possibly bring back the Southern steelhead in the Malibu Creek. However, the construction cost of the dam removal is more than $100 million. Funding has been a big issue holding the project up.

In addition, the removal of the dam will bring back sand to the Malibu Lagoon beach. The dam prevents rock sediment from flowing down to the beaches, resulting in beach erosion, according to Michael Monak, Chair of the Coastal Preservation initiative at the Surfrider Foundation Los Angeles Chapter.

Please write your representative and senator to urge them to vote YES on the Twenty-First Century Dams Act and bring back the ecosystem to Malibu Creek, restoring not just the habitat for the Southern California steelhead trout but also for the western pond turtle, two-striped garter snake, and the Pacific lamprey.

Visit house.gov to find your representative.

The following was sent out by Jonathan Howard, Communications Coordinator for the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter, on October 6th, 2021: 

On March 30th, 2021, city planning director Vince Bertoni released a memo removing a large number of land parcels from being included in the Mulholland Design Review Board public process, which has been the single most effective tool for preserving wildlife corridors on speculative development sites for the past thirty years. By taking this action, the Director of Planning has given an immediate free pass to hillside developments which could completely disrupt or block wildlife connectivity for threatened populations such as mountain lion, deer, bobcats and more. 

If we reduce protections in this area, we will allow even further irreversible damage to occur. It would only take one ill-planned project to disrupt or block wildlife connectivity completely. 

Help us keep up the ongoing momentum for this campaign.

Please send a letter to voice your support for the wildlife and wildlands of LA by voicing your opposition to this dangerous memo.

A statewide election to recall Governor Newsom is scheduled for September 14, 2021.

The Sierra Club strongly opposes this recall, and the Santa Monica Mountains Task Force urges you to vote NO on question 1 of your ballot.
 
You should all be aware that if the recall effort is successful, it could have a devastating impact on the environment here in California and in the Santa Monica Mountains in particular. The Governor has control over appointments and regulations, and a successful recall could significantly impair California’s efforts to address the climate crisis and protect the communities that are feeling its worst of impacts. Not only that, but the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) may well be in jeopardy if the recall is successful. Even the selection of a United Senator would be in the hands of a Governor who is not at all sympathetic to the environmental issues facing California today.
 
Don’t take the chance of these results befalling our local communities.
 
This recall election is purely political, with candidates vying for the governorship in what is essentially a power grab. Recalls should be reserved for instances where a public official demonstrates an incapacity to serve or, as with an impeachment subject, commits bribery, treason or other high crimes or misdemeanors.

Ballots have been mailed to every registered voter in the state, so please vote as soon as possible to have your ballot counted by September 14.
 
Again, the Sierra Club urges you to vote NO on the recall.