Some Malibu Parents Still Demanding Armed Guards At Schools, Teachers And Other Parents Strongly Opposed

School District Says Armed Patrols Off The Table If Not Sworn Officers

It’s been two years since the murder of 19 children and two adults in Uvalde Texas … It’s  also been two years since the Malibu city council started a review of security policies at Malibu’s four public school campuses.

The report was reviewed by the city council last Monday.

The actual report itself has not been released to the public for security reasons.

But teachers in Malibu are overwhelmingly opposed to guns on campus.

Should armed guards be on the Malibu public school campuses?

That debate continued at City Hall Monday night … when the city council reviewed a comprehensive safety audit of public safety on the four public school campuses.

There were two issues … what was in the safety audit … and what wasn’t.

It does not address armed guard or armed cops on the school campuses.

Two parents said that is a mistake.

Jake Lingo and Dane Skophammer said Malibu is so spread out … sheriff’s reinforcements are so far away … that armed security guards … are needed.

Jake Lingo .. at Monday night’s city council meeting:

NEWSCART B70100 GUNS JAKE LINGO

“If you read the surveys contained in the school safety report, at least 20 parents discuss armed security on campus … but the report does not even discuss it. 

“I’m asking for the same protection for our children that is afforded to the City Council, and every other public institution that has mass gatherings: an armed guard to protect against the evils in this world.”

Dane Skophammer:

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“It only takes a couple of minutes for something really terrible to happen, so I would urge the city to take some steps, including up to, and including armed guards on the campus, until those security needs are met.”

One other parent disagreed.  Jo Drummond:

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“I don’t personally prefer, I don’t really want armed guards inside the school. I think anything outside the perimeter not harming the children in anyway, not putting our children at risk, is good.”

District operations director Carey Upton said the schooL district is too small for its own armed police force … like in LA or Glendale …

And Upton says armed security guards are out of the question … they are not legal under state law. 

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“The district will not be having their own private police, that’s not something that we’ll (have).

“It’s not policy, it’s the state education code that would keep that from occurring.

“Armed officers, such as the sheriffs? That is something I can generally say, the district will welcome. 

“Private security is something the board members and other members of your community, including teachers in Malibu, not teachers  in Santa Monica, have a various serious reservation against.”

Council member Marianne Riggins says she wants discussion with teachers and parents opposed to guns on campus.

She says there may some misunderstanding about their qualifications.

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“You know, obviously, we would be recommending that these guards be trained professionals, and not just some rent a cop that is a mall cop, or something like that. 

“These are trained professionals to be there to protect and ensure that our children are safe..”

School officials noted that there are more armed law officers in Malibu than ever before … including four CHP officers daily who have sheriff’s department radios in their cars for coordination. 

The Santa Monica school district has implemented about one third of the 200 recommendations made on a list of security measures … a list on a comprehensive safety study done by the city and the district. The school, safety plan has 200 items on it.

It is being kept secret from the public … the city and school district say it has sensitive security information on it. 

 

Consecutive CHP Closures This Month Related To Two Major Busts At Big Rock

It turns out that two major road closures on PCH earlier this month … were related to major crimes. 

In both cases … traffic on PCH was blocked for hours.

Two weeks ago … traffic was blocked on PCH near Big Rock … by police activity inside a beachfront home.

Malibu sheriff liaison Sergeant Chris Sutherland says the US drug enforcement agency was serving a warrant.

DEA ARREST CS 

“Their suspects ran from them, and so they called us to assist them, and we had the area shut down while the DEA conducted a search for the suspect.

“They were able to apprehend 3 of the 4 suspects they were looking for.

“And I wish I could give you details on what was discovered in the search warrant, but I can’t.

“But I will say it was a very successful search warrant, hopefully in the future they will give me permission to tell you what they found.”

That fourth suspect was reportedly last seen wearing a wetsuit… Soderlund has not been able to confirm rumors that he escaped by paddling out to sea on a surfboard.

The very next day… at the very same place… A crime was broken up by the sheriffs deputy hired by Malibu to look for crime.

 This deputy spotted a car was stolen license plates… It had been spotted earlier near burglaries.

Two people inside.

The driver tried to evade sheriffs car by zipping up Big Rock Drive.

A dead end.

Soderlund picks up there narrative.

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“They tried to pull it over … and the car made a U-turn and then rammed the deputy’s patrol car to try to get away.

“And so the car came back down Big Rock towards PCH … fleeing at a high rate of speed … and crashed into an innocent civilian driving by. 

“Fortunately, nobody was seriously hurt.

“And they were able to arrest the two suspects inside the fleeing vehicle,/

“The passenger inside that vehicle had a loaded firearm on him.

“So we got those two guys off the street.”

That’s why PCH was closed … two days in a row … both times at Big Rock … earlier this month. 

 

2 Landslides and 1 Potential Washout Threaten PCH Near Sunset

Both up the coast and down the coast … access to Malibu via State Highway 1 is threatened. 

Up the coast … Caltrans is extending its overnight closures on PCH between Malibu and Ventura County until further notice.

And down the coast … two landslides and a sand washout are endangering access to Malibu from LA and Santa Monica. 

Down the coast from Malibu … 63 thousand vehicles a day use PCH to access the Malibu area every day.

And a far more serious set of problems is endangering PCH in the east … at the LA city limits … near the Getty Villa.

One the ocean side … a similar washout has occurred under the shoulder of the pavement next tot he ocean.

And on the inland side .. a creeping landslide is slowly merging into a traffic lane … 

The road is basically 1-3/4 lane wide now … and apparently getting narrower every storm.

Further endangering PCH … a new possible landslide near the Bel Air Bay Club .

A stream of mud and water is dribbling onto the highway next to a road cut dug out in the cliff to build the road 100 years ago.

KBUU has asked Caltrans officials about those threats to Malibu’s major access way …  no answer yet.

If those 65 thousand cars and trucks every day cannot get thru … canon roads will jam … food and gas won’t get delivered … and Malibu residents may have to resort to parking spare cars down the beach.

 

Permanent Skatepark Has Possible Lawsuit Brewing From ‘Pissed’ Developer

[From late Tuesday’s newswire:]

Malibu’s long awaited permanent skateboard park may face a legal delay.

The Malibu City Council is going into a special closed door session today at 4 PM to discuss a possible anticipated lawsuit.

Developer Scott Gillan’s threatened lawsuit against the city may be going forward. 

Last November … the developer appeared before the Planning Commission rio demand changes to the design of the skate park.

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“They’re gonna look at me like I’m the bad guy, and I’m gonna point to the people [pointing at city staff] who didn’t respond to our requests.

“ I will then appeal it.

“And I will sue the city and I will stop in motion.

“Or you can make simple accommodations.

“I’m pissed.

“You guys are just … just so wrong … and you know know you are wrong.

“That’s it.”

Gillen is developing five multi-multi million dollar homes … some call them castles … in a subdivision that wraps around malibu Bluffs Park.

And as part of the deal to get the hiosues approved … Gillen gave up ownership of the land under the proposed skate park … near the Little League fields at Bluffs Park.

He also kicked in one million dollars towards construction of the facility … with the condition that the skate park ramp be below the surface.

The current plan … he says … puts the ramps too high in the air … and too close to one of the houses he is just finishing. 

It appears that Gillen’s threat to sue the city may be going forward … as all of a sudden the city council is going into closed door session to discuss the threat tomorrow at 4. 

 

Electric Air Choppers May Be Zipping Up From Santa Monica In 1 or 2 Years

The president of an electric aircraft start-up company says he is almost ready to provide air taxi service between Malibu and Santa Monica … maybe even L-A-X … with tickets costing about as much as an Uber ride. 

City permission and Coastal Commission OKs would be needed, of course.

Archer Aviation of San Jose says they are about a year away from providing service in the crowded westside LA market … including Malibu … according to an article in the Santa Monica Daily Press.

They envision using Santa Monica Airport as a base … an airport that the city down there plans to shut down in four years.

Archer has been developing electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft since 2018.

They have made a deal with Atlantic Aviation … a Texas-based company that operates a fixed-base operator terminal at Santa Monica’s historical airport. 

Archer plans to launch air taxi service in Los Angeles, New York and Miami by 2025.

They have an all-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, one that is capable of carrying four passengers and a pilot plus a little bit of luggage. 

It can take off vertically, like a helicopter, but then it flies forward on a wing, just like a normal airplane. 

Nikhil Goel, Chief Commercial Officer at Archer Aviation says.

“The aircraft we’re building, they’re 100 times quieter than helicopters…

“They’re fully redundant, meaning there’s no part on the aircraft that, if it were to fail, would cause the flight to fail. 

“And it’s very affordable. So a flight from Santa Monica to Malibu for example, or Santa Monica to Orange County would cost just as much as an Uber if not a little bit less.” 

Goel’s interview was printed in the Santa Monica Daily Press and voiced here by a KBUU reporter.

Archer Aviation calls their electric plane model the “Midnight.” 

Powered by six independent battery packs, each supporting a pair of electric engines, it’s capable of flying up to 100 miles distance at speeds of up to 150 mph.