=.   Malibu kids go mask optional at school next week.

=.  But the schools are strongly recommending masks be worn … and they say bullying will anti be tolerated. 

=.  Pepperdine University is mourning the accidental drug overdose death of a 21 year old student from Illinois.

=.  Lane restrictions … a 35 mile and hour speed limit and a traffic light are coming to Trancas Creek really soon.  

=.  But we’ll see how that temporary bicycle ban works out.

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

SMMUSD Changes Rules, Masks Optional Indoors Starting Monday

Malibu school kids are no longer required to wear masks on campus. 

But they are strongly encouraged to keep masks up … indoors. 

The school board Wednesday night brought Santa Monica Malibu schools inline with new recommendations from the county and state.

As of Monday… Both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals in the schools will not have to wear masks but are strongly urge to. The district superintendent is asking parents to talk with her kids about respecting the choices of others… Even when they differ from their own.

No student or staff member should endure criticism or mistreatment for their choice to wear or not wear a mask at school, and such behavior will not be tolerated … says school superintendent Ben Drati.

Bullying will not be tolerated .. he says … and he encourage students to be sensitive to classmates with underlying health issues. We need to always take care of ourselves and each other.

Covid is still very much among us.

40 deaths were reported … caused by Covid … yesterday in Los Angeles County. 

The Malibu death toll remains at 13. Santa Monica mountains region death toll remains at 19.

The school districts tells us:

• We will continue weekly testing of staff and students at our schools / offices.
• We will continue to track reported positive cases and provide weekly updates to our Covid Dashboard.
• If your student or a staff member exhibits COVID-related symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, please continue to have them stay home and follow current isolation protocols.
• Our testing hubs for symptomatic students and staff at John Adams Middle School and Malibu Elementary School continue on school days.
• Students exposed to a COVID positive person at school will continue to follow quarantine protocols.
• Antigen tests will be distributed prior to spring break for students and staff to self test the morning of April 18 and bring in the test stick showing a negative result for entry to school. Parents and staff will receive a letter with more information prior to spring break.

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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

Pepperdine Moutns Loss Of 21-Year-Old Student From Illinois

A 21 year old Pepperdine University student died in campus housing … her parents says she accidentally overdosed on medicine. 

A prayer service and memorial was held two nights ago at the Pepperdine University campus for Autumn Tennison …. a junior whose hometown… Robinson … in downstate Illinois.

Her parents travelled to Malibu for the somber memorial service. 

Dennison died Monday … apparently on campus … although that is not confirmed. 

Her parents say she overdosed accidentally on medicine she took.

Tennison was a junior majoring in creative writing … and a member of a sorority.

She was remembered Wednesday night as a lover of the beach ,.. and dogs … 

Construction About To Start On Trancas Bridge And Traffic Light

Two gigantic construction projects are about to start on PCH … at opposite ends of the city. 

At Trancas Creek… Caltrans contractors are getting ready for some major changes.

The bridge over the creek is approaching 100 years old… and parts of it are falling down.

Starting within the next month… lanes will be narrowed and traffic is going to be scrunched over to one side of the bridge… 

The inland side of the bridge is to be torn down and replaced this summer. 

Next summer…  the beach side of the bridge will be replaced. 

Caltrans plans to have two lanes open in each direction… But they will be very narrow and traffic will be significantly slowed. 

A temporary traffic light will be installed soon at Guernsey Avenue… because the slow traffic … there will be fewer gaps for traffic to emerge out of Malibu Park. 

Bicycles will be banned in the construction zone and there will be a combination pedestrian sidewalk and bicycle walkway across the creek … stapled onto the side of the bridge on the ocean side. Anyone who thinks the bicycles will walk their bikes across that … instead of riding in traffic … is probably engaging in wishful thinking.

The project was delayed for a year… Because Caltrans discovered a frontier communications fiber line running through the bridge that they didn’t know about. Frontier has been out installing a bypass fiber loop this week…

The traffic light at Guernsey … and the zig zag detours … crunched together lanes and weird bike pedestrian crossing are coming in the next 60 days.

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Support for KBUU Radio also comes the the Malibu Association of Realtors.

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.

Nighttime Construction About To Start On Major PCH Water Project

And down in Pacific Palisades ….  the long awaited replacement of the main water pipe that serves Malibu… is about to begin.

And it will mean overnight lane closures of one of the three lanes of  PCH.

But daytime lane closures are not expected.

For several years… Motors have seen the huge pipes already brought in along PCH between Chautauqua Boulevard and Temescal Canyon Road.

The pipes are 30 inches in diameter and will bear enormous pressure as water is pumped into Malibu and Topanga Canyon.

Malibu’s drinking water comes from the state water project… The Sacramento and Colorado rivers.

Underground water that is pumped up from beneath the Los Angeles basin is mixed in… And there is a treatment plant in Culver City… Next to the 405 freeway at Venice Boulevard.

From there… The Malibu Topanga supply is piped across West LA and Brentwood… Then a Pacific Coast Highway.

Work will take place from 7 pm to 6am …. Traffic heading towards Malibu will lose one lane during those hours. 

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Speaking of water … this has been the driest year in California’s history. 

The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is pathetic … the water shortage on the Colorado River is worse.

The state is asking Californians to step up.

In July, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for Californians to voluntarily reduce water use by 15%. Most areas of the state have fallen far short of that target … cumulative water savings of 7.5% compared with a year ago.

Mandatory water conservation laws may be a reality by this summer.

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Parents Rent Small B and B For 17 Year Old Kid’s Party in Thousand Oaks

In news from over the hill … police in Thousand Oaks are investigating a gigantic party ,…attended by 17 and 18 year olds … in an Air B and B rental.

They house was apparently rented by the parents of the 17 year old boy celebrating his birthday.

The party was loud and cops were callec … to the 700 block of Benson Way in Thousand Oaks.

Deputies found 200 teens inside a short-term rental in the middle of a residential neighborhood.

Officers said the tens were partying away … crammed inside a 960-square-foot home.

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WhenIs Free Not Free? City Revises Public Stance On Misleading SCE Generator Offer

The City of Malibu has revised and corrected its public statements about a Southern California Edison program that it is promoting.

Earlier this week … the city said that the local power company was offering subsidies for Malibu residents to get free or low cost generators or batteries.

The city did not mention that the offer was good only for people with medical devices that need continuous electric power …. that little fine print was buried deep in the Southern California Edison website.

On Wednesday… KBUU did a story that pointed out that the Edison program helps the power company get out of its obligation to provide reliable power service to the community at large. 

By paying for generators or batteries at medically needed peoples houses… Edison avoids state requirements to keep the power up at those homes.

And the city played right along with that Edison PR campaign.

The question comes up… why is the city doing PR for Southern California Edison?

Yesterday the city put out a new press release that makes it clear that not everyone gets a free generator… or a discounted battery.

No one of course can question the advisability for people with CPAP machines or insulin in the refrigerator to take advantage of the program.

But the program highlights the inability of Southern California Edison to provride reliable service to Malibu.

Grocery Strike Vote Looms At 2 Of 5 Malibu Supermarkets

About 43,000 Southern California grocery workers have scheduled strike-authorization votes this week … 

We could see picket lines at the Pavilions at Point Dume and the Ralphs  in the Civic Center by the end of the month.

Employees, represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, saw their contract expire last Sunday.

The strike won’t come soon … the strike authorization votes are set for for the week of March 21.

They haven’t indicated when a strike might occur.

If a strike does happen… It will affect Pavilions Vons and Ralph’s but not Whole Foods… Trader Joe’s or the Vintage Market in Malibu.

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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 .

 

Feds Creating Wildfire Panel

The federal government on Thursday will begin accepting applications for a newly created commission designed to shape the nation’s management of wildland fires.

The Wildland Fire Mitigation and Management Commission is seeking potential members with expertise in wildland fire prevention, federal officials say, and hopes to assemble a diverse collection of people from rural, urban and suburban communities.

Members will include representatives of tribal and state and local governments, especially those from areas like California that are at a high risk of wildfires.

The group is expected to recommend a set of national policies next year to manage wildland fires and rehabilitate affected areas, with the first meeting likely to be held in late spring of this year.

It will deliver a report to Congress with its recommendations one year after the first meeting. The deadline for applications is March 25.

Surfers Plan Pro-Ukraine Paddle Out Sunday at Zuma 14

Malibu surfers are planning a “Paddleout For Peace” Sunday morning at Zuma Beach.

Organizers say they are paddling out in honor of the courageous people of the Ukraine standing with them for sovereignty peace and freedom.

The paddle out is at 10 AM Sunday at Zuma Tower 14.

That’s at the west end of the beach… near Trancas Creek.

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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.

You can hear the news – live – every morning until 9:30 on KBUU.

FM 99.1 in western Malibu.  Also: streaming at www.radiomalibu.net

Between 10 and 2 … you can hear the newscast playback loop on KBU2. That’s on FM 99.1 HD2 in your car, or streaming at s7.viastreaming.net/6500

If humanly possible, the KBUU NewsScript is usually published at around midday at www.radiomalibu.net

Spring Forward: 2 am Hour Disappears On Sunday

Spring forward. 

Daylight saving time kicks in this weekend.

Saturday night snoozers will lose one hour of sleep … as your phone clocks will automatically skip the 2 am hour. 

Other than changing clocks … the biggest nearby impact will be in Arizona  and Hawaii… where they don’t observe daylight time.

This effectively means that Phoenix moves to California time as of Sunday. 

And Hawaii moves from 2 hours earlier than California … to three hours earlier., 

And of course … the Malibu sunset time will move from about 6 to about 7.

Traffic patterns change as well…. particularly in the morning … particularly on eastbound routes like the PCH and the 101.

The sun shows up one hour later in the rush hour … rising in drivers eyes and causing all sorts of mayhem.

And the fire department reminds you that this is a good reminder to change batteries in smoke detectors.

Daylight time starts Saturday night Sunday morning.

Spring forward. 

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