Not One Voice Opposed, As City Council Votes 5-0 To OK Malibu School Independence

15 years after parents started the effort … Malibu’s city council last night approved the set of agreements to separate out from Santa Monica school board control. 

And now … the next real work starts… in Sacramento.

Last night’s historic vote was 5 to nothing … a slam dunk … in front of a room full of supporters.

Karen Farrer was there at the beginning … when a Malibu group called Advocates for Malibu Public Schools was founded in 2011.

She ran down the list of 5 reasons why separating Malibu schools was important then … and important now. 

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“Santa Monica and Malibu do not share a border.

“For the record, the state of California made creation of such district illegal because they don’t work well.

“And we are living example.

“The schools in the two communities are already operating separately – except one city, Santa Monica, with 87% of the voters – controls both. 

“Literally taxation without representation.

“Are you willing to take the chance that Santa Monica does on safety for Malibu student and staff for next awful day when lives on the line??”

And Karen Farrer pointed to the Malibu voters …  who passed a half billion dollars in two separate bond elections … as proof: Malibu support its public schools … with money.

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“Not only did we replace two PCB contaminated campuses that the Santa Monica school board wanted to keep in place … we built cutting-edge facilities based on the best models from around California … designed to teach our kids for the future they will be living in.”

The final vote … 5 to nothing. 

Council member Steve Uhring 

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“I know you through all these meetings of all the conversations we had with Monica and all of the bullshit for lack of a better word that you sat through. This is a big moment, so thank you very very much.”

[“BULLSHIT” WAS BLEEPED ON THE AIR, PER A UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT RULING.]

And Bruce Silverstein.

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“This may be the first significant matter that I’ve set up here with nobody and dealt with. We nobody came out against this. You have been unanimous and I suspect we will be unanimous. And I will say this one time thank you Karen, and thank you Paul.

[LOUD LAUGHTER]

“I will never say that again.”

Bruce Silverstein .. with a shoutout of sorts to political enemies former council members Karen Farrer and Paul Grisanti … who worked hard on the school district seaparetin years back

But the battle with Santa Monica’s school board is not over.

Santa Monica school board members want a citywide vote in Santa Monica … a vote that they know will likely go against Malibu. 

Mayor Marianne Riggins.

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“The one thing that I heard from the Santa Monica District is they are intent on having a full wide vote, including the city of Santa Monica. 

“I will do everything in my power and fight fight fight to do everything to keep.(the vote) in the Malibu area, the vote.”  

Then .. the vote … 5 to nothing.

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VOICE OF CLERK: “Motion carries.” [WILD APPLAUSE AND HOOTING]

The wild applause at the city council meeting last night may be a few years premature. 

agreement between the school district and Malibu is an agreement to go before the state legislature … to ask for a special state law to pass to allow the split.

On a separate track … the state Board of Education has before it … a similar request … filed by the city 11 years ago. 

That may take another 4 years for a decision .. 

So this recent joint treaty with Santa Monica will be used to ask the California Assembly … Senate and governor to pass a special Malibu school district law. 

Malibu has been fighting this war for 15 years.

And it looks like … we’ll be fighting it for at least several years more. 

$5 Million In Sales Tax Money Sent By Metro To Fix PCH At Las Flores Creek, City Holds Hearing Wed

Malibu may spend up to five million dollars to rebuild the flood-prone … dangerous bridge and traffic lights on Pacific Coast Highway at Las Flores Creek.

Once again … a major road project going out for public comment … with very little advance notice as to what is at stake.

The meeting was posted only last Friday afternoon … with zero agendas and zero details about what is at stake. 

KBUU News immediately asked for details … and yesterday morning …  details were released. 

The city is talking abut using a share of the city’s Metro sales tax .. to rebuild the state highway from Duke’s Restaurant … thru the two sets of traffic lights … and past the small strip mall … over to Rambla Vista. 

The total budget for design and construction is 5 million dollars.

But the city council has already approved moving the lane configuration around … and banning left turns from westbound PCH into the gas station at Rambla Pacifico.

That project actually went out to bid … and lane marker placement changes actually began … before the fires. 

And … what about the bridge … which study after study has said is too low and too small to handle floodwaters coming down Las Flores Canyon?

It’s going to take a whole lot more than 5 million dollars to fix the massive flood control problems … which result in  a small flower shop and Duke’s restaurant getting repeatedly flooded. 

And the city says it will go back to Caltrans to ask for more money … once several design alternatives are selected.

So tomorrow night at 5:30 … the city government is asking people to comment on a project that has not been designed yet … 

The city says this project is in preliminary stages with conceptual alternatives created. 

Those will be revealed tomorrow night at City Hall … when staff hopes to provide opportunity to our community to collaborate with the City on the potential design. 

Staff tells KBUU that a potential “culmination of alternatives” design will proceed forward … and engineering evaluation will be drawn up …. and then a final design will be decided between the city and the state.

Bluffs Park Snack Shack Replacement Estimated at $3.7 Million Now

The public can get its first look at plans for a 3.7 million dollar snack shack at Malibu Bluffs park.

The concept goes before the Malibu Parks and Recreation Commission today at 3:30 at City Hall.

The latest concept is to replace a dilp[adated … rusty set of shipping containers will a low profile concrete building.

A prefabricated building … brought in by truck … would sit with about the same profile and in the same place as the shipping containers. 

It would have plumbing required by the health department for a snack bar … but no rest rooms … as the city is building new restrooms just a few feet away for the new skateboard park. 

City staff says the building could be delivered quickly … is dent resistant to foul balls … and would not cost as much as a different type of structure.

The first plans go before the public… In this case the Parks and Recreation commission … at 3:30 today at City Hall.

Tale Of Two Infants: Sports Car Wrecked On Reopened Snake, And A Corvette Driver Is Busted On PCH

Just one day after it was reopened … the Snake had its first wipeout. 

Late last week at night … a young driver piloted his car over the edge and  down 30 feet … down a cliff.

He crawled out … scrambled up the hill.

And flagged down someone to get a help.

His late model sports car … totaled.

The steep and twisting section of Mulholland Highway had been closed for eight years.

That was because of the Palisades fire… Which damaged the road.

The closure was a relief for many of the people who live in the mobile home park at the bottom of the snake… Near Mulholland at Sierra Creek.

They got tired of the racing motorcycles and cars that are attracted to western LA county by the snake

But for other residents of the area… The idea of closing the snake was an attack on their personal liberty.

And, L-A county sheriff’s deputies impounded a Chevy Corvette and arrested the driver fro cutting donut on PCH earlier this month.

That was the biggest crime in Malibu on the last month … according to sheriff’s Sgt Chris Soderlund.

The idiot behind the wheel was heard by patrolling deputies from some distance away … cutting donuts in the road near Latigo Canyon. 

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“They kept driving and from a distance, they saw a vehicle doing donuts on PCH. They were able to catch up to that vehicle near Puerco Canyon and pulled the vehicle over. It was a Chevy Corvette.

“When they contacted the suspect and detained  him for reckless driving they they found out that his license was suspended.

“He was arrested for those violations, and his Corvette was impounded for 30 days.”

15 crimes were reported in Malibu last month.

The most serious was a transient who thru bleach on a security guard at the old Courthouse. 

The security guard was not seriously injured.

The Malibu crime rate is down 41% this year … compared to last year.

Murder In Santa Monica

A violent murder last night in Santa Monica. 

This was inside a house at the corner of 18th and Delaware … not far from the Santa Monica College main campus.

No details have been released by Santa Monica police.

Volunteers Who Worked To Help Malibu Honored At City Hall

Last night at Malibu’s city council meeting … the volunteers and professionals who helped Malibu one year ago … as the city lost 20 houses to a fire screaming down Malibu Canyon. 

It was the Franklin Fire … it came three weeks before the Palisades Fire ripped into eastern Malibu …

No one was killed in the first fire … three people were killed in Malibu … in the second one. 

And it was the Franklin Fire that served as a fire break … preventing the Palisades Fire from burning all of Malibu … all of it … all the way to the strawberry fields of Oxnard. 

Houses were saved … people were saved … by volunteers.

And they were honored last night at the city council meeting.

We will have complete coverage from last night’s honors… starting tomorrow.

Billionaire’s Beach Owners Using Saudi Money To Take Over Warner-Discovery

An update this morning on the part-time Malibu residents who are trying to take over Hollywood.

Yesterday we told you that David Ellison and his billionaire daddy … Larry Ellison … have  up with a extra 20 billion dollars or so … to up their bid to take over Warner Brothers Discovery.

Where did they get the money?

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi.

Think about that. 

The country whose leader had a Washington Post writer cut into pieces … is about to take partial ownership of CNN and CBS. 

Paramount .. owned by the part-time Malibu residents … says it made the deal through Jared Kushner — Donald Trump’s son-in-law.

Paramount says those countries’ sovereign wealth funds would -NOT- have any say in how a combined Ellison studio would operate. 

And if you have any doubt about what is about to happen … The Ellisons are promising Donald Trump to make major changes at CNN if they win control of its parent company… Warner-Discovery.

Toxic Waste Roundup This Saturday Next to Library

There is a toxic waste roundup this weekend … Saturday … at the Malibu’s county building.

Same drill as the last 12 years … put you items like paint … pesticides … bad things in a box. 

Put the box in the back of your car or truck or van.

And let the people in hazmat suits unload it from your vehicle.

This one is run by LA County … so take it to the driveway next to the Malibu Library.

The Too Toxic To Trash collection is this Saturday … from 9 to 3 … at the county building … behind the Malibu Library … in the Malibu Civic Center. 

Topanga Delays Will Worsen Today 10-12

This reminder… today is day two of a special Caltrans effort to dump rocks in the lower part of Topanga Canyon. 

The state has warned us of extensive traffic delays this morning… From 10 to 12… while dump trucks maneuver. 

This is the lowest 3 miles of the canyon… Just above Pacific Coast Highway… We’re only one lane is available to be shared by both directions of traffic.

Expect even longer delays down there today.

Surf Report

A combo swell nudges up today … while light wind prevails.

The low incoming tide will help things out early this morning. 

Overall .. the surf it looks weak with a capital y. 

Waves today one to 2 feet high out of the south southwest with a 12 second interval.

High tide … 6.6 feet … 11:54 a-m.

Low tide … minus one foot … 7:25 p-m.

the water is 63.