KBUU NEWS Mon Mar 28

=.  Roads open and clear so far as the big march rainstorm arrives at 6:30.

=.  A homeless person dies in the fog at a Point  Dume shopping Center … 

=.  That’s 36 hours after a city councilman says the city homeless task force should not be concerned with helping the homeless. 

=.  School kids will be given a take-in exam over spring break … a Covid 19 antigen test.

=.  Workers at 2 grocery stores in Malibu may walk out … after a strike vote is approved. 

=.  And a Malibu mermaid statue gets an emphatic thumbs down from a city commission. 

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

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A person died over the weekend at Point Dume Plaza.

The sheriff’s office says they got a call from a concerned passerby about the possibly lifeless body … at 6 am in front of the Pavilions grocery store. 

No name has been released by the county coroner. 

The man may have been a familiar person to many … a homeless man who frequented Point Dume … according to social media speculations.

KBUU does not broadcast the name of fatalities until families are notified. 

This note of context … the death of the elderly man in the weather at Point Dume came the same week that the Malibu city council approved a plan to set up a shelter somewhere … not in Malibu … so that homeless people can be helped out of town … or arrested.

One city councilman … Bruce Silverstein … at that meeting summed up the opinion of many in the city.:

NEWSCART A73214 HLESS BS 

“The purpose of the task force is to find ways to help our residents be safe from the problems associated with people living unhoused in the city. The task force’s purpose is -not- to find ways to help the unhoused. Community.  Um… it’s great if we can do that … but that is not the purpose of the task force. “

City councilman Bruce Silverstein .. clearly talking about what he sees to be the role of the city’s Homelessness Task Force. 

But those views can be fairly extended to the views of many voters in the city.

That remark came 36 hours before the man was found dead at Point Dume.

Who was the man??? Where is his family???  Was he a homeless person from outside Malibu, or a Malibu resident battling personal demons?

We might get a name out of the coroner’s office … but unless his family comes forward … we probably will not learn much more than that.

Malibu Schools Get Take Home Test For Spring Break: Covid-19 Antigen

Malibu public school students are going to take an unusual test before they can walk in the door after spring break.

The two-week break starts next Monday.

And when the kids come back on April 18th … they will have to present negative results from a Covid 19 antigen test to get back on campus. 

The antigen tests are being delivered today … to students’ homes. 

The district is telling students and employees to keep this kit during spring break … and wait to test as described until the morning of return from our brea.

Everyone is supposed to take the COVID-19 rapid Antigen test that morning. 

A positive test will show two lines in the result area … the district is asking people to Please look closely at the test. 

A positive test is not always obvious and may include a very faint, barely visible second line. 

People with positive COVID-19 test is positive, please do not return to school and/or work. Please stay home and contact your school nurse and/or the District Coordinating Nurse. 

In addition … more tests will be handled out there Saturday before Spring break ends … that would be Saturday April 16 ,,, at Malibu High School.

The antigen test will be passed out during second period class today at Malibu high. Again the test to be used the morning of Monday, April 16 and will be used as a ticket to get back on campus.

2 Supermarkets May Go On Strike Soon

Malibu may see a grocery strike at the pavilions market on point Dume… and at Ralph’s at the Civic Center.

Overt the weekend … roughly 47 thousand members ion the United Food and Commercial Workers Union authorized a strike.

Contract negotiations are scheduled to resume Wednesday.

The two supermarkets in Malibu are among the 500+ stores in Southern California that are covered by the union contract that is up for negotiation right now.

Ralph’s is owned by Kroger’s… And pavilions is owned by Albertson’s… Two firms that have racked up record-breaking profits in the billions.

The unions want wage increases of five dollars an hour… The supermarkets are offering $.60 per hour.

Strikes against those two supermarkets have happened before.

Malibu’s other two markets… Whole Foods and vintage market… are under different contracts and would not be affected. 

Same story for Trader Joe’s.

Santa Monica Man Wildlife Bridge Construction Starts April 22

April 22 is when construction will begin on the long awaited bridge to connect a wildlife corridor from the Santa Monica mountains across the 101 freeway to the outside world. On Friday… Caltrans and the national wildlife Federation… Along with other groups… Unveiled the construction schedule

This is a massive project. It will start with relocating underground drainage pipes along the 101 freeway… without closing any of the 10 lanes.

The wildlife federation joined the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, National Park Service, City of Agoura Hills, Caltrans and other partners in creating plans and cobbling together funds for the massive project.

The April 22 groundbreaking will be broadcast virtually. 

It will take place from 10-11 a.m. … and a public celebration will follow at King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with no registration required.

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You are listening to the latest news from radio Malibu… FM 99.1 KBUU.

Arts And Culture Commission Says – Well, Nothing Good – About Maloibgu Mermaid Statue Offer

An update on the Malibu mermaid statue …

Last week … it died an ignoble death. 

City Cultural Arts commissioners were less than enthused with the suggestion that the City accept the clay sculpture crafted by loial artist Kathie Lawrence …

Considerably less than enthused.

The statue of the mermaid … looks remarkably like a topless Tinkerbell with a fish tail … was offered to he city by her husband … Fireball Tim Lawrence.

NEWSCART A73197  TIM LAWRENCE

“The reason that inspired this… this Malibu mermaid… is to have a story… to have a reason for people to come to Malibu. To experience all that we love so much to be able to convey that we have a story in back of that… So that people would have something that they could shoot for. Because right now the only thing that Malibu has is the pier.”

That landed like a lead balloon.

After Lawrence left the meeting … to avoid a conflict of interest …  the commissioners spoke … and they could not agree with that at all.

Graham Clifford.

NEWSCART A73216 MERMAIN GRAHAME CLIFFORD

“I don’t think this represents Malibu. I certainly don’t think it should be put on a pedestal as a Malibu something another. I think if it’s part of something else fine. And I don’t think the city should pay any costs concerned with it.”

The mermaid statue on city property … not going to happen.

There wasn’t even a motion offered to recommend it.

Water Board Official Took $70k From Boeing, Just Before Her Agency Gives Boeing A Huge Discount On Woolsey Water Pollution Fine

A Los Angeles woman with a history in Malibu is being accused of a major thousand dollar conflict of interest by environmental activists.

The woman is Irma Munoz … who is chairwoman of the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy … a parent agency of the MRCA.

Munoz sits on several board of directors … including the Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy and the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

She runs a charity called Mujuers de la Tierra … a Los Angeles organization that shares its office with MRCA facilities in the downtown LA area.

A few years back … Mujeres de la Tierra got a 70 thousand dollar contribution from the Boeing Company.

When the Woolsey fire broke out in 2018 … It broke out on property owned by Boeing north of Malibu. 

We’re talking about the environmental disaster known as the Santa Susanna field lab… a former rocket engine testing center that is covered with toxic chemicals. There’s even some radioactive material up there… courtesy of a 1959 nuclear meltdown at a small test generating station. 

Santa Susanna is right next to the Malibu Creek watershed. 

Now… an environmental group is charging that Boeing escaped being fined by the state for allowing toxic water to run off from the site.

Here’s the background … according to the Ventura County Star.

The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a $128,500 in fines against Boeing related to the 2018 Woolsey Fire.

When a hearing was conducted by the board … its chairwoman did not disclose the payment from Boeing to her company.

Then … the Water Board reduced assessed fines against Boeing for the water pollution violations from $154,250 to $25,750.

Munoz was the chairwoman,  She did not recuse herself. 

Irma Muñoz, who declined to comment.

Aerospace giant Boeing also declined to comment.

The story is based on a report in the Ventura County Star.

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Support for KBUU radio… For eight years now… Has come from Rancho Del Cielo. Perched high above the Pacific Ocean and overlooking Paradise Cove… Rancho Del Cielo is a partner bringing public radio to the Malibu.

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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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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.

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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.

KBUU NEWS Mon Mar 28

=.  Roads open and clear so far as the big march rainstorm arrives at 6:30.

=.  A homeless person dies in the fog at a Point  Dume shopping Center … 

=.  That’s 36 hours after a city councilman says the city homeless task force should not be concerned with helping the homeless. 

=.  School kids will be given a take-in exam over spring break … a Covid 19 antigen test.

=.  Workers at 2 grocery stores in Malibu may walk out … after a strike vote is approved. 

=.  And a Malibu mermaid statue gets an emphatic thumbs down from a city commission. 

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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