SOUTHLAND : Judge Rules County Cannot Stall Malibu Cityhood Pending Sewers
A judge ruled today that the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors cannot impose a nine-month delay on Malibu’s cityhood following an election June 5.
The county had sought the delay to give it enough time to begin construction of a sewer system, objected to by many residents because of its cost and the belief it would lead to more development in the exclusive coastal community.
The county argued that because the Local Agency Formation Commission, which oversees the transition of communities to cities, did not set a date for incorporation, the law allows the supervisors to set it.
However, Superior Court Judge John Zebrowski said the county’s interpretation of the law is “a complicated, convoluted analysis.”
He said the “straight-forward reading of the statute” requires the date be set according to a statute, which a lawyer for cityhood supporters contends is three to four weeks after the incorporation election.
Graham Ritchie, a lawyer for the Malibu Committee for Incorporation, said the incorporation likely would take effect around July 1.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
