Malibu School District Peace Treaties Go Before City Council Tonight

The school district divorce goes before Malibu’s city council tonight.

Formal separation petitions were filed in a decade ago … the efforts to spring Malibu out of its status as a tax colony for the bigger city began decades ago. 

The council tonight will take its first public look at the three connected agreements to divorce Malibu out.

The Santa Monica school board approved it last week … but it may have to go to separate votes in both Santa Monica and Malibu.

School district backers point out that taxes in Malibu will not go up … but the agreement means tax money will continue to flow from Malibu to Santa Monica. 

Under California’s Byzantine state budget rules .. both school districts would emerge from divorce among the top five school districts in the state … in terms of per pupil spending. 

If approved … the divorce is still several years away from being finalized.

It appears that a change in state law will be necessary to split the union … to keep intact a 500 dollar per property tax that voters approved 18 years ago.

Senior citizens are already exempt from the parcel tax.

But unless state law is changed in Sacramento to allow the tax to continue  … Malibu won’t have enough revenue to operate independently. 

Monster Agenda Faces City Council Tonight: Squabble Over Ambassador And How To Aid Fire Victims

A huge list of items faces the city council for tonight’s meeting.

There is the debate over the way that a change was made in the city ambassador program. 

Some members of the city council have their nose out of joint because the existing city manager replaced the ambassador … Abe Roy … with a panel of neighborhood watch captains. 

Also on the agenda … … a plan to drastically revise how big oceanfront houses can be in the fire area.

And … an initiative from two council members to make major changes to the rebuilding process in the fire zones.

Council members Haylynn Conrad and Bruce Silverstein want city staff to be required to give applicants’ architects or engineers veto power if city staff object to their plans. 

That would be for homeowners trying to replace what burned down with so-called like for like plus 10 percent houses.

That proposal is upfront in saying that the city should prioritize rebuilding like for like fire damaged houses … 

Also on the agenda … cutting down the two giant trees along Cross Creek Road.

The trees are coated with bird poop from dozens of big white birds … that sleep there at night . .. and emit prodigious amounts of excrement 24/7.

The bird poop is killing the trees.

Also on the agenda … an update from staff and consultants about drawing up plans for parks or other public facilities on three pieces of land near the Civci Center and one at Heathercliff on Point Dume.

And … a plan for spending the money collected by LA County that is earmarked for the Malibu Library.

That last part includes a discussion on how the library fund could be used to help build a community center in western Malibu … likely at the Heathercliff lot.

City Manager Offer Is Made To A Candidate (Again), KBUU Learns

KBUU News has learned that a job offer to a new permanent city manager has been extended.

Again.

The new top boss for city hall’s 100 employees … may be publicly named as soon as this afternoon.

The city council will go into secret session again … a one hour session at 4:30 this afternoon … to once again discuss the vacancy.

This will be at least the 20th such meeting this year alone. 

There have been at least two people already offered the job ….

One had to pull out when a political firestorm from her former job engulfed her. 

The other turned down Malibu after a close family member got very sick.

The job is currently being held down by a former U-S ambassador … longtime Malibu resident Candace Bond. 

But she has made it clear that she wants her appointment term to end by the end of the year. 

The prospective new city manager’s name has not been released by anyone inside city hall. 

Our sources … are outside the city. 

Unless there is another screw up .. expect a new city manager to be hired very soon.

Franklin Fire Was 1 year Ago, Volunteers To Be Honored Tonight

The Franklin Fire happened one year ago … tomorrow.

The wind whipped fire started up Malibu Canyon .. just about the same place where a similar fire took a similar path 18 years earlier. 

One year ago … 20 families lost their homes … in the Serra Retreat neighborhood … near Malibu’s Cross Creek.

That fire was overshadowed by the loss of 720 houses in eastern Malibu just three weeks later. 

Tonight … Malibu’s city council plans to honor affected residents.

And … recognize the citizen volunteers and professional rescuers who alerted and evacuated people. 

The tribute will take place in the City Council chambers tonight at 5:30 p.m.

Damage At Malibu City Hall May Have Included Small Fire, Room Still Closed

The damage at Malibu City Hall from flooding three weeks ago is worse than first appeared. 

The northwest ground floor was flooded when a drain outside the building was blocked during the torrential rain of one month ago.

There apparently was a small electrical meltdown in the ground-level power outlets … in the carpet. 

It appears that wiring inside the conduits may have melted.  

It looks like the senior center … and the large meeting room … on the ground floor of city hall will remain off limits for another four months. 

Ellisons Make Hostile Bid To Snatch WB From Netflix

Part-time Malibu resident David Ellison this morning made a hostile takeover bid to take over Warner Brothers-Discovery.

Ellison and his rich father Larry Ellison surfaced this morning a hostile takeover bid on behalf of paramount… their newly acquired communications company.

Ellison spoke this morning on CNBC.

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“Look we’re sitting on Wall Street … where cash is still king.

“We are offering 17 point 6 billion dollars more than the cash … in the deal that they currently have with Netflix and when they see that’s our offer, that’s the offer they will go with.”

The Ellisons own most of Billionaire’s Beach.

Now they want to muscle in to buy a huge chunk of Hollywood .

The hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery is an effort to checkmate Netflix, which reached a $72 billion takeover deal with the company just days ago.

Paramount said this morning that it is going straight to Warner Bros. shareholders with their 103 billion dollar offer.

Family Starts GoFundMe For Paradise Cove Chef Killed On PCH At Deer Creek

A chef who had worked at Paradise Cove for more than 20 years has been identified as a man killed by a drunk driver on Pacific Coast Highway just west of Neptune’s Net let week. 

Julian Jiminez, 53, was identified by his friends as a husband and father on the Internet.  The CHP has not yet released his identity officially. 

“Julian leaves behind his wife, children, siblings, and parents,” said his friends on a GoFundMe page. 

It says “Whether he was cooking at home or at the restaurant, his food consistently brought families together and smiles to their faces.”

The name of the drunk driver of a Dodge Charger headed away from Malibu has not been released.  

A second man inside the Charger suffered “major injuries” and is hospitalized, the CHP said. 

The crash occurred on Pacific Coast Highway near Deer Creek Road, apparently where where the Charger’s driver would have encountered the start of a passing lane on the highway.

For some unknown reason, according to the CHP, the Charger went across the yellow stripes and hit Jimenez’s Chevrolet Tahoe SUV.

One of the vehicles was fully engulfed in flames when the Ventura County Fire Department arrived. Fire trucks spent two hours at the crash site … putting out the fire and dealing with the human remains.

PCH was shut down in both directions until about 10:10 p.m. Thursday, according to the CHP.

Thursday night’s double-fatal crash was outside the Malibu city limits … where public attention has been focussed on a proposed 55 million dollar repaving and safety project.

Caltrans Plans Longer Delays On Lower Topanga Canyon Mon and Tues

Caltrans officials say they need to bring in large truckloads of construction material for lower Topanga Canyon Boulevard … which will mean the road may be closed for periods of time this morning and tomorrow morning.

This will be in the lowest three miles in the canyon … where both directions alternate alternates in the construction zone. 

The state is repairing the highway where it washed out during floods a year ago … after the fire. 

The state warns Highway 27 will close to all traffic for lengthy periods of time … today and tomorrow … between 10 and noon. 

Hazmat Spills Again Alleged Just Above Malibu Creek Watershed

The Boeing Company faces nearly $600,000 in penalties for allowing lead, mercury, manganese, iron and other pollutants to spill out of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory near Simi Valley.

Although this stuff did not spill into Malibu Creek … it polluted ground very close to the headwaters for the watercourse that drains down into Malibu. 

State water board officials say there were more than 35 times they saw water with poisonous elements spill out of the planting the last two years.

Boeing is responsible for what used to be a federal test site in the mountains north of the Lost Hills dump. 

NASA and the old Atomic Energy Commission tested rocket engines, small-scale nuclear reactors and chemical lasers up there.

A small nuclear reactor actually melted down in 1959.

The state claims hazardous crud continues to spill from the site … into the headwater of the Los Angeles River and the creek that feeds the ocean at Point Mugu.

Van Dyke Documentary Includes Everything Except Interview With The Ottoman

Vandy Days … the celebration of Dick Van Dyke’s 100th birthday … continue.

Yesterday at City Hall … the worldwide celebration of the megastar’s life.

It was the worldwide premiere of “Dick Van Dyke: 100th Celebration.”
It’s a celebration of Dick Van Dyke’s career … from a small town radio station in Illinois to a TV show that is still in reruns … to movies that generations continue to watch.

The producer of the documentary … Steve Boetcher … spent three decades pulling Van Dyke clips and interviewing his costars.  

Mary Tyler Moore … Rose Marie … and Morey Amsterdam … the costars in the Dick Van Dyke Show … all prominently featured in the documentary. 

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“Yeah we’ve been working on this film for literally 30 years … collecting gems along the way and trying to find interviews with people that were in Dick Van Dyke’s life and instrumental his career.

“Whether they were Morey Amsterdam or Rose Marie …  or you know … Mary Tyler Moore or Carol Reiner …

“All the people that that helped build Dick Van Dyke.

“And we are excited to have this film come out and presenting it in Malibu first.”

The world premiere was Sunday … but it’s gonna to have a very unusual theatrical showing next Saturday and Sunday.

Some 800 movie theaters across the country will show the documentary about Dick Van Dyke and this will be the only time the public will be seen it. It’s not going from there on any stream or onto any TV station, according to the producer, Steve Belcher.

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“This film is only available in theaters.  Two days …only December 13th and 14th.

“It’s not gonna go to streaming after this. It’s not going to broadcast. It’s not going to YouTube.

“So it’s two days only in movie theaters worldwide.”

REPORTER:  “And its gong to be a worldwide celebration?

BOETCHER:  “Exactly. We are excited to be the ones to be gifted and given this opportunity across nation … starting in Malibu and kind of being the official birthday celebration is exciting.”
REPORTER: “Can you tell me where is it gonna be showing, and the number of theaters?” 

BOETCHER: “I think it’s 60 theaters in Los Angeles and hundreds of theaters across America.”

Dick Van Dyke’s actual 100th birthday is next Saturday… and the Vandy Days celebration continue through Sunday.

Dry And Hot Week Expected 

A warming trend will continue this week with well above normal temperatures through next Friday. 

No fog or overnight clouds.

Offshore flow will produce local canyon winds in the mornings.

And it may get smoggy … with five days of mild winds blowing from Los Angeles out to sea … 

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