KBUU NEWS – ON RADIO AT 7:15am WED JAN 26 = POSTED 10:40am

=.  California may be at the crest of the winter covid 19 curve.

=.  Two minor earthquakes felt at Zuma early this morning.

=.  A teenaged kid from the valley is killed in a two car crash in Malibu Canyon.

=.  One kerfluffle over. Santa Monica and Malibu reach agreement on speeding up the Malibu High reconstruction project.

=. The L-A Super Bowl is 18 days away … and a huge number of sheriff’s deputies and cops are out sick.

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This is Malibu’s Only Local Daily News … the day edition … I’m Hans Laetz reporting.

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4 Small Quakes Off Coast In Past 2 Days

Two minor earthquakes were heard and felt here at Trancas during the 5 am hour today.

First, a magnitude 2.2 at 5:24am, epicenter 18 miles south of Point Dume.  

Then, a magnitude 2.4 quake at 5:32am with an epicenter 11 miles south of Port Hueneme. 

The Port Hueneme epicenter was the site of magnitude 2.5 and 2.4 quakes yesterday at 6:25 am and 1:21 pm, respectively.

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You are listening to the latest news from Radio Malibu.

Support for KBUU’s radio covers from Orbit Homes Inc.

Prefabricated homes are the future of construction. Easy to get permits. Fast to build and install. Cost effective … little construction waste.

In Malibu, Orbit Homes has a showroom between City Hall and the Malibu racquet club.

Fire victims can check them out in person … and visit them on the web at www.orbithomes.us .

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Omicron May Be In Decline, Questions Over Kids Shots

California… Southern California… The Malibu area may be at the top of the crest for the omicron surge. The number of new cases is beginning to taper off. 

The number of people hospitalized is less than half of what doctors had feared just a few weeks ago. 

Across the entire state… more than 15,000 people are hospitalized with coronavirus, a huge figure but well short of last January’s peak of about 22,000 and half of what officials had feared.

California is reporting about 95,000 new cases a day on average this week … and that is down 9% from the previous week.

But up in the Bay Area … Santa Clara County health officials Tuesday said they have identified two COVID-19 cases of a worrisome sub-lineage of the fast-spreading omicron variant. 

This is Omicron BA 2 …. And health officials had little information as of yesterday about the two cases detected in the San Jose area yesterday.

It is not yet known if it is more transmissible or virulent than the dominant omicron sub-lineage, known as BA1.

“The BA2 differs from Omicron BA1 in some of the mutations, including in the spike protein… says the World Health Organization on its website

Viruses mutate constantly, mostly in harmless ways. There is no current evidence that BA. 2 is more virulent, spreads faster or escapes immunity better than BA. 1.

This is reported ion the San Francisco Chronicle. 

California legislators are considering a statewide requirement for children to be vaccinated against Covid … just like they are required to be vaccinated against polio.

Four infectious disease doctors at UC San Francisco are publicly urging the state to end most masking requirements and vaccination mandates for schoolchildren .

They say the virus has become more a part of everyday life.

The state’s health officials disagree. 

“Vaccinations, boosters and masking remain our most effective tools,” California Department of Public Health officials said in a statement.

But the Sacramento officials agree…  their policies must continue to adapt as the situation with the virus changes.

 “As the Omicron surge subsides, Californians can expect updates to our COVID policies.”

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When choosing someone to represent you when you buy … sell or rent a house … local knowledge is very important.

Malibu zoning rules … Coastal Commission rules …

Members of the Malibu Association of Realtors are local experts.

The Malibu Association of Realtors …  supporters of our local community … and supporters of local radio 99.1 KBUU.

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Possible Cop Shortage At Super Bowl, 25 Miles From Malibu

The Super Bowl and all its hype and crowds is just a few weeks away … 25 miles away from Malibu.

About 2,500 LA cops and sheriff’s deputies are either home sick … or out on quarantine … due to the coronavirus … according to the Los Angeles Times.

About 1,200 L: A County sheriff’s deputies and other personnel are out.

LAPD says 83% of the staff being vaccinated those now account for half of all those infected among his sworn and civilian personnel.

The vaccination level may be somewhat less at the LA sheriff’s department … which as you know patrols Malibu.

As of Tuesday, the sheriff had 1,204 personnel quarantined … and 845 sworn deputies had been had been infected at some point. 

This is reported by the LA Times.

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Local Critical Blood Shortage

We have a critical blood shortage right now. 

The worst shortage that the Red Cross blood bank has seen in years.

Los Angeles County’s local blood supplies are way low.

Donors are afraid of Covid …  and the blood bank workers are in many cases sick or in quarantine,  called in sick.

The American Red Cross calls it a national blood crisis.

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18-Year-Old Boy Killed In Malibu Cyn Crash

A two car crash just after midnight yesterday took the life of a teenager from the San Fernando Valley.

The dead boy is identified as 18 year old Parker Sweet of Canoga Park.

The CHP crash report is preliminary and doesn’t have much information. 

Two cars crashed …. At 12:14 Tuesday morning … on Malibu Canyon Road.

The location was given as about a half mile north of Higher Research Lab … but that could just be the location where the call was made. 

The circumstances of the collision were not immediately released.

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from the Malibu Brewing Company.

Malibu Brewing Company is a locally owned craft brewery, proudly supporting our community, and local public radio.

Just released: a limited, holiday-spiced Winter Ale …  a perfect fireside companion.

It makes a special gift for the beer-lovers on your list.

Find Malibu Brewing Company premium craft beer in select retailers, or order direct at brew malibu dot com

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City Drops Challenges to New MHS Plan, For Now

The local school district and the local city government have made nice-nice over the fast track for Malibu High School reconstruction.

The school district is on a very tight timetable to build a new 160 million dollar high school on Morning View drive.

Construction costs are spiraling upward … and if the building is to open in two years … a whole list of city and coastal commission permits need to be obtained on a tight schedule this spring.

Last week … the train went off the tracks. 

The city planning director asked for a timeout … and presented a laundry list of Malibu rule violations … Coastal rule violations … technical questions … 

The Santa Monica school district freaked out … said the project would be delayed up to a year … and may bust the budget.

Interim city manager Steve McClary talked with school superintendent Ben Drati.

City staff met with school district staff … last week … to hash things out.

Presto.

The city planning department yesterday told the district that all its questions had been answered … go ahead and certify the Environmental Impact Report.

The school board meets tonight to do exactly that … to get the 160 million dollar school project back on line. 

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from the Malibu Foundation.

The Malibu Foundation underwrote the KBUU solar panels and batteries at the transmitter … which keeps KBUU’s FM transmitting on 99.1 during storms and blackouts… 24 seven… on clean renewable Malibu sunshine.

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Gigantic Expansion At St Johns Santa Monica Planned

In news from down the coast … a gigantic expansion and redevelopment at Providence Saint John’s Health Center is heading to Santa Monica Planning Commission this week.

It’s Phase 2 of the project … Phase 1 was completed a decade ago when the old earthquake-damaged main campus was replaced.

Now … Providence Health Systems wants to overhaul its facilities on the south side of Santa Monica Boulevard.

The Santa Monica Daily Press reports that a huge complex on the south side of SantaMonica Boulevard would be torn down … 

To be demolished includes the existing Saint John’s Health Center foundation building, the MRI facility, John Wayne Cancer Institute, and a vacant apartment building.

Ten new structures would be built.

Hospital space, medical offices, medical research facilities, a health and wellness center, an education and conference center, a child and family development center, day care, restaurants, visitor accommodations.The project would also add a subterranean parking lot and replace several existing surface parking lots with open garden spaces and pathways accessible to the public.

Redevelopment plans date back to 1994 when the Northridge Earthquake destroyed significant portions of the hospital’s infrastructure, leading to a 1998 City Council agreement for a 55 year phased reconstruction and development term.

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Big Sur Ignited By Genius Burning Scrap Wood

In news from up the coast … Cal Fire investigators have determined the cause of that unusual wintertime fire burning the Big Sur coastline.

Some genius thought it would be a good idea to burn a pile of wood during Santa Ana type winds.

The state fire agency says hot embers from a burn pile blew into nearby vegetation. 

The exact location of the burn pile and the wildfire start may be the subject of a criminal investigation. 

The fire is 700 acres and 50% contained as of Tuesday evening.

Highway 1 remains closed from 5 miles north of Big Sur … up to Carmel.

Firefighters have been sent to Big Sur from around the state. In all, nearly 200 firefighters are battling the blaze.

One fire truck was damaged and one structure lost to flames.

And it being Big Sur … the lost structure was a yurt.

California May Butt Out Of Cigarettes

Every year … during California Coastal Cleanup Day … the number one item of garbage picked up is cigarette butts.

In fact … 36% the debris items picked up are cigarette butts.

Cigarette filters are made of 95 percent cellulose acetate … a petrochemical that sits ion the stomachs of sea birds and fish … causing them to starve to death.

Toxic chemicals leach out of cigarette butts into our waterways—in a study done recently at San Diego State University, the chemicals from just one filtered cigarette butt had the ability to kill half the fish living in a 1-liter container of water. 

Improperly discarded cigarette butts can cause fires that destroy homes, habitat, and cost a lot of money.

Now … California may ban cigarette butts.

Also … ban e-cigarettes and vape products that are disposable. 

A proposed butt ban was introduced in the California Assembly yesterday.

Assembly Bill 1690 would ban single-use cigarette filters, e-cigarettes and vape products in the state with the aim of benefiting the environment and public health.

Assembly member Luz Rivas introduced the bill, said in a news release Tuesday.

She says “Our planet is at a critical tipping point — cigarette filters destroy our environment unlike any other discarded waste, and the toxic chemicals found in electronic vapes seep into our fragile ecosystems, all while also damaging individuals’ health with hazardous smoke.”

We wil keep yup posted on the proposed California butt bill.