Cityhood Backers Sue to Force Malibu Vote

Impatient backers of Malibu cityhood filed suit Tuesday in an attempt to force county supervisors to set an April election for voters to decide whether to incorporate the seaside community.

“We think we’ve done the only thing left for us to do,” said Walt Keller, co-chairman of the Malibu Committee for Incorporation which, with the Malibu Township Council, filed the Superior Court complaint. It accuses the supervisors of violating a state law that gives them 60 days from the time they begin hearing a cityhood matter to conclude the hearing, before setting an election in another 30 days. The supervisors took up the issue Oct. 19, and voted 4 to 1 last month to postpone a decision until construction permits are issued for a Malibu sewer system the county wants to build.