State agencies criticize Malibu's plan to ban camping

The City of Malibu's proposal to ban overnight camping in public parks was the topic of discussion at state agency meetings in two different counties last week. In Thousands Oaks, the board of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, a sister organization of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, voted to support the SMMC's plan to override the city's prohibition proposal. Meanwhile, in the city of Los Angeles, California Coastal Commission Executive Director Peter Douglas reiterated a statement he made last month in an interview with The Malibu Times that the city's plan is "a waste of public resources and funds" because it violates the Coastal Act.