Young surfer councilman fights waves of change in Malibu

LOS ANGELES Tooling along Pacific Coast Highway in his GMC pickup, Skylar Peak scans the break at Surfrider Beach. Bella, his dog, is leashed in the truck bed, her mohawk shaded by a red, white and blue surfboard bearing the message VOTE PEAK.

As he pulls into the beach parking lot, Peak shouts "Waddup?" and waves at some surfer pals. In a few hours, the Malibu native will paddle out. But at the moment, he has more on his mind than nose-riding.

In April, this celluloid ideal of a waterman became the youngest person elected to Malibu's City Council. His supporters are looking to Peak, 28, to help preserve what's left of their community's rural flavor. He freely voices opinions such as: "I'm not that stoked about development."

With the prospect of more than 1 million square feet of construction looming and with the sewer-versus-septic battle continuing to rage, Malibu stands at an environmental and cultural crossroads. Some residents view development as vital to the city's economic health. Others fret that their beach town is turning into Rodeo Drive west, with posh boutiques supplanting local shops that can't afford rising rents.

Big-money projects are popping up all over town. Software mogul Larry Ellison is building two restaurants near the pier. A Whole Foods is coming to the Civic Center. A developer has proposed a 146-room luxury hotel on 28 vacant acres at Malibu Canyon Road and Pacific Coast Highway.

Although many locals welcome Peak's exuberance, longtime observers say he is up against an entrenched leadership that has long been too cozy with developers. Some wonder whether he's prepared for the rigors of city governance.

"He'll find out very quickly with this group that's in there ... it's join us or go out by yourself," said Jefferson "Zuma Jay" Wagner, another surfer who won a council seat on a similar slow-growth pledge but did not seek re-election.

Peak swaggers into Malibu Kitchen for a late-morning coffee. Emerging in his faded black T-shirt and green sweatpants, he gives a surfer's stink eye to the Lanvin and Missoni boutiques across the Malibu Village shopping center.

"They don't belong here," he says.

Third generation

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Young surfer councilman fights waves of change in Malibu