Small Quake This Morning Near Malibu Pier, ‘Not Us’ Says Caltrans

A small earthquake struck the malibu Lagoon area this morning at 9:33.

Magnitude 3.3.

It was not related to the new speed bumps on PCH in that area, according to a Caltrans spokeswoman.

Caltrans, Army and Sheriff’s Dept Solve Traffic Jam Issue By Opening Truck Lane

The traffic jam was solved this morning.  The checkpoint in Malibu had two lanes open …

The federal … state and county agencies in charge reached an agreement to try to move more vehicles through the checkpoint.  You wlll note that the City of Malibu was not in that mix.

L A County sheriff’s captain Jennifer Seetoo says a second lane … for trucks … will be opened.

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“As people approach the checkpoint, there will be be someone there checking IDs. 

“If you are a contractor you will be be diverted to another lane with no bumps. 

“And if you are a resident you will still go to the checkpoint with bumps just because how dangerous this is.

“And that is rely a message to the community: we all have to work together.

The national guard’s … and law enforcement out there in traffic risking their lives. 

“We all have to slow down together inside this zone.”  

Seetoo’s working theory is that getting the construction trucks off to the side will somehow speed up general traffic inching thru the checkpoint. 

Seetoo says says she got more than 50 phone calls about the gigantic delays imposed on Malibu over the last two days … after very sharp speed bumps were installed at the checkpoint.

Traffic delays of more than one hour were the result. 

But the agencies in charge are adamant that something has to physically slow down drivers.

Particularly at night. 

Capt. Jennifer Seetoo:

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“CHP told us that they clocked someone going 76 mpg through one of these checkpoints.

“It is very very dangerous.

“Just the other day LAPD reported someone that was so intoxicated that was going through the checkpoint at a very high rate of speed.

“This is very very dangerous

“That’s why Caltrans put those bumps down …  to slow people down and to protect the National Guard and protect the people who are there trying to do a job.”

LA County sheriff’s Captain Jennifer Seetoo. 

She is moving this month to her new job … commander of the sheriffs north bureau .. working out of downtown Los Angeles. 

One Destroyed Trailer Park Will Get Scraped Away By Army, But No News Yet On The Bigger One

One of the two mobile home parks that got wrecked by the Palisades Fire will be cleared by the federal government after all. 

After weeks of lobbying from Los Angeles County and the City of Los Angeles … FEMA has agreed to clear debris from the Tahitian Terrace Mobile Home Park.

That’s the fire tangled wreckage of 158 affordable houses … tucked in a small canyon above PCH in the City of Los Angeles … 

County supervisors Lindsay Horvath tells KBUU News it took some lobbying by her … to get FEMA to add those 158 mobile homes to the removal list.

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“We are so excited in Los Angeles County to see that Tahitian Terrace has been added to the to do list by FEMA and our Army Corps of Engineers partners.

“We want to make sure that debris removal includes all of our residents.

“We’ve been advocating for this and we are grateful that our federal partners have heard our cry.”

That has now been worked out at Tahitian Terrace … which as we said had 158 low cost housing units before the fire. 

The problem has been that the federal government has only been authorized by the governor to remove fire debris only from residential lots.

The two big trailer parks that burned along PCH are not residential lots… They are classified as commercial rentals.

The owners have title to their mobile homes … but the landlord owned the underlying dirt.

FEMA’s regional director says … “after careful consideration, (he) agrees with (the state’s) assessment that Tahitian Terrace is a rare and exceptional case eligible for inclusion in the debris removal program. 

The big question now … what about the Palisades Bowl mobile home park … next door to Tahitian Terrace???

It’s even bigger … 170 burned and destroyed mobile homes in the bowl.

Th problem there is a different owner.

Supervisor Lindsay Horvath … in a KBUU interview last night …  says the federal government in the form of FEMA is working with them on those. 

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“We know that they’ve been partners with us as well in terms Palisades Bowl in terms of having it continue to be a mobile home park.

“We are continuing to advocate for whoever needs service. The county will continue to show up and be there for as long as it takes.”

The combined 328 mobile homes in those parks are some of the only low cost housing on the coast near Malibu.

But their future is still very much a question. 

There is no legal requirement that the private landowners rebuild the old mobile home parks and let the former tenants move back in with new modular houses.

And adding to the uncertainty… The Malibu Coastal Fault comes ashore right under the two mobile home parks. 

And it is illegal in California to construct residences on top of active earthquake faults.

We have yet to hear any official word if the mobile homes can be returned to that area… or if the owners are even inclined to rebuild.

City May Spend $3.2 Million To Hire Private Security Force To Patrol Eastern Malibu

It looks like the City of Malibu will be hiring security guards to patrol the city … after National Guard troops demobilize and withdraw in a few weeks.

Eastern Malibu would be patrolled by five guards … at a cost of 250 thousand dollars per month … under the favored proposal.

When the last houses are demolished in the Palisades burn zone … the roadblocks on PCH will come down … and the general public will once again have access to Malibu via the freeway connection.

Burglaries have been plaguing other areas that are open to the public … like Altadena.

The city wants to hire uniformed … unarmed staff in marked vehicles to patrol neighborhoods impacted by the Palisades Fire burn area. 

Other parts of the city would apparently not be patrolled by the security guards … although it can be expected that they will get additional visitors casing out the rest of the city once PCH is reopened. 

City staff put out a request for proposals from security companies … and got 20 responses. 

One company … called Covered 6 … clearly stood above the rest … according to Susan Dueñas … the city’s Public Safety Director.

She says Covered 6 has extensive experience working with neighboring cities and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Lost Hills Station.

They propose sending for four patrol officers, plus a supervisor for 24 hours, seven days a week, at a cost of 260,000 dollars per month. 

Covered 6 Has Extensive Service Experience In Beverly Hills

So what would Malibu be getting for 3.1 million dollars per year?The company has put out a promise to have four  patrol people … plus a supervisor … on the streets around the clock.

Covered 6 promises that its team members given a special Malibu orientation.

It will include professional standards, grooming and uniform guidelines, along with code of conduct and instructions on providing “5-star customer service.”

The company calls its company culture the “Four Seasons model.” “We even require our officers to smile and wave at people while they are on patrol” … the company promises in its pitch.

If that sounds like Beverly Hills … it should.

Covered Six provides support services … including crowd control during political protests … in Beverly Hills. 

It was hired to battle the smash and grab robbery sprees on Rodeo Drive. 

Covered Six was founded 15 years ago … its name is a military code for “cover your back.”

During the Woolsey Fire … Covered Six was the company with the private firefighting trucks at Kim Kardashian’s mansion.

County Rushes $600,000 To Marine Animal Rescue Center, Overwhelmed With Domoic Acid Victims

The LA County board of supervisors is rushing $600,000 in financial aid to the marine mammal center in San Pedro… Which has been overwhelmed with sick and dying sea creatures.

The domoic acid poisoning crisis has caused the Marine Animal Care Center to burn though its yearly budget already … and we’re only five months into the yar. 

The high numbers of elephant seals, sea lions, dolphins, pelicans and other sea birds has overwhelmed the San Pedro animal hospital. 

The emergency money motion was co-authored by Supervisors Lindsey Horvath and Janice Hahn … and it was adopted by a 5-0 vote.

The county is out of money … 

Supervisor Holly Mitchell is concerned about that.

She has called for all coastal cities to meet about the crisis and find other sources of money for the nonprofit.

Waves of toxic algae started earlier than usual, in February, along the coast of Southern California.

The domoic acid growth may be caused by warmer ocean temperatures due to global climate change.

It might be aggravated by debris from the Palisades and Eaton fires prompted the algae bloom.

Expect Weekend Heat Inland, 74º At The Beach, 90º In Agoura Hills

A most unusual weather system … for this time of year … will drive temperatures to near 100 for the inland valleys this weekend. 

Expect big crowds at the beaches.

Here inMalibu … the coast will see highs near 70 this weekend.  

The predicted high for Agoura Hills on Saturday is 90.