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

27 Covid Tests Are Positive At High School and Middle School

Just four weeks to the end of school … with finals near and advanced placement tests underway… and Malibu High has a budding outbreak of Covid 19.
27 students and staff workers came down with positive test results at some point this week.
That’s about 2 percent of the student body,
The most recent on campus testing found 7 students to test positive with the virus.
Another 2 positive students next door at Malibu Middle School.
Three staff members tested positive as well.
The on-campus testing bring this week’s total at the two schools to 23 student cases and 4 staff cases.
Children who are exposed must wear masks all day … and that appears to mean the entire two campuses.
The mask requirement to be in effect through the end of the year.
At least one positive test came up after a field trip for some kids … an end of the year trip to Magic Mountain.

====

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.
Their Happy Days Honey Blonde is a light dry traditional blonde ale… Brew with local wildflower honey from the Santa Monica mountains.
Find Malibu Brewing Company premium craft beer in select retailers, or order direct at brew malibu dot com

Uhring Proposes 37.5% City Fund Cut For Boys And Girls Club, Pierson Agrees

The Malibu Boys and Girls faces a 37.5 percent cut in city funding … under a proposal from two city council members.
City councilman Steve Uhring is behind the budget whack.
He says it’s not fair that the Boys And Girls Club soaks up more than half of the 150 thousand dollars in discretionary funds that the city hands out every year to Malibu charity groups.
The club runs after school and mental health programs … programs that in most other cities are run by the cities themselves.
At a special finance committee meeting yesterday … Uhring said its time for the Boys And Girls Club to rely more on its other fundraising efforts.

NEWSCART A73385 BOYSGIRLS UHRING 111

“So my basic approach was I took the boys and girls club (proposed) grant of $80,000 and I reduced that to $50,000. And I think that is still considerably more than any other organization on that chart is getting.
“And over the course of the spreadsheet that they gave us … you know the Boys and Girls club got $400,000 where other organizations are barely getting 10.
“So they have not been short-changed in this process.
“The other part of my thinking was the Boys and Girls Club has other courses of income.
“They get money from the Chili Cook Off that we contribute to.
“They get money from the Library Foundation… They get money from the marathon and the other places.
“So they have a number of other routes to get money. They’re big enough… They are well known. “

The city council has already boosted the budget for Malibu nonprofits from $150,000-$200,000 for one year only.
But even with that 33 percent increase in available funding … Uhring proposed a 37 percent whack to the Boys And Girls Club budget.
Among groups that would get city money next year would be the Adamson House Foundation … American Tortoise Rescue … the Do Good Bus … and the P-T-As at Malibu and Webster elementary schools.
Malibu Urgent Care and Malibu Search and Rescue would be funded.
26 groups and agencies all in all.
Uhring proposed the 30 thousand dollar haircut for the Boys And girls Club … but said the city might want to consider other options.

NEWSCART A73386 BOYSGIRLS UHRING 2222

“If we think we have to fund Boys and Girls Club with more money… I’ve got no problem with doing with that. But I don’t want to do that at the expense of the other organizations who I think deserve a chance to make Malibu a better place.”

The other member of the City councils administration in finance committee is Mikke Pierson.
And he went along with Uhring’s budget changes… He said it was a good compromise.
The city council’s recommendations now go up for the entire city council to consider.
These are the recommended expenditures for the $200,000 in city funds, as proposed by Steve Uhring and endorsed by Mikke Pierson

(ALL NAMES SPELLED PHONETICALLY):
Adamson House Foundation $9,500
American Tortoise Rescue $2,500
Aurelia Foundation $2,000
Boys and Girls Club of Malibu $50,000
California Wildlife Center $5,000
Call to Peace $5,000
Counselor Support Community $1,000
Cavallo $8,500
Child Lifesaving Foundation $5,000
Do Good Bus $2,000
Emily Shane Foundation $2,000
Esperance Center $2,000
Malibu Aquatics Foundation $6,000
Malibu Arts Foundation $5,500
Malibu Community Labor Exchange $10,000
Malibu Elementary School PTA $18,000
Malibu Friends of Music $3,000
Malibu Search And Rescue $14,500
Malibu Urgent Care $10,000
Malibu Womens Club $4,500
Manta Publications $3,000
Meals On Wheels West $3,500
Poison Free Malibu $5,000
Sea Save Foundation $3,500
Shark Fund $10,000
Webster PTA $9,000

=====

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.

Surprise!  Ultra-Luxury Homebuilder Complains Of Noise At City Skatepark Next Door

The inevitable conflict between a skateboard park and mega mansions next door is rearing its head at the city parks Commission.
The owner of five super mansions being built next to Malibu Bluffs Park is not happy with plans for a skatepark being designed for next to the project.
Scott Gillen … the builder of the multimillion dollar houses … had to give up the land for the skatepark in order to get permission to build the five houses next to Bluffs Park.
Robert Gold … who works for Giullen … says the existing temporary skate park is violating agreements that Gillen made with the city

NEWSCART A73388 SKATE 2222

“I know there are rules of conduct and rules of use. Have those rules been enforced? We have noticed many violations of them.
“And really the idea is really to get ahead of the process so that when the skate park comes online we’ve talked to a lot of these things the design issues have been gone through so that when you go to the planning commission we can all be on the same page.”
And what’s worse … in his opinion … is that the city is designing a permanent skate park … even closer to the half billion dollar’s worth of mansion. … that will be loud and obnoxious.

NEWSCART A73387 SKATE 1111

“The skate park that has been designed in the EIR is pretty completely below grade in order to minimize visual and noise impacts. And what we’ve seen on the city’s web site to date is not a skate park that reflects that design.”

Robert Gold … speaking on behalf of Scott Gillen … who owns the half billion dollars worth off mansions now under construction right next door to the temporary skate park … and proposed new skate park.

=====

Support for Radio Malibu KBUU comes from the Mark & Grether Group.
The Mark & Grether Group is a small tightly knit team… based in Malibu… with full-time marketing and operations staff to deliver exceptional results and smooth real estate transactions.
Mark & Grether Group… a top producing team with 35 years of experience and over $1 billion of real estate sold and leased …. from Malibu’s coastline to the canyons.

Should City Encourage Hiking On Its Vacant Land? One Parks Commissioner Says Not Yet

Invasive bushes … more than a ton of garbage … even a very old abandoned refrigerator … have been removed from a city-owned vacant lot near Trancas Canyon.
Castor beans and tree tobacco had overtaken the arroyo … west of Trancas Canyon Road.
Te city has owned the lot for years … it bought the land to settle lawsuits over vsariopus developers’ plans to build houses on it.
Most of the money to pay for the cleanup came through a federal grant made to a Ventura County.
City staffer Chris Orosz says 20 thousand dollars in grant money made to Ventura County was out to work in Malibu.

NEWSCART A73391 TRANCAS WEEDS OROSZ

“The funding actually came through the federal Workforce Innovative and Opportunity act and that was actually through the County of Ventura,. over there to do the work her. That funding was through the County of Ventura and it hired people from the County of Ventura to do the work here. The idea was to give provide them with opportunities that they would not normally be able to do… normally.”

Apparently … there was no opportunity to hack away at castor bean bushes or tree tobacco in Ventura County.
The city kicked in 26 hundred dollars for tools and the trash disposal bin.
That bin was necessary because it turns out that the ravine had more than a ton of accumulated garbage … including an ancient refrigerator that had been filled with debris.
City parks officials say they will keep visiting the vacant land west of Trancas Canyon road … to pluck new castor bean bushes and tree tobacco from emerging.
For decades… People have been walking across the vacant land and creating impromptu trails. One Parks and Recreation commissioner said it would be a good idea for the city to mow the paths… Because fox tails this year are very sick and they’re getting into the paws of animals on the trail.
But one city parks commissioners yesterday said that’s a bad idea.
Dane Skophammer:

NEWSCART A73389 TRANCAS WEEDS SKOPHAMMER

“I still don’t think that we should be spending any money or time maintaining something that’s not a park… Sending people into to mow or clear the paths that are there doesn’t make a lot of sense to me … because then it will be a default park and I don’t think that’s a good position for parks and rec to be in (inaudible).”

Skophammer was speaking at last night’;s parks commission meeting.

====

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.

UCLA Health Wants To Add Sunscreen Dispensers At City Parks

Eleven dispensers with free sunscreen are likely going to be placed at various Malibu parks.
U C L A Health is paying for the dispensers … and will supply the sunscreen.
A company called Bright Guard has been hired by UCLA Health … says spokesman Alex Beck.
A postcard-sized ad will say that the free sunscreen is furnished by UCLA Health and the City.
Beck says these dispensers have been in use in Santa Monica for years for free.

NEWSCART A73380 SUNSCREEN ALEX BECK

“Skin cancers is one of the most unique cancers that can be prevented.
“If you have five blister burns in your early youth … your chances for developing skin cancers more than doubles.
“Whereas that can be prevented with access to sunscreen.
“So it truly has an impact.
“In Santa Monica we have provided over 100 gallons of free sunscreen to the local population.”

If approved by the city council …. sunscreen dispensers would be maintained by the company at seven parks … including the pool and field at Malibu High.
No cost to the public … the school or the city government.
Beck … incidentally … is a Malibu High graduate.

===

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.

The Passion Of The Sheriff: Villanueva TV Ad Has Candidate Praying In Church

Has L A County Sheriff Alex Villanueva been endorsed by the Catholic Church in his re-election campaign?
That is the clear implication from an ad just dropped by the sheriff’s re-election campaign.
Villanueva’s commercial features a very pious candidate … it’s full of religious symbols … including stained glass and pews.
In it … the political candidates is praying to holy Jesus as heavenly church music fills in behind.

NEWSCART A73392 ALEXPRAY

“Lord:
“Give me the strength to protect the public from violent crime.
‘Lord:
‘Give me the strength to humility and patience to not let the naysayers from preventing our brave and women from serving with honor.”

The First Amendment allows Villanueva or the church to say whatever they want.
But federal tax laws prohibit churches from endorsing political candidates if they want to keep their tax exempt status.
The archdiocese of Los Angeles rushed out a statement yesterday.
It said “the video was filmed without the appropriate approvals of the Archdiocese.
“Archdiocesan policy prohibits any filming of ads on archdiocesan property for candidates running for office.
“The Archdiocese does not endorse or participate in political candidates’ campaign activity.”
The Archdiocese stopped short of asking Villanueva to pull the ad.