Commission Urges Vote on Malibu : Cityhood: Coastal panel tells Board of Supervisors to set date for incorporation vote as soon as possible. Officials say incorporation advocates’ demand for smaller sewer system should not interfere.

Refusing to share any blame for delaying a cityhood election in Malibu, the chairman of the California Coastal Commission on Tuesday urged the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to schedule an incorporation vote at the earliest possible date.

Chairman Michael Wornum, in a letter to the supervisors, flatly rejected the county’s contention that the commission’s decision to demand reductions in the scope of Malibu’s proposed sewer system had caused the cityhood vote to be pushed back.

Commission Executive Director Peter Douglas supported Wornum in an appearance before the board. “We’re suggesting that you proceed with setting the date of an election at the earliest possible date,” he said.

Supervisor Deane Dana, whose district includes Malibu, called the commission’s statements “irresponsible” and argued that “our hands are totally tied” on the incorporation issue.

The supervisors voted 4 to 1 last week to indefinitely postpone a public vote on Malibu incorporation. The county insists the issue of sewers along the coast must be resolved before an election can be held.

County officials say the larger sewer system is necessary because even with Malibu’s current development, the septic systems are polluting the ground water and ocean. Malibu cityhood advocates contend the supervisors are promoting the sewer so the community can be opened up to substantial new development.

The Coastal Commission, created by voters in 1972, shares jurisdiction with local governments over all land use plans and major development in the state’s coastal zone, which includes all of the proposed city of Malibu. The commission’s regulatory role in coastal development often has led to clashes with developers and local government officials.

A week ago, Dana and Supervisor Pete Schabarum accused the Coastal Commission of causing the delay by insisting that the sewer system that the county demands be substantially scaled back.

In his letter, Wornum defended the commission’s action, saying the reduction in the size of the sewer system was intended to ensure that future development does not exceed the level allowed by the coastal agency’s land use plan for Malibu.

“We do not see the commission’s action as having any bearing whatsoever on the timing of a vote on incorporation of Malibu as a city,” Wornum wrote. “The right of citizens to determine the form of local government by which they wish to be represented is fundamental.”

But Supervisor Mike Antonovich said the board has been advised by county counsel that an incorporation vote cannot be held until the sewer issue has been settled.

Douglas promised that the Coastal Commission will process as quickly as possible the county’s applications for permits needed to build the sewer system. But he said the process could take a year or two to complete.

He emphasized that the commission has not taken a position on the incorporation issue. However, he said, “the question of whether or not there is going to be a city . . . ought to be resolved at the earliest possible opportunity.”

Douglas predicted that the issue will have to be decided in court.

The proposed 20-square-mile city would stretch along the coast from Topanga Canyon to Leo Carrillo State Beach and nearly a mile inland. About 20,000 people live in the area.