BLAZE DRAINING SHOP'S PROFITS.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

Leticia Menendez has seen her business slow and her commute become nightmarish since the Calabasas Fire in October caused a slide to wipe out a piece of Kanan Dume Road.

Menendez, who lives in Pacific Palisades and owns a dress shop called Twice Upon a Time off Kanan Road in Agoura Hills, said she has lost out on the Malibu customers who would drive over the hill to browse and local commuters lured in after work.

``Business is slow. It's slow for everyone around here,'' Menendez said. ``They'd rather shop in Malibu than go all the way around to get here. It's crazy.''

It's the last thing she wants to deal with after working her way through twisting roads to get to work.

``I used to take Kanan here all the time. This is a disaster for me,'' Menendez said.

What she along with other commuters and business owners want to know is when the road, which closed Oct. 7 because of a slide, will open again. And there's no answer in sight.

The four-lane roadway is the Conejo Valley's widest and least winding connection to the Malibu coast.

The estimated cost for fixing the road, which is down to one lane and has a chunk missing the length of a football field, is $1 million, money the city of Malibu doesn't have, said John Clement, director of public works.

Malibu city officials are pushing forward, especially since they face pressure from business owners on their side of the hill.

The Malibu Chamber of Commerce has begun circulating a petition, aimed at pressuring officials to speed up the repairs.

The public works department will begin accepting bids on the project Jan. 21. City officials hope the money will follow.

The project was originally estimated to cost $750,000, but increased to $1 million when consultants told the city it would take more dirt to buttress the road, Clement said.

``At this point, the difference between three quarters of a million and a million is mute,'' Clement said. ``We didn't have the three quarters of a million, either.''

City officials are trying to find the money for the job. Some of the options being considered include selling Malibu's portion of Proposition A park money to other agencies, using gas tax money and freezing work on other public roads until Kanan Dume is fixed, Clement said.

On top of the cost, the city needs permission from property owners in the canyon to place some of the 85,000 yards of dirt on their land, Clement said.

Though several of the landowners have agreed, one has not. If the owner continues to refuse, the city may have to go through eminent domain proceedings, a process that would take even more time and money, Clement said.

``It doesn't hurt their property in the slightest. In fact, I think it increases property value with Kanan open,'' Clement said. ``But we've been unsuccessful in convincing him so far.''

The dirt would create a fill at the bottom of the canyon to stop the hill from moving, Clement said. The movement causes the slides, which causes the road to cave in, he said.