Former Ambassador, a Malibu Resident, Might Be Named New Interim City Manager In Malibu

A new city manager may be appointed behind closed doors any the city council this afternoon.

She is a former ambassador to an island republic. 

Ambassador Candace Bond … a former music company executive who was appointed by President Biden to serve as United States ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago.

Bond and her family have been Malibu residents for years … and this will be the first time in at least 30 years that a Malibu resident will be in charge at Malibu city hall. 

Bond is described in her biography as chief executive officer at AEA… a consulting firm for community development, environmental stability, governance, education, and health equity.

According to Newsday … the newspaper in Trinidad and Tobago … Ambassador Bond was the first foreigner ever to receive that nation;’s highest civilian award.

He was given the Hummingbird Gold Medal at President’s House on January 17, mere days before her tenure ended.

The newspaper reported that Ambassador Bond was credited with putting together a major natural gas deal … and supplied the nation’s defense with radios and bomb detection devices.

Here in Malibu … Ambassador Bond would replace … as the interim city manager for the city of Malibu … Joseph Toney.

By all accounts …. Toney is overworked … has lost his top assistants to overwork … and the overload continues. 

Toney reportedly said he has had it and wants out … our at least to return to his former job as the deputy colt manager in charge of finance. Work together for freedom safety for all

The city council appears otherwise be desperate tp keep him working. 

Another city fiasco is also on the closed door agenda. 

That would be the nearly-abandoned Malibu Lumberyard Shopping center … on Cross Creek road. 

The city owns the lumberyard and is supposed to get a cut of rental proceeds.

The shopping center is nearly empty … and the real estate company that holds the lease may be asking for changes. 

Plus .. the council will discuss two potential lawsuits … where the city is being used or might have to file a lawsuit.

Once the council emerges form its private meeting with the lawyers … it will continue the debate over a proposed house on Harvester Road. 

We told you last week about the three and a half hours of public testimony on the house … 

Council members still have questions about the small canyon up the middle of the lot … which may or may not be a protected stream.

Neighbors on both sides of the lot want any proposed house to be shifted away from their property lines. 

And the housue is much larger than most houses … in the Malibu Park neighborhood. 

And after that .. the city council will consider spending up to 3.1 million dollars in city money to hire a private security firm to patrol eastern Malibu … but not western Malibu.

After the National Giard pulls out in several weeks … residents in the fire-damaged area are worried that they will be sitting ducks for burglars. 

A rash of bugklaries from construction sites in western Malibu broke out after the Woolsey Fire.

Governor Demands Every City And County To Ban Homeless Encampments

California Governor Gavin Newsom today will ask every city and county in the state to criminalize homeless encampments.

The governor is calling on hundreds of cities towns and counties to effectively ban homeless tent camps on beaches… in canyons… all types of public property.

The governor’s lawyers have created a template for cities to adopt to clear out existing encampments and outlaw future ones.

Simultaneously… The governor will release more than $3 billion in state controlled housing funds that local officials can use to put homeless people into shelters… And in force proposed new ordinances.

Each city would decide on its own how tough penalties should be for violating the ordinance… Up to citations or arrest for people who violate the ban.

But the governor’s model ordinance stops just short of criminalizing homelessness.

He says nobody should have to go to jail for not having a place to sleep.

LA City Council Wants State Legislature To Require MRCA To Clear Brush On Its Land

The Los Angeles city council is asking the legislature to require the MRCA to remove brush within 700 feet of occupied structures. 

The MRCA … the Mountains Resource Conservation Authority. … controls tens of thousands of acres of state-owned land in the Malibu-adjacent mountains. 

And it was on MRCA land where the Palisades Fire grew into a monster four months ago. 

It burned 23,448 acres, killed 12 people, and destroyed 6,837 structures, 700 of them in Malibu.

People the Palisades fire did not begin

The palace has fire did not begin on MRCA land… But it broke out on the land immediately next to MRCA land … on a trail that apparently had been left open by the MRCA during forecast for hurricane force winds.

Untrimmed weeds and trees choked the MRCA parks facilities in Temescal Canyon … 

Video showed the parks agency fire department running around in circles ….doing little to stop the fire’s spread.

Although the cause of the fire appears to be fireworks that were not put out by the city of Los Angeles fire department… The city council is now pointing fingers at the MRCA for contributing to the deadly fire. 

MRCA Attacks Caltrans Over Its Plan To End Parking At Some Beaches, Says PCH Should Be Widened Near Paradise Cove and Winding Way

Meanwhile .. the MRCA is attacking Caltrnas

Caltrans has been attacked by another state agency … the MRCA .. over its plan to eliminate some parallel parking on PCH near trailheads and beaches. 

The Mountains Resource and Conversation Authority is asking why Caltrans failed to consider widening the highway … where Caltrans proposes to eliminate parking.  

MRCA has hired a survey crew to measure the encroachments. 

In the Paradise Cove and Winding Way area … the state highway right of way line is as much as 30 feet inland from the solid white fog line on the road.

Imagine enough room for two full traffic lanes … to the right of the right lane … 

Fences … walls … and landscaping installed by homeowners over 100 years are in the way.

Caltrans has issued a draft of a safety plan that repeatedly states the road is not wide enough to add state-required bike lanes and sidewalks … unless parallel parking is removed. 

The MRCA asks. … why not widen the road … preserve parking for coastal visitors and hikers … and make it safe that way?

The MRCA attacks the state plan to ban parking on one side of the PCH … they say it would result in more pedestrians crossing the highway out of necessity.

MRCA’s suggestion?

Preserve the existing on-street parking.

And more pedestrian crosswalks with traffic lights at beaches and trail heads. 

And 

KBUU has also been asking Caltrans … since the traffic study began 15 months ago … question like how wide is the right of way?

Why not add sidewalks and bike lanes by moving the guardrails back and adding width on the shoulder?

Caltrans has been unable to answer that …. And at public meetings … the staff said they dodged not know where the right of lines are.

Now … we know where the right of way stripes are … at least if the MRCA survey is to be believed. 

MRCA contends that Caltrans is not utilizing its full Right of Way resulting in increased pedestrian danger, not safety, from its proposed elimination of parking. 

The state transportation agency is accepting comments from the public on its plan.

School Board To Get $1.3 Million Project To Add Emergency Generator Connections, And Plan For MHS Solar Hill

School classes getting canceled because of threatened blackouts may be over in Malibu.

By this fall … the public schools in Malibu will have connections to hook up generators on trailers when the Southern California Edison power goes out. 

This Thursday .. the Santa Monica school board is expected to approve a 1.3 million dollar contract to begin major electrical work at the Malibu high school, middle school and two elementary schools. 

And that will include installing quick-connect systems at ht four campuses … this summer. 

This will allow the school district to rent generators when Southern California Edison issues warnings that it will cut the power due to expected high winds.

The electrical contract goes before the school board Thursday night.

Traffic Lights Installed For 2 Weeks on Highway 23 Near Mulholland

Look for temporary traffic lights to be set up on upper Decker Canyon Road… Highway 23 above Malibu beginning today.

Caltrans has plans to reconstruct a 9 mile stretch of the old Decker Canyon route north of PCH… which was damaged in last winter rainstorms.

This week… A traffic light will regulate alternating traffic on the narrow road.

This will be just south of Mulholland Highway.

Next week… A similar one lane only restriction with a traffic light will be 1 mile north of Mulholland Highway on Highway 23… Which is known as Westlake Boulevard up there.

Highway 23 is a lightly used alternative route between western Malibu and Westlake Village. 

Its tight curves and steep grades traffic deter most traffic.

The electrical contract goes before the school board Thursday night.