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

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School Board Talked Calculated Gamble, OKs $101 Million MHS Contract, Costs Escalate As Plan Still Lacks Key Coastal Zoning And City Site Plan Approvals

The best advice is to just bang your head against the wall.

That’s the reaction of one Santa Monica school board member … as the board unanimously approved a 101 million dollar contract to build Malibu High School’s new complex on Morning View Drive.

The school’s zoning is not approved … stuck at the California Coastal Commission.

The school’s building design is not approved … stuck at Malibu City Hall … which is waiting for the zoning to be changed by Coastal.

But district construction officials are taking a gamble … by signing the contract now … they can lock in construction costs before inflation makes the project impossible. 

Malibu’s only school board member … Stacy Rouse … last night campaigned for the contract to be signed … for the dice to be rolled.

NEWSCART A73900 ROUSE GOOD NEWS

“This is such good news for Malibu. 

“And I know how long it has taken …  and the layers … but I do want to say … having been on the Malibu years FDAC [Finance Committee] … and where [MEasure BB, the 2006 bond issue] took 15 years … this has taken four.

“And I know we’re not done yet … and I know that it is long … I know … I know … but we’re doing a different this time and it is making a difference.”

That’s school board member Stacy Rouse … at last night’s board meeting. 

She was on the finance committee that helped design the futuristic high school building.

Already … it is looking like the April construction start and August 2025 move-in target are impossible.

District bond manager Steve Massetti says the costs are certain to escalate … even with the contract in place.

NEWSCART A73902 MASSETTI DELAY

“There is adequate funding for this, but it is at risk.

“It’s going to continue to get delayed, because I don’t think there’s any hope that we can start construction in April.

“This is based on an April start, so it’s very likely that the cost of this project is going to go up, and although we’re working a GMP (general contract) tonight with very good reason that Noemi mentioned … please understand that once the project starts April .., its start is delayed until April …  it’s very likely that there will be additional cost.”

School board members are worried.

They said the continued delays at the Coastal Commission … and at Malibu City Hall … may push the project’s cost above the amount of money approved by voters in the most recent bond election.

The bond program manager … Steve Massetti … 

NEWSCART A73903 MASSETTI KEAN

MASSETTI:  “We are talking to and working with people who are trying to help push that along… And the city in fairness is trying to push that along…

BOARD MEMBER JON KEAN: “this is just a bang head against wall situation?”

MASSETTI: “We’re being as responsive as we can when they come back with questions, but you submit an answer and they come back a month later and they say ‘now we want this’.’

That’s school board member Jon Kean asking Massetti about the possibility … the very real possibility … of running out of money.

Coastal is the major obstacle.

District officials say the commission staff in Ventura will not even meet with them.

The say the district has been trying to meet with the coastal Commission staff for the past year and a half. 

But the city is not without blame. 

The district wants Malibu’s Planning Commission to approve the building design ASAP …tentatively and subject to the Coastal zoning change. 

That would allow construction to start right after the Coastal vote … to avoid a two or three month delay at City Hall… whenever Coastal gets off the dime. 

But Planning Commissioners led by John Mazza say they are tired of the district claiming an emergency.

He wants to see the Coastal zoning change first … 

Tick tock goes the clock … inflation costs are spiraling upward … and coastal has given no sign of when the staff will issue a report … for the commission to vote on at its once a month meetings.

Malibu school board member Stacy Rouse.

NEWSCART A73901 ROUSE DELAYS

“I just want everyone to understand that there are contingencies in place … for the money … for laying out the money … and having the bond cover the building.”

So … the bonds have been sold … the taxpayers are paying interest on that money … the contract is signed … the district is ready to build … and Coastal and City Hall are just not moving. 

School board members emphasized they are not pointing a finger at Malibu.

As board member Jon Kean says … bang your head on the wall. 

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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.

Two brand new beers have just been released!  A crisp, classic style pale ale, and a new-school style West Coast Pilsner.  

Stop in for new menu specials, including their fan-favorite Pastrami Rueben, Honey Chipotle Wings along with rotating scratch-made soups.

Malibu Brewing Company, Malibu California.

 

Mud And Other Problems Delay Switch To New Water Main, Expect Another Water Use Restriction and Major Traffic Jam In About 2 Weeks

Something went wrong during yesterday’s attempt to replace a section of the main water supply for Malibu.

A big hole was dug in Pacific Coast Highway… an attempt was made to splice into the 60-year-old pipe near Chautauqua. 

But the ground was too muddy … and there may have been other engineering problems as well.

The hole had to be covered up … covered with pavement … and traffic restored.

But that caused a monumental traffic jam on PCH.

One man told us the solid traffic jam started on the 405 in the South Bay … up the ramps top the 10 … and through the tunnel.

2 and a half hours to Malibu. 

County officials had ordered Malibu to stop using water for anything other than drinking or flushing … but they waved off that mandatory restriction at 7b in the morning.

In about two weeks … you can expect another water restriction order… Another attempt to splice the water pipe line… And another massive traffic jam on the PCH.

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Name, But Not Much Else, Released About Man Found Dead In Surf Line Near Broad Beach

The LA County coroner has identified the man who washed ashore Wednesday afternoon near Broad Beach.

He was 33 year old Thomas Robinson.

No current residence or hometown information was available.

Thomas Robinson’s cause of death … spending a coroners examination.

We have no information that we can find for a 33 year old Thomas Robinson.

His death … an open book.

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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.

Two brand new beers have just been released!  

A crisp, classic style pale ale, and a new-school style West Coast Pilsner.  

Stop in for new menu specials, including their fan-favorite Pastrami Rueben, Honey Chipotle Wings along with rotating scratch-made soups … at Trancas!

Malibu Brewing Company, Malibu California.

 

22 Year old Rock Climber, Ex-Eagle Scout, Found Dead Above Malibu

The body of a missing 22-year-old rock climber from Thousand Oaks was found near Boney Mountain yesterday.

Zachary Zernik left from the Wendy/Potrero trailhead Saturday morning.

He took a selfie and mailed it to his friends that day … the last time anyone heard from him.

GPS data on the photo placed it near the three mountain peaks at the west end of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Zernik did not show up for work Monday … and was reported missing Wednesday.

It was cold up there … below 30 at night.

30 search-and-rescue team members were joined by search dogs, a sheriff’s helicopter and a search plane outfitted with infrared technology provided by the California Office of Emergency Services

Three mountain search-and-rescue teams … from Ventura County East Valley … Upper Ojai and Fillmore participated in the search.

And about 40 community volunteers also showed up to assist yesterday morning. 

The remains were found yesterday afternoon … near Sandstone peak … just over the 3 thousand foot high ridge from Circle X Ranch on the Malibu side of the range.

The cause of death is pending an autopsy … but “It looks like it’s just a tragic accident from what we know right now,” one commander said.

Zernik graduated from Thousand Oaks High in 2018 and studied bioengineering at UCLA, according to his Facebook page. 

He was an Eagle Scout.

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Support for Radio Malibu KBUU comes from the Mark and Grether Real Estate Group.

Combining the talents of Tony Mark and Russell Grether…

The Mark and Grether Group offers concierge-level service… personalized attention… to buyers and sellers… landlords and tenants … here in Malibu.

The Mark and Grether Group… a top producing team with 35 years of experience… and over $1 billion worth of real estate sold in least… from Malibu’s coastline to the canyons.

 

Grifters Take Over Doctor’s Malibu House, Feed Him LSD, Rob Him Of Life Savings, Feds Allege 

An elderly retired doctor in Malibu had his house and bank accounts looted by a hairstylist from Fresno … and a yoga instructor from Mexico.

Then … he was drugged with LSD and other narcotics … before he died … and his estate was looted.

That’s according to a federal grand jury indictment … that was just unsealed in Los Angeles. 

Anthony Flores, 46, a hairstylist in Fresno … was arrested last week.  His alleged accomplice … Anna Moore, 39, who lives in Monterrey, Mexico …  was arrested Tuesday in Houston,.

Those two met the doctor … .. at an ice cream shop in Venice.

The victim … Doctor Mark Sawusch… was an eye surgeon with practice in Pacific Palisades … 

But he had suffered severe burns in a fire and could no longer operate … and he had been suffering from a mental decline.

Within days … the two had moved into Doctor Sawusch’s beach house … on Pacific Coast Highway just east of Moonshadows.  Prosecutors say the pair stole money from his personal bank accounts.

Sawusch was a successful investor and had a brokerage account of more than $60 million.

The crooks allegedly pressured Sawusch to sign over power of attorney 

Starting five years ago … Flores and Moore allegedly began milking money from Sawusch’s bank accounts…  isolated Sawusch from his mother and sister in Florida … and prohibited his friends and county case workers from making visits.

The couple drugged the doctor with marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms and LSD, prosecutors said.

The doctor evicted the couple from his house … but watched him with video cameras installed at the Malibu beach house from a luxury hotel room paid for with his money.

Four days before Sawusch died, Flores initiated two wire transfers of $1 million from Sawusch’s brokerage account to Flores’ own bank account.

Sawusch died in May 2018 … and Flores and Moore moved back into the beach house … and allegedly withdrew large amounts of money from his bank accounts.

His family sued to reclaim the stolen money, but Flores and Moore allegedly violated multiple court orders to return any funds.

And they allegedly tried to launder the money by fraudulently transferring the funds through multiple bank accounts. 

Moore and Flores face decades in federal prison if convicted of conspiracy … wire fraud … mail fraud … aggravated identity theft … conspiracy to engage in money laundering and other charges.

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Support for KBUU radio comes from Saguaro Technology.

Based in Malibu … Saguaro Technology offers software development and other engineering services across the entire product life cycle… and across several industries.

Life sciences, automation, robotics.

Saguaro Technology engineers work side-by-side with the client to extend engineering teams… to create and launch products faster… and more cost effectively.

Saguaro Technology can be reached at saguarotech.net

 

Mountain Lion Road Carnage May Outstrip Their Breeding Speed, Scientist Says, As P-22 Funeral Goes Web Only Tomorrow

What looks like a remarkable public outpouring of grief for a famous mountain lion will be tomorrow.

It’s sold out … don’t even try going to the memorial service for P-22 at the Greek theater tomorrow.

You can watch it on the web .,.. at the Save LA Cougars web page.

P-22 of course was the world famous Hollywood cougar.

News broke yesterday about a new study … that says that an average of one to two mountain lions per week gets clobbered by a vehicle of some sort … somewhere in California.

In the last eight years … there have been 535 mountain lions reported killed on California highways.

The director of the road ecology center at UC Davis yesterday released a statewide map of the lethal collisions between 2015 and 2022.

Malibu … particularly Malibu Canyon Road … is blood alley for wildlife. 

But so is Interstate 5 near Mount Shasta.

State Route 74 … the Ortega Highway near lake Elsinore.

And of course … US 101 between Malibu and the mountains to the north.

Mountain lions are getting killed along the Central Coast, in the Bay Area, and the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada range.

An 87 million dollar overpass is under construction up at liberty Canyon over the 101 freeway. But that won’t help Malibu Canyon Road… And there are dozens of other wildlife crossings where bridges would prevent mountain lion deaths… just in Southern California.

One biologist says “we may have reached a critical threshold: mountain lions getting killed by cars faster than they can reproduce.”

Back to the P-22 funeral.

It will be tomorrow at noon … the free tickets all sold out within four hours … so look for it on the web … savelacougars.org

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Support for KBUU Radio comes from Rancho del Cielo.

For 8 years … Rancho del Cielo has been a partner to public radio in the Malibu.

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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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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