KBUU NEWSSCRIPT 7:15 AM WED JAN 19 

POSTED 5:15 PM WED JAN 19

=. Granny flats in Malibu … yet another delay at the overwhelmed Malibu Planning Commission.

=. A public hearing on new city rules to allow ADUs is delayed … again … for four weeks.

=. Malibu is urged to lease a house in LA and put our homeless people there.

=. The driver of a Tesla on autopilot is charged with homicide for letting his car broadside another at a red light … killing two. 

=. 500 L A cops get tested for Covid in Malibu.

=. And some water customers above Malibu are going to have flow restrictors placed on their water pipes … if they don’t reduce water use. 

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

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ADU Decision Delayed 3 Months

If Malibu residents are hoping for some decision or clarity from City Hall on the controversial issue of ADUs — well … keep hoping.

An overloaded Malibu Planning Commission was unable to even get to the issue last night. 

It was 11:15 last night before the commission had plowed through a series of Woolsey Fire rebuilding projects.

Most of them were approved. 

But it was far too late into the night to begin talking about Granny Flats.  The matter was supposed to be discussed last Dec. 6.

California’s legislature has required that cities approve auxiliary dwelling units … rental units on residential lots.

There is a giant loophole for coastal cities … the law exempts cites under Coastal Commission oversight from adding ADUs.

But it looks like tier Coastal Commission wants the statewide ADU laws applied here as well.

Planning Commissioner Jeff Jennings last night said Malibu basically has two choices.  TIGHT

NEWSCART A733032 ADU JENNINGS 

“What is really comes down to is the fundamental question …; is whether Coastal expects us – as they told us – that we need to conform to the ADU statute to there maximum extent possible  … or are we going to basically keep our L-I-P provisions the same??”

L I P is the section of the Local Coastal Plan that the Coastal Commission uses to control zoning law along Malibu.

And it appears that Malibu may be forced … like every other city in the state … to come up with a plant allow homeowners to add small add-on apartments in what used to be single family residential neighborhoods. 

A lawsuit has already been filed against Malibu … alleging the city is improperly rejecting request for auxiliary housing units.

And this adds yet another month of delay … as the city tries to come up with local rules that comply with the intent of the state legislature as interpreted by the Coastal Commission.

Getting back to the fire rebuilds … the Planning Commission dealt with 11 requests from homeowners who lost their homes for permit extensions.

Case after case of sad stories.

One resident … Matthew Wood.

NEWSCART A73033 ADU MATTHEW WOOD 

“As the other fire victims anything that should take a week ends up taking half a year or more.  It’s really difficult navigating this process.”

Nearly all of the fire rebuild issues were permit extensions .,.. those were all granted.

One family that lost their home ran into trouble … however.

A basement office that was constructed without permits decades ago gave Planning Commissioners some problems. 

They asked for more information on that one.

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Malibu May Lease A House In LA For Homeless

Volunteers working on the city’s Homeless Task Force are suggesting that Malibu lease a house … somewhere in greater LA … to house homeless persons now living on the beaches and in the canyons in our city.

That’ the first choice of a group of Malibu residents … volunteering on an ad hoc committee that is grappling with the issue.

In order for Malibu to be able to enforce its laws against sleeping in public … it has to offer alternate sleeping location … ASLs. 

Kelly Pessis is a member of the city’s Homeless Task Force … and she recommends that a group house be set up somewhere in the San Fernando Valley or Westside.

Pessis points out that state law allows group homes to be set up … without having to go to another city to get permits. 

NEWSCART A73034 PESSIS HOMELESS  111  

“It’s modeled after a group or assisted living or senior housing … sober housing … Basically it’s on the principle of six beds per address … (It) doesn’t require any additional zoning or specialized permitting. It is specifically addressed in the counties group housing (rules).”

And she pointed to a group house set up by a social agency … not far from USC … near bus routes.

It’s an attractive house … well landscaped.

NEWSCART A73035 PESSIS HOMELESS 222

“This particular one is beautifully maintained and interestingly enough they are adopted by a local sorority who donates their time and goes over there regularly to help do some of the tasks around the shelter.”

Another member of the Homeless Task Force says the city is going to have to fund … not only beds … but social services for the people sleeping there instead of on the streets. 

Bill Winokur:

NEWSCART HOMELESS WINOKUR

“Merely offering an emergency beds was not enough. It’s important to certainly have that but if we don’t help provide other kinds of services we are ultimately just putting Band-Aids on allowing homeless people’s to sleep somewhere but we are doing nothing to start actively reducing the numbers of homeless.”

Without creating an alternative sleeping location plan… The county sheriff will not enforce Malibu’s anti-camping ordinances for homeless people. 

There is disagreement over whether federal court rulings in the Martin versus Boise decision actually require that… But that’s the way it’s being interpreted at the local level.

The task force recomendatiuons will eventually go to the malibu city council. 

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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.

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

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Topanga Beach Driveway: 500 LAPD Cops Get Tested

A drive-through Covid testing center was set up right next-door to Malibu to test about 500 Los Angeles police officers.

The testing center was set up earlier this week at Mastro’s Beach club in the parking lot near Topanga Beach. 

What was described as a fleet of mobile lab units… 15 of them… Test of the police officers.

Police from across West LA station drove there to get their tests. 

It was not open to the general public. 

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Tesla Driver On Auto Pilot Gets Charged With Homicide For Killing 2

The driver of a Tesla has been charged with vehicle or manslaughter for putting the car on automatic pilot and letting it run a red light in the South Bay area… Killing to innocent people.

The crash happened at a freeway offramp off the 405 Freeway at Vermont Avenue in Gardena.

This is believed to be the first Tesla driver to be charged with homicide or a crash that may have been caused by auto pilot.

The national Highway traffic safety administration has open investigation end of the crash. The Los Angeles Times reports that court documents do not mention auto pilot by name… But it appears that the Tesla’s auto pilot system had been involved engaged.

Teslas on auto pilot are frequently seen on PCH in Malibu. 

Although Tesla sells a $12,000 option called auto pilot… There is no commercially available car today that completely drive itself under US law.

Two people were killed in the crash… Gilberto Lopez and Maria Nieves Lopez. The driver… 27-year-old Kevin Riyadh… Has pleaded not guilty.

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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.

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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 .

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LV Water District May Slow Water To A Trickle For Water Pigs

In the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu… Water is delivered by the Los Virgenes Municipal Water District. And they appear to be getting very serious about enforcing water saving measures. 

The Los Virgenes district serves areas just outside the mouth of city limits all the way up to the 101 freeway… and cities like Agoura Hills and Calabasas. 

Statewide… Californians have been asked to conserve water use by 15% due to the drought. Las Virgenes customers not only refused to cut water use… but actually increased water use last summer. Los Virgenes gets nearly all of its water from the state water project… and due to the drought that state water delivery may be cut to zero this year. 

Now… the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District is putting their customers on  “water budgets” … based on how many people live in each residence… and how big their yards are. Customers who blow the water budget will be fined.

And if they repeatedly blow the water budget… The Los Virgenes district will install a flow restriction device at the water meter… and will deliver only a trickle of water to that customer.

The district says its customers are wealthy and do not really care if their bill for water goes up… or if they get a fine.

Maybe they will care if their toilets take an hour to fill up.

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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