Hot And Smoggy Week On Tap

Not only are the inland valleys going to get really hot today … light winds are going to push that hear to the beaches today tomorrow and Thursday.

And smog.   Lots of smog.

Dangerously hot temperatures are expected this week in Los Angeles, peaking Wednesday through Friday. 

There is a high risk for heat illness this week in the inland valleys … 

And it will be warm overnight … adding to the heat risk … says the NWS.

The computers agree that record level heat this week will be due to a very strong upper level high pressure system … a pressure cooker of hot air pushing down on us.

And air pollution levels will be high on the Malibu coast.

Highs today: 79 beaches, 99 in the hills.

After 2 Years Of Slung Mud, State Clears City Officials Of Baseless MTC Conflict Of Interest Allegations

After 2 Years Of Mud, State Clears 4 Malibu Officials Of Baseless Conflict Of Interest Allegations

Two city council members and two planning commissioners in Malibu have been cleared of conflict of interest charges by a state of California investigation.

The state Fair Political Practices Commission staff has found that councilmember Marianne Riggins … and former council member Paul Grisanti … did not commit unfair or illegal practices by appointing planning commissioners who work in Malibu on as contractors.

Commissioners Dennis Smith and Skylar peak were also exonerated. 

Allegations by a self-proclaimed investigative reporter two years ago triggered a self-proclaimed clean government advocate to file formal charges against the four Malibu civic volunteers and officeholders.

The charge was that by voting in favor of proposed projects … they were creating work opportunities for themselves down the road.

Not that they were getting the work … just the possibility that they might get the work down the road. 

Smith builds earthworks and foundations … Peak runs an electrical contracting company … 

The premise from Malibu Township Council officials is that these careers should disqualify them from the planning commission.

And that councilmembers Riggins and Grisanti were by extension beneficiaries of this conflict of interest … by appointing them.

At last night’s planning commission meeting … Skylar Peak.

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“I think it was probably a couple years ago, some nefarious individuals and an nefarious attorney named Ann Revelle alleged some things that I might have done that were possibly not above board.

“But clearly they were above board.”

At last night’s planning commission meeting … Peak read aloud from the letter, clearing his name. 

“ ‘The enforcement division of the Fair Political Practices Commission, enforces the provisions of the Political Reform Act. 

“ ‘The case raises from a sworn complaint which raised concerns about   alleged conflicts of interests. 

“ ‘However, the complaint did not identify any specific government decisions which would have generated a conflict of interest, and our investigation did not identify any either.’ “

The so-called nefarious attorney … Ann Ravel … has not responded to our email abut her charges being dismissed. 

Councilman Paul Grisanti lost his re-election campaign … and we asked him last night is he thought the complaint hurt his effort.

He blames the Malibu Township Council …. particularly its president … Jo Drummond.

And Grisanti took the opportunity to respond to his exoneration… to settle some old political scores. 

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GRISANTI:  “When I first saw the complaint I thought ‘this is ridiculous.’

“And then I saw that Jo Drummond was involved. 

“And that made me feel better because she lies all the time.” 

REPORTER:  “Did that FPPC complaint affect your political campaign?

GRISANTI  “No, it was transparent as hell, that the woman is just not credible.”

Grisanti says the complaint was filed by members of the Malibu Township Council… particularly its president … Jo Drummond… who says she did testify before the FPPC. 

“Who do you think did it?

“Somebody called this … found this lady too make the complaint … she is the former chair of the FPPC … and talked her into doing it for free … in quotes.

“And the whole thing was just ‘let’s throw some mud and see if any of the complaint sticks.’ ”

So we asked Jo Drummond to comment.

She maintains that her complaint was valid … and is valid today.  

She says that Realtors and construction people have built in conflicts of interest and should not vote on proposed projects at the Planning Commission. 

She declined to go on tape … but sent us an email … voiced by a KBUU reporter …

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“When I personally heard about the complaint … I gave my testimony from what I witnessed at planning commission hearings over the last several years.

“I don’t believe anyone who can profit from development really should be on the planning commission.

“Do you?”

Jo Drummond says she did not complain to the state agency … and doesn’t know who did. 

But she did testify for it.

If course … the argument could be made that if Realtors and construction contractors have a conflict of interest … so do members homeowners in the MTC … because they own property that may benefit by denying permits as well. 

The Northern California attorney who filed the complaint has consistently refused to say who her client was from Malibu. 

And she did not reply to our email last night … asking for comment. 

One thing is certain in all this.

The state political practices commission staff found there is no conflict of interest for a contractor to vote on a city planning commission matter … if there is any chance might work on projects before them in the unforeseeable future. 

Council member Marianne Riggins … former council member Paul Grisanti … planning commissioner Skylar Peak and former planning commissioner Dennis Smith were all acting perfectly legally and ethically … according to the state commission.

Yee Haw!  Texas Oil Company Plans To Sell $5 Million Of Santa Barbara Oil Per Day

California State Parks To Texas Oil Company: Vacate Our Property In 10 Days

The war being waged between Texas oil and President Trump on one side … and California on the other …. is heating up. 

California State Parks is demanding that Sable Offshore Oil of Houston Texas remove its crude oil pipeline from four miles of state property within 10 days.

This comes are heated, thick crude is flowing through the leaky and rusty pipeline along the Santa Barbara coast for the first time since 2015.

That’s when it burst and spilled oil into the ocean … some of it reaching Malibu.

Last weekend … President Donald Trump invoked the Korean War-era Defense Production Act to override state regulations .. and allow a Texas oil company to cash in on record crude oil prices.

And also … supply California with badly needed petroleum.

Sable Offshore Oil and the Trump administration argue the restart is essential for national security … and will boost California’s domestic oil supply by approximately 17 percent.

The State Lands Commission owns the property that the oil platform and pipeline sits on.

And yesterday they met in an emergency session … to demand a halt to the oil flow. 

Lieutenant Gov Eleni Kounalakis.

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“Democratic institutions must stay strong in the face of federal efforts to undermine them, and this is an example of that.”

While the president may be able to order oil to flow in the pipeline … the fact remains that four miles of that pipeline crosses State of California property … 

This is at the priceless Gaviota State beach … 65 miles up the coast from Malibu.

That’s precisely where this very same pipeline burst apart …. where 10s of thousands of gallons of black crude oil washed into the ocean when this very same pipeline burst apart … 

A federal report said the pipeline got clotted up with the thick crude … and the idiots running the pumps at a control room in Houston increased the pressure to unclog it .. instead of turning it off and sending out a repair crew. 

Sable is now pushing crude thru the pipeline … which goes up the coast from along the 101 freeway from Santa Barbara … then inland along Highway 166 to a big oil pipeline marketplace in metro Bakersfield. 

That’s where Sable intends to sell its oil on the open market. 

At 50 thousand barrels per day … as is their plan … that’s almost 5 million dollars in oil sales per day in the Bakersfield rodeo. 

From Houston Texas … Sable Oil’s CEO  put out a statement …. Saying his company “is putting California consumers first by increasing domestic supply of crude oil into the California market.”

But even at full capacity of 50,000 barrels per day … that marks only about 3% of total oil refining capacity in the state of California.

Thus … the Santa Barbara County oil may make a big profit for the Texas oil play … but it will not put any measurable dent in California gasoline prices …,. according to oil industry experts.

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Malibu Planning Commission Worries About Lack Of Parking At Cross Creek, But OKs Biz Boosts

Some new rules for Malibu businesses have been tentatively okayed by the Malibu Planning Commission … eager to help Malibu businesses recover from the Malibu fires and road closures. 

Planning director Tyler Eaton says the problem is this:

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“Businesses have been heavily impacted by the Palisades Fire… the temporary road closures from last year that lasted until Labor Day weekend.

“The city is still recovering from that and we still don’t have as many visitors as we once had … especially during the summer peak months.”

The new rules are essentially the same as the temporary rules adopted by the city council last summer … but permanent. 

Special permits for special business events are now easier to get.

Big events … like the Chili Cook Off … they get an additional four days for setup and teardown.

Seasonal events like a Christmas tree lot can last for 40 days instead of just 30. 

The notification process and the appeals process has been streamlined … 

There has been no public opposition the the cutting of red tape. 

The only real question last night was how long to keep the new rules in effect.

Commissioner John Mazza says the Planning Commission need to review the issue quickly … because the parking situation on Cross Creek shopping areas is getting out of hand. 

He says the outdoor restaurant  dining … has eaten away at parking spaces.

It was instituted during Covid.

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“Five years later, no enforcement. One restaurant has 146 seats outside and none inside. 

Mazda says adding more temporary events particularly the Civic Center is just going to aggravate an already bad parking situation.

“I don’t know if you’ve been downtown on the weekends. 

“But you can’t find a place to park.

“At the present time. You can’t find a place to park.”

City officials said enforcement actions are being taken against the biggest offender … one restaurant on Cross Creek that has moved its entire indoor seating area out into the parking lot. 

The planning commission voted to approve the changes aimed at helping businesses … but to keep the changes on a short leash.

They want to revisit the issue in one year. 

Planning commission chair Elizabeth Riddick.

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“We do not have any complaints.  The businesses like it.  And we are making some changes to it.”

The Planning Commission voted unanimously to send its recommended approval on to the city council. 

One Of The Two ‘Victims’ At SM Pier Shootings Was The Gunman, Says SMPD

A man from the Inland Empire has been arrested for shooting other people at the Santa Monica pier Sunday night.

Two people were injured following a large fight involving multiple individuals, police said.

Video from the scene showed people on the beach scrambling after the shots rang out. Arriving officers tended to the wounded until paramedics arrived to take them to a hospital, police said.

Onew of them was there apparent shooter.

Jaysawn Williams, 18, was taken into custody after receiving medical treatment and booked into the Santa Monica Jail on charges of assault with a firearm and grossly negligent discharge of a firearm, the Santa Monica Police Department said.

Big Malibu Winner: Amy Madigan; And One Malibu Icon Honors Another Former One

We should note that one of the big winners at Sunday night’s Academy Awards is a Malibu resident for decades.

Amy Madigan.

The decades long Malibu resident took the first prize of the evening … for best supporting actress … for her role as Gladys in Weapons. 

And we are remiss for not meantjoning the other Malibu oscars connection this year… 

Point Dume resident Barbra Streisand gave a moving speech about friend and co-star, the late Robert Redford. 

Redford .. a longtime Malibu colony resident … was part of the moving in Memorium segment.

Streisand ended her eulogy … this clip courtesy of the Academy … 

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“On and off the screen, he spoke up to defend freedom of the press, protect the environment, and encourage new voices at his Sundance Institute … [APPLAUSE]  some of whom some of whom are up for Oscars tonight which is just great.

“He was thoughtful and bold.

“I called him an intellectual cowboy, blazing his own trail.  And he won the Academy Award for Best Director.

“And I miss him more than ever …”

Barbra Streisand.   That clip is courtesy of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.