=.  The Malibu High School plans go before the Planning Commission tonight.

=.  The school superintendent urges parents to voice their support for the new school.

=.  A helicopter buzzes the mountains north of Zuma … we’ll tell you why.

=.  MRCA shows up to build a new beach access at Escondido Beach Friday.

=.  The city showed up to ask for building permits … blocking construction for now. 

=.  Slight chance of monsoon thunderstorms this morning … that will disappear into a muggy and hazy summer day … 

=.  Some 7 foot mashers coming up from Baja … 

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

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7 Foot Sets Possible As TStorms Nudge Up The Coast This Morning

There is a hurricane swell … sets of 7 foot waves from the south possible.

And a monsoon flow is up … that means we might have a very small chance of a beach thunderstorms today.

This morning along the coast … this afternoon in there inland valleys.

Chance of beach lightning this morning …. If thunder developers get off the beach … that is deadly.

Chance of thurnderstorms in Malibu this morning is 20%… And that drops to 0% by this afternoon.

Photos Show City Blocking Apparent MRCA Power grab At Escondido Beach

Late last week … an attempt by an outside parks agency to build a new beach access stairway at Escondido Beach were blocked by the City of Malibu. 

Photos taken by local residents and posted on Next Door show that a construction crew … apparently hired by the MRCA … was blocked from installing new fencing … and extensive concrete work … along PCH next to the Escondido Creek bridge. 

In the photo … a city employee apparently telling the workers to get a city permit. 

The MRCA and the city of course are at cross purposes here. 

MRCA is a parks agency run by two municipal governments up in Ventura County … it was basically created by the state leglislalture to increase beach access no matter what the city of Malibu says.

The city wants to protect its residents and enforce its city codes ….

MRCA … has the power to create its now public access plan … and it has been itching to set up any possible confrontation with the City of Malibu over beach access.

In fact … last year the MRCA sent a planner to a Malibu city council meeting to announce their plan to open 7 new beach accessways … and improve 10 existing pathways to the beach.

The MRCA official warned that the agency plans to implement a Public Works Plan on the city and its residents.

A P W P is a type of coastal plan provided by under the Coastal Act …

It would allow the  M R C A to approve its own plan for development along the coast … paralleling and bypassing the city’s coastal plan as approved by the Coastal Commission.

The MRCA’s Public Works Plan …. According two the agency … would bypass the City of Malibu entirely on its plans.

M R C A would open 7 new beach accessways … and improve 10 existing pathways to the beach.

This appears to be one of those projects.

Friday’s little stunt can probable be chalked up to the continuing circus … of provocations and reactions between the MRCA and the city.

The outside parks agency has a three decade track record of 

No word yet from the city as to what the status is.

But there is a planning commission meeting this evening … and we expect an update.

Planning Commission Will Dissect Malibu High Plans Tonight

And the big story … the Malibu Planning Commission gets to process the Malibu High School classroom permit … and the associated demolition plan for Juan Cabrillo Elementary School … tonight. 

The district has plans to demolish Juan Cabrillo … built 60 years ago … and replace it the new senior high school classroom structure.

It’s a 160 million dollar plan right now … but that development pot is being diminished every month as constriction inflation puts the district in a very tight place.

It wither gets there plus approved now … or it risks running out of money,. 

On the other side is a Malibu Planning Commission that has already complained about being put in the position of being the bad guy … for doing its job,

It’s job is to review the construction plans for compliance with the brand new zoning for the high school site …. The specific area plan that was adopted by a divided Malibu city council just last week.

In that new zoning plan… The city Council specifically ruled that a two-story hi classroom building… With some mechanical equipment on the roof… Could be built on the Cabrio site.

Some vents over science labs will need exhaust vents that go above the structure …. But the building itself will be about 22 feet high.

The height and mass of the new classroom building is a major problem for some neighbors.

But it is substantially the same as the existing elementary school …. Particularly the cafetorium now scheduled for demmolition.

And the new project complies with both the city’s zoning code and the Malibu LCP — there Coastal Commission planning document that overlies the entire city off Malibu. 

The meeting starts tonight at 6:30 on the city’s Zoom computer platform.

SMMUSD Chief Tells Parents Their Support Carried The City Council Last Week, Urges Same Tonight At Planning

Santa Monica School Superintendent Ben Drati credits parents and what he called a “strong show of support” in helping get the Malibu Middle and High School Specific Plan approved at Monday night’s City Council Meeting.

Drati sent a letter to parents over the weekend that claimed “without the numerous letters and emails from the community, and the eloquence of the public speakers before the Council, it is doubtful that we would be celebrating the approval of the Specific Plan this week.”

Drati urged parents to send emails to the Planning Commission and to plan to speak at tonight’s meeting. 

Opposition to the project has largely gone underground. 

No much noise last week on the Internet.

SOme neighbors contend 2 stories is too high for Malibu’s rural character.

Others say they school is designed for too many kids … as the student count has dropped precipitously in recent years … even before the Woolsey Fire. 

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An unusual newscast the morning … we were out for a week with Covid … and missed some big stories ….. and some small stories. 

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Among the stories we missed last week ….

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On Tuesday …. A takeover robbery at a high end store at Cross Creek. 

The Maxfield store got relieved …. reportedly of a half million dollars of designer handbags. 

A gang of at least six men and women burst into the store …. Grabbed the high end goods… and ran across the street to another parking lot.

Two getaway cars were described.

No reports of any weapon being displayed.

No injuries.

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Last week …. A helicopter was spotted in Zuma County and the mountains north of Zuma Beach.

Some people were concerned and called the sheriffs office. 

It was a charter … reportedly being used to conduct a photo research project on invasive plants.

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The LA County Public Health Department is poised to enact sweeping mask mandates as early as July 29.

The number of hospitalizations, outbreaks in workplace and skilled nursing facilities, and her growing case rate among low-income residents.

All of those are combining to put LA COunty into a higher level of concern.

If the County stays in that high concern category for two weeks, masking orders resume.

The new rules would be a return to the indoor mask mandates of 2020 and 2021.

That includes “all indoor spaces, including shared office spaces, manufacturing facilities, retail stores and at indoor events.”

“Indoor areas of restaurants and bars, children’s programs and educational settings would also need to institute universal indoor masking as well,” according to Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.

City Will Explain Dark Skies ordinance To Commercial Properties Wed PM

Malibu’s dark skies ordinance takes effect this October… But we’ve been saying that the dark skies ordinance was coming for 10 years now. 

One delay after another has prevented enforcement of the ordinance… designed to return Malibu to the nights when the Milky Way was clearly visible. 

The arrival of trophy homes with extensive landscaping has ruined that… some of these places are lit up like prisons.

Despite the enactment 10 years ago of an ordinance aimed at controlling outdoor lighting … the city Council for the first time is going to enforce the ordinance this fall … 

and that’s gonna mean some changes for homeowners and for businesses. 

The city is scheduling an informational session on Wednesday for commercial property owners to learn about their obligations. 

It’ll be 4 o’clock Wednesday afternoon… On the computers… Will have a link.

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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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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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