City Seeks To Restrict Parking Around Paradise Cove in Malibu

A meeting between staff from the City of Malibu and the California Coastal Commission next week will likely focus on city's aim to limit parking on Pacific Coast Highway near Paradise Cove, according to a city official.

City Manager Jim Thorsen said the meeting is set for Friday, Sept. 21 when city staff plans to walk with representatives from the Coastal Commission around Paradise Cove. Councilwoman Laura Rosenthal is also expected to be present at the meeting.

"There’s been a lot of concern expressed about the huge amount of parking that’s going on," Thorsen said. " ... We’re looking at trying to resolve that by working with Coastal Commission, Caltrans and doing a CDP [Coastal Development Permit] to request no parking at that location."

Mayor Lou La Monte said the city set up the meeting because of the outcry from residents over public safety concerns about the parking of visitors to Paradise Cove.

"The Coastal Commission has the authority over it," La Monte said in between a meeting in Sacramento. 

The mayor said the city, especially Rosenthal, has been sending photos to Caltrans, which has jursidiciton over PCH. A meeting with Caltrans officials is set for Thursday.

"We’ve been doing this for quite awhile and now we’re finally getting some traction with them," La Monte said.

Malibu also plans to file three coastal development permits with the Coastal Commission on parking issues at Paradise Cove, Busch Way and Civic Center, according to Thorsen.

He said parking could be limited on PCH because there is no public access to the beach. Paradise Cove is a private beach with private access, according to Thorsen.

The desire to limit parking arose this year with the increase in popularity of Paradise Cove.

"The reality is the city’s primary focus is public safety," Thorsen said, adding that the city would implement the changes immediately if it had jurisdiction, but ultimately Caltrans and the Coastal Commission will have the final say.

"It has slowly progressed where the parking has gotten worse every year. This year, for whatever reasons, the parking has been really bad. There have been so many visitors coming to that site," Thorsen said.

Former Public Safety Commissioner Susan Tellem, who about the traffic at Paradise Cove this summer, said she does not believe the city has the incentive to crack down on Paradise Cove in a meaningful way.

"They’re getting revenue from it. If they had an interest in doing this earlier it would have stopped a long time ago," Tellem said.

Representatives from Paradise Cove did not respond to repeated requests for comment. A sheriff's deputy has been hired by the property's manager to help control parking on weekends.