Just days before the LA County Board of Supervisors approved the permit, the foundation of Pepperdine's theme tower was poured in preparation for the rushed construction of the tower's frame.¹

President William Banowsky was worried that opponents of the tower in Malibu would halt progress by legal action if they knew that construction had begun, so he developed a plan with Pepperdine alumnus and county supervisor Kenneth Hahn to pour the foundation before official approval came through, so opponents would have no time to file a law suit.¹