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

=====

This newscast is in memory of Dylan Lyons … 24 … a reporter for Spectrum News 13 … shot and killed while news in Orange County, Florida.

His photographer … Jesse Walden … was critically injured.

 

Malibu Water Flow Resumes After A Few Tense Hours On PCH Pipeline

Malibu can breathe a sigh of relief … and then take a good shower.

L A County construction crews finished repairs to the main water feeder pipeline last night at 7:30.

The “no water use except for drinking and flushing” order needed last night … water has resumed flowing towards Malibu and Topanga Canyon … the storage tanks are being refilled.

The “do not use water” order was supposed to last 24 hours … as a new section of pipeline was connected to the 65 year old concrete pipe that serves Malibu.

But …

NEWSCART A73948

“When the completed pipework was being repaired a leak was discovered in the existing old pipe and it’s being repaired.”

County waterworks spokesman Steve Frasher said last night…  we were pretty close to the margin for error … in case of a fire …

NEWSCART A73948

“There is sufficient water too deal with an immediate fire emergency … now of course that does not cover a large scale emergency event …

“But if there is a household fire event there is sufficient water to respond to those kinds of problems.”

So. … how well did Malibu perform … yesterday … in conserving water???

We were told … actually ordered … to stop using water for anything other  than drinking … washing hands … flushing toilets … and short showers.

NEWSCART A73948 

“We can’t quantify the exact amount both in the initial stages of the construction that started two weeks ago and in the work that’s being done this week there has been readings that show considerable decrease in use which we very much appreciate.

“It allows for us to do the work without straining the amount of water that available for the community.”

Again … the pipe is fixed … water restriction in Malibu eased are back to the drought rules.

======

Support for Radio Malibu KBUU comes from the Mark and Grether Real Estate Group.

Combining the talents of Tony Mark and Russell Grether…

The Mark and Grether Group offers concierge-level service… personalized attention… to buyers and sellers… landlords and tenants … here in Malibu.

The Mark and Grether Group… a top producing team with 35 years of experience… and over $1 billion worth of real estate sold in least… from Malibu’s coastline to the canyons.

 

3 Emergency Beds For Homeless Persons In West LA County Will Allow Depurties To Enforce No Camping  Rule

Major progress on two vexing problems … caused by homeless persons in Malibu.

The sheriff’s office has been unable to cite people for camping illegally in Malibu … because it was not able to offer emergency shelter.

That’s about to change …

Three beds at a homeless shelter will be reserved for Malibu … and four other cities along the 101 Freeway.

Where is the homeless shelter???

Somewhere in Los Angeles… or Santa Monica … they will be part of the shelter system run by the Homeless Concern.

City public safety director Susan Duenas says the shelter beds are being funded by LA County Measure H tax revenue … filtering down to the fit e western LA County cities voia the Las Virgenes Malibu Council of Governments.

NEWSCART A73950 HOMELESS SD

“Those beds are funded by a Measure H grant through our Los Virgenes-Malibu Council of Governments grant fund.

“And it’s taking a little bit longer than anticipated to get the contract in place.

“(But) since the county declared a state of emergency based on homelessness … they were able to move that along faster.

“So we hopefully should be able to get those beds on line in early March … which is very fast tracked.

“We still have a way to go. “But we are waiting for is a check to come from the county.”

Local sheriff’s deputies have been told they cannot arrest people for setting up camp on public property … unless the city can offer emergency shelter.

In other news from the city Homelessness Task Force meeting … this week …

A large homeless camp above Malibu may soon be cleaned up by crews working for the City of Malibu.

With the bill tacked on to the landowner’s property tax bill.

The city of Malibu set a deadline of two days ago … for the owner of a vacant lot in Tuna Canyon to clean up a messy homeless camp.

The cleanup didn’t happen … and now the city attorney is going to court.

An abatement order … would allow the city to haul off the camp … which stands a good chance of washing into the Pacific Ocean if nothing is done.

The city could also put up fencing and maintain it …

The city is getting bids right now … from contractors … to do the work.

======

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. 

The tap room at Trancas Country Market is open…

A chef prepared menu to enjoy on the patio or inside.

Malibu Brewing Company Malibu California.

 

Blizzard In Malibu?  No.

Dusting Of Snow on Kanan?  Maybe.

2.5 Inches Of Rain?  Likely

The “Southern California blizzard” is all over the TV and social media.

NEWSCART A73949 BLIZZARD

“We are expecting that snow to combine with 50-75 mile an hour winds so we have that blizzard warning in effect.”

National Weather Service meteorologist Ariel Cohen in Oxnard… talking about what may be the worst snowstorm to hit the region in 25 years is right on schedule.

No snow for Malibu.

And if it snows in the montains above Malibu … it probably will get washed away by rain.

That schedule is for scattered showers today and tonight … sort of the pre-storm.

The National Weather Service flood watch goes into effect today at 10 … 50 percent chance of rain … mixed with periods of sun … today.

The main front will hit tomorrow night.

This is a vigorous storm. … possible waterspouts or thunderstorms.

Maybe hail.

The National Weather Service is predicting three and a half inches of rain for the Malibu coast…. 5 inches for the mountains.

The snow level will start out at just 15 hundred feet above sea level tonight … remember… Kanan Dume tops out at 17 hundred feet.

But by sunrise tomorrow … that will turn to rain … and the snow level will have gone up to above the Grapevine …. 4500 feet … by the height of the storm tomorrow.

Down here in Malibu … this slow moving system will pump moisture off of the Pacific Ocean … and as those clouds slam into the mountains … rain will fall at a rate of about a half inch per hour.

Thunderstorms are possible … with even stronger rain.

And the storm front may stall as it comes ashore … slamming Southern California with a full 24 to 36 hours of the heaviest rain over the region.

All told, two to five inches of rain will be on the coast.

Flooding of small streams and PCH will be possible with this rainfall.We haven’t talked about the wind yet.

They’ll be back tomorrow … and tomorrow night,

Strongest across the and deserts … where heavy snow will be falling. 

Wind gusts of 55 to 75 mph up there … with extraordinary snow amounts.

Expect the 5 to close over the Grapevine … and the 14 and 395 to Bishop will be treacherous. 

Last night we saw a 20 car pileup in the snow on the freeway to Palm Springs.

These are the first Blizzard Warnings in L-A County in 25 years.

And they look to be valid.

=====

Support for KBUU Radio comes from Sea N Soul Surf, at Zuma Beach Plaza

A coffee barista … the locals’ place to find entry level surfboards for a grom … or a handshaped blade for a pro. 

Sea N Soul Surf… clothing, coffee and boards for the Malibu lifestyle … under Spruzzo’s …across from Zuma Beach.

 

New SMC Malibu Campus Violating Dark Skies Ordinance, And Radio Candelabra Remains Illegal

The new Santa Monica College campus in Malibu is generating complaints to the city … about the number of lights blazing away at night.

At last night’s Planning Commission meeting … commissioner Kraig Hill said the campus is lit up in violation of the city’s Dark Skies ordinance.

NEWSCART A73945 DARK SKIES KH

“I drove by the college at night and noticed that it’s totally not dark sky compliance.

“It looks like a pinball machine lit up maybe we can do something about it.

“And even if we don’t have something legally we have an option I would hope that the college would look at it as doing the right thing … and make it comply if for no other reason as doing a good example for no other reason than that.”

Malibu officials were not in charge of inspecting the college building as it was built.

Because it is a school … the inspection duties were delegated to the Office of the State Architect.

And that office may have simply ignored the city’s Dark Skies Ordinance.

Commissioner John Mazza said he doesn’t understand that.

NEWSCART A73944 DARK SKIES JM

“Why wouldn’t we have control over the college?

“We had control over the high school … and dark skies covers the whole city.

“We gave them a CDP (Coastal Development Permit) for the college…

“We approved the variance for the colleges and I see nothing in there that exempted them from dark skies.”

The bright lights are not the only problem at the new Malibu College campus.

There is that ugly radio tower sticking out like a giant red and white middle finger on Civic Center Way. 

The radio tower is supposedly required for LA county sheriff’s communications …although that need is at best questionable from a technical standpoint. 

And it is a clear violation of the coastal development permit issued by the city.

Planning Director Richard Mollica.

NEWSCART A73946 COLLEGE RM

“They need address the issues of height and also the lighting as well as the color.

“Potentially what we have given the opportunity was … to comply… in other words lower the tower… repaint the tower … that resolves the issue.

“Or come back in to seek (to) amendments from the Planning Commission to the  CUP in an attempt to approve what’s out there.

So we’ve given them essentially those two routes and last I heard they were looking into that.

“Color is still an  issue … but at, least on the height … they were working on it … I do not know if that is going to be feasible.,

“That we are going have to work out and they are looking into lowering it…. I do not know if that is going to be feasible.

“That is not something we are about to sign off on.”

Planning Director Richard Mollica.

Residents who live near the radio tower are uniformly infuriated … by the giant red candelabra.

The radio tower is clearly not in compliance with city regulations … but the college says the FAA has told the sheriff the tower has to be moved out onto Civic Center Way … and painted red … because of the helipad at the rear of the new building.

=====

Support for KBUU Radio comes from Rancho del Cielo.

For 8 years … Rancho del Cielo has been a partner to public radio in the Malibu.

 

Palmdale Mayor Livid, As Santa Monica Proposed Building Its Low Income Housing In High Desert

In news from down the coast … Palmdale officials are furious that Santa Monica has begun talking about Santa Monica transferring state-mandated housing requirements to Palmdale in exchange for cash payments.

Working quietly … Santa Monica officials have brought up the topic with Palmdale.

Santa Monica has a lot of money … Palmdale has a lot of land … and the state has a requirement that Santa Monica build those houses in Palmdale.

What?

That’s what the mayor of Palmdale said … when the Santa Monica daily Press asked about the scheme. Palmdale Mayor Laura Bettencourt is adamanently against the proposal.

NEWSCART A73950 HOMELESS SM

“I am wholeheartedly 100% against this, and I would probably fight this with every breath in my body,” 

Palmdale Mayor Laura Bettencourt … as voiced by a KBUU reporter. 

The Palmdale City Manager last week said that Santa Monica had approached Palmdale with the idea … move some Santa Monica’s state mandated housing allocation out of the city and to another community.

Palmdale … in the Antelope Valley … 50 miles away in the high desert.

And one official said that if Palmdale won’t take the deal … santa Monica would take the cash offer to Lancaster.

It probably would take a change in state law to make the High Desert Shuffle happen… not to mention some significant change of opinion in the Antelope Valley. 

If the concept of Santa Monica building houses in Palmdale is a trial balloon … it just got shot down faster than a Chinese spy blimp.

=====

Support for KBUU radio comes from Saguaro Technology.

Based in Malibu … Saguaro Technology offers software development and other engineering services across the entire product life cycle… and across several industries.

Life sciences, automation, robotics.

Saguaro Technology engineers work side-by-side with the client to extend engineering teams… to create and launch products faster… and more cost effectively.

Saguaro Technology can be reached at saguarotech.net

 

State Will Send Malibu 35% Of Our Water Request, As Lakes Fill

The California Department of Water Resources on Wednesday announced that the State Water Project, which stores and delivers water to 29 water agencies that serve 27 million Californians, will be able to deliver 35% of water supply requested this year by those agencies.

And environmentalists are angry … 

The state Water Board has decided that cities and farmers would get more water from the Sacramento delta …

Water released into the delta and ocean … for endangered salmon and other fish . Will be cut back.

That move came after Gov. Gavin Newsom suspended key environmental laws.

But it may become academic … as California’s main water supply is getting hammered by heavy storms … filling reservoirs.

=======

Catalina Takes 86 MPH Gust, High Surf Forecast For Bu

Did you check out that ocean yesterday ???
Those were hurricane force winds … 

The top of Catalina Island took an 86 mile an hour wind gust.

83 miles an hour at little Santa Barbara Island.

69 miles an hour at Oxnard Airport.

56 miles an hour at Leo Carrillo Beach in Malibu.

50 miles an hour at Zuma Beach … 

54 at LAX.

And this must have been fun … a peak wind gust of 66 miles an hour on one of the bridges at the L A Harbor. 

High surf continues to clobber the Malibu coast.

An official high surf advisory goes up at 10 tomorrow morning for large surf … 4 to 7 feet … and the peak rainfall arrives.

High tide today … 6.1 feet … at 11:18 A-M.

And a higher tide … 6.6 feet … tonight at 7 minutes before midnight.

The next major tide will be at 34 minutes after midnight … early Saturday morning.

 

=====

=====

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.

====

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