Malibu Preparing To Share Details About Creating Malibu School District,

Select People Getting Briefed Before General Public

KBUU News has been reporting for 2 weeks that a deal has been reached between Malibu and Santa Monica … an agreement to pull Malibu out of the Santa Monica school district.

Nothing has been signed yet.

Malibu city officials have been quietly revealing details … to a handful of Malibu residents … about the agreement that has been reached … in principle … on the financial deal.

But the city is not releasing details … except to small groups of insiders whose support they are counting on. 

The public will be given the details … about the timing … the control transfer …. And the taxes … next week.

The city has scheduled a city council workshop next Wednesday… for the community to learn the details. 

Presumably … the agenda for that meeting will be released today … to spell out the details for the general public.

City spokesman Matt Myerhoff issued a public service announcement … for the radio station to air. 

This is part of it. 

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“The meeting takes place Wednesday, April 10th, 6 PM at City Hall … and you can participate via Zoom.

“Learn what the revenue sharing agreement means for the community … as the City advances the effort to separate from the SMMUSD and form an independent Malibi unified school district.

“the city remains committed to ensuring  the educational policies are made with  the best interests of the community in mind , by upholding its guiding principles: equity, fairness and local control of public education.

“By fostering open communication and collaboration, the City strives to empower residents to play an active role in the school separation process.”

Of course… the City’s vows to strive for an open communication process does not mean openly communicating.

The city is not – as of today – releasing any details about the revenue sharing agreement, the price that Santa Monica is charging Malibu to set up its own school district.

The revenue sharing agreement that Matt Myerhoff mentioned … that’s what we cannot find out yet … and that is the heart of the issue.

At one time… Santa Monica was demanding $4 billion worth of property tax revenue… Over 50 years… From Malibu’s rich property tax revenues.  Doubtlessly… That has been paired back significantly. The questions are … how much … and will that be palatable to Malibu voters?

Select groups of residents have already been brought in to city hall to hear the details.

Similar invitation-only meetings are scheduled this weekend.  Reporters were not given any details.

In addition to the special city Council meeting Wednesday night… the city said the Santa Monica-Malibu School District headquarters will also host community workshops for Santa Monica residents.

And next month … the school district and the City of Malibu will co-host joint sessions.

Information is being spoon fed … as a shroud of secrecy is slowly being lifted over the years-long secret negotiations between Malibu and the Santa Monica school board members.

No puff of white smoke has been seen from the SMMUSD headquarters yet … either.

 

Malibu To File FAA Petition Over 8 Years Of Noise From LAX Jets

Loud aircraft departing and arriving at LAX will be attacked by the city in court. 

Last night… The Malibu city Council voted 4 to nothing to file a petition against the FAA. 

The federal aviation administration changed the approach and departure patterns for Los Angeles international airport five years ago. 

Los Angeles … Culver City and Malibu contend that the FAA violated federal environmental laws and did not study the impact on affected communities under the jet’s new routes.

Residents at the eastern end of Malibu have reported loud jet engines overhead as jets at LAX take off to the west … then make early and low turns to the north.

15 miles to the west … some Point Dume residents are complaining about occasional overnight noise … when FAA controllers sometimes bring jets in slow and low over Malibu … for an over-ocean aproach.

There was a -long closed door session before the city council voted … in secret .., t file the petition. 

No public discussion. 

We don’t know how much the lawsuit will cost … or what the city’s lawyers give as a chance for success. 

Interim city attorney Trevor Russin said only this.

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“The City of L-A and Culver City were successful in a challenge to the environmental review conducted previously. And additional evicornmentkla review was conducted.

“The City (of Malibu) submitted comments on that review, and those comments did not result in any changes to the procedures that were put in place.

“And the city is now going to move forward and file a petition for review of that decision.”

Here is what it looks like is happening … 

The routes were changed in 2015.

The city of LA sued over noise … and in a stunning rebuke to the federal government … the US District Court of Appeal overturned the FAA’s normal immunity from court intervention. 

Last year … the court found FAA’s “recalcitrance” in failing to initiate environmental review … more than five years late … was a flagrant violation of the court’s order.

The Appellate Court’s recognition of FAA’s flagrant violations led to the highly unusual step of mandating that FAA submit a timeline for completion of environmental review of the air routes over Malibu … and file a status report on FAA’s progress every 90 days until it has fully complied with the Court’s order.

Lawyers said the FAA displayed more than its usual hubris by failing and refusing to do ANY environmental review. 

And now … this news analyusis.

Just like with the school district issue … the city council members are acting in the best interests of the city …

But not explaining what is happening.

Basic facts about important civic affrays are cloaked in closed door sessions.

 

Malibu Campaign For Guardrails On Malibu Canyon Succeeds, But Only After Another Fatal Canyon Plunge

A Malibu resident who has been campaigning for years for guardrails on Malibu Canyon Road is thrilled that the county is now about to add 12 hundred feet of them.

The addition will be at the exact point where a 63 year old woman from Camarillo died … this week … as her car went over the edge of the road and fell down a cliff.

Tracy Vancura, 63. of Camarillo, was thrown from the vehicle and found dead at the scene, according to the L.A. Department of Medical Examiner.

The CHP has not yet released its report on the crash … it was either a tragic accident or a deliberate act.

Two Malibu volunteers … Jennifer deNicola and Merill May … have been asking the LA County Transportation Commission to add guardrails in the deep canyon for years.

Yesterday … she learned of the 1.9 million dollar guardrail project from KBUU News.

DeNicola credits County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath for doing the job … a job that former supervisor Sheila Kuehl did not.

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“It’s a tragedy.

“When our new (County) Supervisor took office … you know she has been so responsive about working with us.

“Merrill May and I have really been pushing to get the rest of the carols up and started working on backing back when my son was 15 years old and I was thinking that he was traveling on this road and there was no guard rail.”

DeNicola’s 15 year old son is now 23 years old.

The $1.9 million guardrail project goes before the county board of supervisors next week. 

If approved as expected… Construction will begin this summer and will wrap up by the end of the year.

Like all road construction in Malibu… You can expect delays.

 

Oxnard Removes Tons Of Debris From Homeless Camp Next To Ocean

In news from up the coast … Oxnard removed cars, tents and other debris left behind at a vacated homeless encampment near the beach in the Oxnard Dunes area last month.

The site is 15 miles up from Malibu.

Tons of trash was prevented from flowing into the ocean … near the old Southern California Edison Canal.

City staff shut down the encampment on March 1 and relocated 50 people into motels, shelters or permanent housing, said Emilio Ramirez, the city’s housing director.

The camp had been home to upward of 70 people, Ramirez said, though the number of occupants fluctuated.

The story was reported by the Ventura County Star.

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