Alexis Brown May Be Latest Casualty Of Friction On Malibu City Council

Yet another top city official is leaving Malibu’s city Hall. 

Alexis Brown has resigned … telling KBUU radio that she enjoyed working in Malibu with a talented crew.

Sources inside the government say there was friction between Brown and city council members.

But the official word is she is leaving to pursue other personal and professional goals.

Brown arrived from having worked her way up in the city hall in a small city in the Imperial Valley.

In her year and a half … Brown won near universal praise … especially after the disappearance of city ammaner Steve McClary.

Brown and acting city manager Joe Toney were thrust into senior management roles. 

Her departure is yet another black eye for Malibu’s city council … which is changing management teams there more frequently Leadership at City Hall has fought frustrating battle

Santa Monica Claims Malibu Lost Endorsement Of County Committee, When The Tape Shows The Opposite Is True

The Santa Monica school district headquarters is digging in on a claim that a county board has recommended against a Malibu independent school district.

In a statement released yesterday … the school board’s spokeswoman claims  that the the Los Angeles County Committee on School District Organization voted 6-5 to recommend of the original petition to form an independent Malibu Unified School District

As KBUU News has reported … that is not what happened. 

County lawyers have also raised questions .

A review of the tape shows that the committee actually rejected a denial of the Santa Monica effort to kill Malibu’s petition. 

A review of the tape of the meeting shows chaos. 

And the item is coming back before the county committee for some sort of revote next month.

The county committee wasn’t say why .. if a vote was already taken .. it needs to be taken over again.

And the Santa Monica school board is not explaining that either. 

Rather .. the district put out a statement last night.

“The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) was pleased with the majority vote to deny the petition.”

That is not what the vote was …. However. 

The district spokeswoman says our school district “looks forward to the affirmative results to deny the petition when the vote is retaken.”

OK… but if the vote was already taken … and came down 6 to 5 in favor of Santa Monica …. Why is it being retaken in May???

At issue … Santa Monica claims a right to use property tax revenue from Malibu to support the schools district 20 miles away … while Malibu parents are demanding local control.

The Santa Monica-controlled school board will meet next Wednesday to discuss a compromise set of agreements with Malibu that have been reached outside the county process. 

Only one thing is on the Wednesday agenda: Malibu.

The meeting’s location??? Santa Monica. 

State Farm Paying Only 13 Cents On The Dollar, One Homeowner Claims

State Farm insurance is ignoring claims for smoke damage to houses … where policy holders want to move back in but are kept out by heavy smoke damage.

That’s the claim by victims of the January fire in Altadena … who say it is a problem in the Palisades Fire footprint as well.

The company is accused of lowballing steelemetns to pay to replace furniture and clean out houses of ash … which contains dangerous amounts of toxic chemicals.

Wendy Davis told KTLA Channel 5 that State Farm has offered her 

13 cents on the dollar for her needs to remove smoke damage from her house. 

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“We’ve been loyal State Farm customers for 35 years. We have paid every premium on time

“But now when we need State Farm to honor their promises to us, when our home is uninhabitable, and our lives are on hold, when we are maxing out our credit cards and going into debt, State Farm chooses to play games.”

Yesterday .. Altadena area homeowners demanded that state insurance commissioner Ricardo Lara block State Farm’s  emergency 17 percent rate hike request. 

Lara was standing one the beach yesterday … next to the burned out mobile home parks on PCH.

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“Our effort will ensure that individuals receive their payments fully, fairly and promptly, while also protecting them from losing their insurance.”

But the insurance commissioner said protecting the insurance industry is also important. 

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“We must ensure that insurance companies remain stable, expand their footprint in our state and remain solvent to further protect consumers.”

Te issue of State Farm … and its apparent failure to pay on smoke damage claims … still very much in the air.

At his beachside news conference yesterday … Lara claimed one major victory … . 

He says he has convinced insurance companies to pay at least 75 percent of the claims filed for belongings that are burned in distorted properties … without forcing victims to file a detailed inventory of their destroyed stuff.

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“On February 6, I issued a notice to all residential property insurance companies in California urging them to waive the detailed inventory requirements. Most insurer responded positively offering at least 75% of contents coverage without requiring an itemization with some even agreeing to 100%.”

What a concept … insurance companies agreeing to pay out 100% of what they owe their rate payers. 

Ben Allen Talks Up The $34 Million Given To The MRCA

It’s been 101 days since the fires hit. 

Malibu’s state senator called a news conference yesterday to talk up the amount of state aid coming in to Malibu … the Palisades … and Altadena.

170 million dollars has just been earmarked for wildfire prevention efforts across California … with 34 million dollars of that going to the Santa Monica Mountains. 

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“The state … we just supported a whole new tranche of our wildfire resilience funding in our hillsides here just last week

“And we’re on track to reopen the PCH next month they sent out… which will get there, but the massive relief for businesses that have been struggling with public access to the area.”

Allen did not mention the fact that the 34 million dollars being sent to the Malibu area will go to one of the agencies funding the MRCA … the controversial land use management agency that controls thousands of acres of open land in the local area.

Although the Palisades Fire did not originate on MRCA park land … it apparently broke out immediately next to MRCA park land in Pacific Palisades.

Initial video of the fire … video shot by the MRCA … shows thePalisades fore spreading in weed-choked parkland controlled by the MRCA above Sunset Boulevard in temescal Canyon. 

Bass: We Are Seeing The Fastest Fire Recovery In Modern California History

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was at the news conference on PCH yesterday.

Bass said LA has moved faster to recover than any American city in history ….
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“L-A’s disaster recovery is on track to be the fastest in modern California history.

“Thanks to the administration, phase 1 and phase 2 went at lightning speed.

“Phase 2 of the debris removal, along with the county partnership, began just 35 days after the fire ignited – roughly half the time it took after the devastating 2018 Woolsey fire.”

In case you didn’t catch that … Bass thanked the Trump administration for immediate … substantial help in clearing fire debris.  

Disaster Victims Would Get One Year Break On Mortgage Payments, Under Proposed Bill

Members of Congress who represent Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu are pushing for a federal law that would require mortgage lenders to give some borrowers a break on their mortgages after natural disasters

A bill was was introduced in Congress yesterday  that would give homeowners affected by natural disasters nationwide a break on mortgage payments for almost a year.

Representative Brad Sherman … who represents Malibu in Congress… is one of two sponsors.  

It would require lenders to grant a six-month pause on mortgage payments for homeowners who could document evidence of damage or destruction to their properties. 

Army Colonel Moving On To Next Assignment, But His Replacement Is His Old Roommate

Col. Brian Sawser is moving on to his next assignment.

Sawser is commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Emergency Field Office–Pacific Palisades.

Sawser is being rotated out … heading to a new posting in Europe.

His replacement is Col. Jeff Palazzini.

Sawser and Palazinni were college roommates 30 years ago. 

Sawser tells an Army publication that the recovery in Malibu has been because of the experience of Corps employees who stepped up early in the mission.

“Our employees come in on a voluntary basis, sometimes for just 30, 60, or 90 days,” Sawser explained. 

“That means there’s a lot of turnover, and with turnover comes friction. But it also brings the opportunity for emerging leaders to step up.” He says. 

Sawser oversees more than 150 Corps employees and over 1,000 contractors working together within the Pacific Palisades and Malibu.

Malibu Earth Day Hikes Set

The city is hosting a pair of free docent-led hikes in honor of Earth Day starting on April 19 with “Walking in the Footsteps of the Chumash,” which takes hikers on a 90-minute hike through areas where Native Americans lived. 

Then on April 25 hikers can check out the trails as the sun goes down with a Sunset Hike through the park.

The Saturday event is from 9-10:30 a.m. 

The sunset event is 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. April 25, at Charmlee Wilderness Park,  2577 Encinal Canyon Rd, Malibu.

City Hails Thosuands Of Hours Donated By Stalwart Volunteers

[City of Malibu Press Release:]

The City of Malibu proudly proclaims April 20–26, 2025, as National Volunteer Week, honoring the incredible commitment of local volunteers whose selfless actions safeguard and uplift our community.

In 2024 alone, the Malibu Sheriff’s Volunteers on Patrol, through the Malibu-Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, contributed over 7,600 hours to public safety efforts, issuing more than 15,000 citations for illegal parking and playing a critical role during the Franklin and Palisades Fires.

Our Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) devoted nearly 2,000 hours to training and preparedness, along with 1,500 hours of vital support during and after the Palisades Fire. Arson Watch volunteers patrolled high-risk areas for over 2,200 hours, identifying early fire threats and distributing emergency passes.

The Malibu Community Brigade volunteers stepped up heroically, providing nearly 6,000 hours of firefighting support to Fire Departments responding to the Franklin and Palisades Fires, protecting homes and lives.

For information on the Sheriff’s VOPs, and other LA County Sheriff’s Department volunteer programs, visit: https://lasd.org/volunteer. For information on the Malibu CERT Team, visit: www.MalibuCity.org/CERT. For more information on Arson Watch, visit: https://www.arsonwatch.com.   For information on the Malibu Community Brigade, visit: communitybrigade.org.

Record Amount Of Demoic Acid Poisoning This Year Off The Coast

We’ve all seen them.

Almost anyone walking on the beach this spring has encountered a pathetic sight … a sea lion on the sand … struggling.

This year’s domoic acid poisoning appears to be the worst ever … says one veterinarian.

The algae blooming in the ocean this year is full of the acid … 

Marine mammals eat contaminated fish … get sick and disoriented and often wash ashore. 

Marine mammal rescue centers have been overwhelmed keeping up with the sickened animals that have stranded on beaches from Orange County to Ventura County.

Alissa Deming … a vet at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in OC … says this has been the longest bloom she has seen in her career of more than 20 years.

If the center can get to a sick sea lion quickly enough, there is medication they can use to stop the seizures and flush out the toxins. 

The sea lion can be rehabbed and sent back out to sea.

But many sea lions get chronic brain damage … resulting in painful epileptic seizures.

Those animals will eventually drown, or they will have trouble foraging for food and will starve to death.

Lifeguards at Zuma get called to stranded sea lions … send out a crew with a sign to warn people to stay away … and call the marine rescue centers … which are overwhelmed.

Some are simply left to die. 

Not just sea lions.

Whales and dolphins are also getting hit hard by the poisoning. 

Some Bicyclists Do Not Want Bike Lanes On PCH

There is more concern from outside Malibu about the state’s plans to install bike lanes  along PCH in Malibu. 

Caltrans proposes to put painted bike lanes on PCH from Malibu Creek west to Ventura County.

And also … a painted bike lane on the westbound side of thread only in the commercial district in Malbu.

One bike advocate from Santa Monica says that is a bad idea. 

“Not only does it make that section much less safe for all road users, it also makes the whole route inconsistent and confusing, which increases the risks that this poses,” 

That’s the opinion of Caro Vilain, a bike advocate in Santa Monica who sits on the Steering Committee of Streets for All.

Bicyclists are split on the plan for painted bike lanes on the side of PCH.

Many want protected bike lanes … but there is not enough width on the highway o accomplish that.

Others want to exercise their right to force motorist to share the lane … Protected bike lanes are not great for areas with lots of driveways … one bike advocate notes. 

There has been some debate among bicyclists over whether the entire corridor should have regular painted bike lanes,  protected bike lanes or some combination of that.

Caltrans continues to hold public hearings on their draft plan to slow down traffic open PCH by redesigning it. 

The plan includes traffic circles … speed humps at crosswalks … and narrower lanes.

Caltrans hopes that  will slow down the traffic … and allow Caltrans to drop the speed limits without violating California’s anti-

speed trap laws. 

The study does call for reducing the lane size to 10′-6” wide, the Caltrans minimum standard for Complete Streets.

Major Construction Planned For 405 At Same Time PCH Will Be Repaved

And while Caltrnas still is getting its at together with PCH … the state is planning major construction work on the only detour. 

Work is about to start on a pavement replacement and other work on the 405 over the Sepulveda Pass.

Most of that work will happen at night … but there will be evening lane closures on both directions of the 405 between Victory Bopulebard and the top of the Sepulveda Pass and Victory Boulevard … both direction from the 101 freeway. 

Construction is scheduled to begin soon and last four years.

The 144 million dollar million project will see 92 lane miles rebuilt …. New guardrails … and replacement signs. 

Bridge approach and departure slabs will also be replaced in six locations between Mulholland Drive and Wilshire Boulevard.

Caltrans will host a virtual meeting with a project presentation one week from tonight. 

Thursday, April 24 starting at 6 p.m. Register:https://cadot.webex.com/weblink/register/r3b89bd7e5d05464662425681b1b85803

Very Large Unmanned Subs To Be Tested and Used At Navy Base Just Up The Coast

Imagine a robot submarine … a big one … sliding underwater to an enemy port … to deploy undersea weapons like mines to blow up enemy ships. 

Now imagine these robot submarines … operating underseas just north of Malibu. 

The U S Navy is now testing 100-foot long submarines called orcas … operating in shallow coastal waters just off Port Hueneme. 

Extra Large unmanned undersea vehicles … called Orcas. 

They’re big … 100 feet long.

They known as extra large unmanned undersea vehicles.

The drone submarines are made by Boeing.

Testing and training facilities have been built t20 miles up the coast from Trancas … at Port Hueneme.

That’s where a new headquarters complex for the Orca program has been set up at the Navy base … near Oxnard.

Greg Thompson is a Navy Fleet Force Comand enviromental planner. 

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“It’s new to the Navy … they are 85 feet long and they weigh about 175 thousand pounds.”

The testing and training mission is not expected to have much impact on the thousands of people who use the nearby Channel Islands Harbor.

As Thompson puts it … submarines are underwater. 

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“It’s primarily mission is mine warfare and what that means for when we’re training and testing it is they’re gonna primarily be deploying in nerd and non-explicit mind shapes in addition to the unmanned vessels in vehicles there’s also an support vessel.”

A Navy admiral … Lisa Franchetti … says “assets like these will extend our reach, depth and lethality as we continue to deliver warfighting advantage.”

If you’re hoping to drive up to Port Hueneme to try to see the surnamed orca subs … forget about it.

The Navy base is closed to public entry.

And small boats trying to get into the harbor are chased away by Navy patrol boats with big guns.