=.  A candidate for L A County supervisor swings hard against camping in the local mountains. 

=.  The Malibu High rezoning project goes before the city council tonight … and the planning commission next week.

=.  Concert promotes rent the Chili Cook Off site for a smooth jazz concert … tickets start at 70 dollars. 

=.  That transient who was caught on video swinging an ax remains in jail this morning,. 

=.   For the third time … Bruce Silverstein and Steve Uhring will try to reverse a library fund grant tonight.

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 

Major LA Politician In Tight Race Throws Malibu A Lifeline On Camping In Hills

For the first time in modern history … a candidate for county board of supervisors is coming out against camping in the Santa Monica Mountains. 

Bob Hertzberg is a veteran state senator from the San Fernando Valley.

He faces West Hollywood city council member Lindsey Horvath in the November runoff. 

The winner will represent the western one fifth of LA County … a seat with almost exclusive power over local land use in parks.

The current supervisor … Sheila Kuehl … was a big supporter of unregulated camping. 

Not Hertzberg.

NEWSCART A73474 HERTZBERG CAMPING 111

“When I first heard about it I was ‘what? Are you kidding me?’

“It just defied common sense and as I talked to Maureen more people I didn’t I didn’t have a single person who supported overnight camping. .”

 

Hertzberg says  met with council members Karen Farrer and Mikke Pierson overt thew weekend …. And with members of the local Arson Watch group;

NEWSCART A73475 HERTZBERG CAMPING 2222

“I’m told from some of the folks that are out there doing arson watch that there’s been 22 small fires caused by these things. Anyone of those could lead to have a big fire depending on wind conditions or how dry the brush conditions is whatever it’s just not worth the risk.”just not worth the risk.

Hertzberg contacted Malibu news media over the weekend … 

 to come out strongly against the MRCA’s plans to allow camping along trails …. Without water … without rangers … in the brushy area of the local mountains. 

A bad idea, he says:

NEWSCART A73476 HERTZBERG CAMPING 3333 

“The answer is ‘no I would not support such a policy’. I have just talked to so many families and folks throughout Malibu and just listened to the tone in their voice … and  the fear that they have of another fire.

“And to me … just given the risk and given the situation that we’ve got with drought conditions, climate change and extreme heat like he is just certainly not the right thing to do.

“Certainly we want to open up the Santa Monica mountains and all the beautiful aspects about what Malibu and the Santa Monica mountains are all about.”

But that does not mean unattended wildland camping … Bob Hertzberg says.

Hertzberg’s opponent .. Lindsay Horvath … is a longtime West Hollywood city council member.  

If she has ever said anything publicly abut camping in the Malibu mountains … we cannot find it. 

We emailed a request for comment from Lindsey Horvath on Sunday.

When we get a response … we will let you know. 

MHS Battle Goes To City Council Tonight

The Malibu High School rezoning package goes before the city council tonight. 

It has picked up some last minute opposition: too tall … too much light from the swimming pool … the bus garage is in the wrong place.

This are the major objections,. 

Supporters say the heights are required by state law … the swimming pool won’t be built for at least 7 years … and the bus garage could still removed off campus. 

This redesign plan is the master overall plan for the school … but not the specific drawings and building locations. 

Phase one of the specific project … the Coastal Development project … that comes before the Planning Commission next week.

If all this seems rushed … it is. 

School officials are watching the available funds … approved by voters … getting eaten away by inflation at a cost of one percent per month.

Not fair … say some people. 

It is is a major project and it deserves thorough vetting … not a rubber stamp of a concept approved not by the city but by the Santa Monica school board. 

That school board has appointed a Malibu citizens commission that has designed the project … and another Malibu citizens committee that is overseeing the spending. 

The fast track approval request derailed last month … when the Planning Department showed some major errors in the traffic plan.

They now say those traffic study errors have been fixed and the city os satisfied.

As discussed in more detail later in this staff report, the Planning Commission felt that the pool lighting should comply with the Malibu Dark Sky Ordinance since the pool will be built in Phase 4 – around the year 2030 or later.

They hope new technology may be available that would allow the pool lighting to meet illumination thresholds established by the Malibu Dark Sky Ordinance. 

The city’s Dark Sky Ordinance allows exceptions to the City ordinance if State or Federal laws require increased lighting.

ATMs at banks require brighter lights … for example.

The overall zoning district plan amendment goes to the city council tonight at 6:30.

====

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

Transient With Ax Remains In Jail

The ax-swinging transient who terrified eastern Malibu last Saturday was arrested by a special sheriff’s department detail in Santa Monica Friday.

Thomas Aaron Brothers was spotted in the morning on a bus in Santa Monica. 

Deputies then spotted him on the beach near the California Incline a sergeant said tonight.

A brief foot chase caused Brothers to dodge into a public restroom.  He surrendered a few minutes later. 

Brothers was captured on surveillance video swinging an ax at cars and mailboxes in the 19,000 block of Pacific Coast Highway on Saturday

Malibu lost Hills Sheriff’s Department has had details of six deputies searching local beaches for the transient.

Before the attack, he was known to hang out at the Ralph’s supermarket in downtown Malibu.  Some residents said on social media that they had had run-ins with him at the shopping center.

======

City Staff Decides To Rent Chili Cookoff Site For Jazz Concert

The city of Malibu has rented out the old chili cook off site for a pricey jazz concert later this month.

A group called there Sunset Jazz Group is paying an undisclosed amount to rent the vacant lot at Cvic Center Way … next to the new community college building.

The concert is apparently not a fundraiser …. it’s put on by promoters who stage shows like this in other cities.

The ticket prices???
Bring your own lawn chair and sit in the back for 70 dollars a head.

Or you can pay 266 dollars per person to site at a table and get two bottles of wine and a tray of

To park on the lot … behind the stage??? 

30 dollars.

But the organizers say there is limited parking at the chili cook off site … and they urge people to take rideshare services to and from the concert.

Headliners for the concert are smooth jazz artists Najee and Will Downing.

He concert is being promoted by the Chamber of Commerce …. but only unofficially … and the chamber is not making any money off of it. 

City planning director Richard Mollica has approved the use of the city’s vacant lot under his discretionary powers,

He apparently does not need to go to the city council or planning commission to OK it. 

Tickets and more information are available at sunset jazzfestival.com.

======

Local Chamber Merges With Palisades Chamber

Speaking of there Malibu Chamber of Commerce … this week it has completed a merger with the Chamber of Commerce in pacific palisades.

Barbara Borderline … frimn the Malibu chamber … is now the chief executive officer of the combined business advocacy group.

She says the Merger of the two Chambers of Commerce makes them stronger together. She says the group will honor the longstanding traditional events and activities of both prior chambers

The Malibu Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1948.

The Pacific Palisades Chamber of Commerce was established in 1949. 

Silverstein and Uhring Back With Plan To Reject Library Grant

And getting back to major city hall controversies …. The city council mets tonight.

And once again at the end of the agenda … council members Bruce Silverstein and Steve Uhring’s unhappiness with a gift of 500 thousand dollars to a countywide public library fund. 

That’s been on the agenda twice before … but the city council majority has shown no indication that it want to reverse an earlier vote approving the grant.

The use of three percent f the money sitting in the city’s library-only account … to benefit literacy and expand library services  outside Malibu …. does not sit well with Silverstein and Uhring. 

They call it a possible gift of public funds… And say the endowment that would be created with the money does not have proper oversight.

Backers of the plan say expanding Library services in other parts of the county benefits Malibu…

=====

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

====

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.

===

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 .

===

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