=.  Malibu’s city council may jettison in person meetings after all.

=.  Sheila Kuehl blasts Malibu over plans for Malibu homeless people.

=.  This as she urged camping in the Malibu hills … and prison inmates in the Malibu mountains.

=.  Alex Villanueva gets two major setbacks … slapped by the courts and also by an auditor.

=.  And a mountain lion is killed on the 405 this morning … the 90 million dollar 101 bridge construction starts tomorrow.

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

BROADCAST THU APR 21 AT 7:15AM – POSTED AT 9:15 PM IT’S BEEN A LONG DAY.

After Approving Camping And Announcing Malibu Prison, Sheila Kuehl Attacks City On Homeless Shelter Concept

Two days ago … county supervisor Sheila Kuehl infuriated many Malibu residents over herr move to allow camping in the foothills … and over her plans to house up to 150 juvenile murders … rapists and other serious criminals … in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Now … the county supervisor is attacking Malibu for its plans to shelter the homeless in other cities.

And the city homelessness task force may be taking a bit of a fig leaf … to deflect that criticism.

In a statement made earlier this week to KCRW radio … Kuehl blasted Malibu’s plans to use homeless shelters in Santa Monica or Los Angeles.

Here is the county supervisor’s broadside against Malibu … as voiced by a KBUU reporter:

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“Expelling people experiencing homelessness, and, adding insult to injury by trying to find someone else to pay for it, is simply outrageous.

“It’s unproductive, uncollaborative, inhumane, and irresponsible.

“It’s hard to think of a more flagrant abnegation of the city’s responsibility to all its residents or a policy that shows less commitment to our shared objective of ending homelessness.”

On Tuesday … the Malibu Task Force on Homelessness asked the city council to fund beds … using city money.

And they said the beds should be at an existing shelter.

That dodges the issue of inside or outside the city limits. 

As public safety director Susan Duena .,.. and homelessness task force member Kelly Pessis put it …

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DUENAS: “One ion the other options that the ad hoc (committee) identified was to secure an existing site facility with existing beds at an exiting facility outside the city limits. I think that’s closer to what’s in your motion.

PESSIS: “Can you take out ‘outside Malibu’ because we have no existing beds here in Malibu and that will keep the press from coming down on us.”

Whether the city specifies that the  is really no issue at all … because there is only one agency that is interested in helping Malibu house its homeless.

That is The People Concern … which has the existing contract for homeless outreach and help in Malibu. 

And it only operates a shelter in Santa Monica. 

Getting back to Sheila Kuehl … after she blasted Malibu on KCRW … we reached out to her office.

Where exactly should Malibu open a homeless shelter … with job counseling… mental counseling … job training and warm beds and food?

What is her plan?

We got a polite reply … but no response to that specific question.

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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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Mountain Lion Killed On 405 Freeway 35 Hours Before 101 Freeway overpass Groundbreaking

One day before groundbreaking for a wildlife bridge on the 101 freeway … a mountain lion was struck and killed by a driver on the 405 Freeway in Brentwood early today.

The cougar was struck on southbound lanes near Getty Center Drive around 1 a.m. 

You’re going to be hearing a whole lot about mountain lions and the 101 Freeway in the next three days.

A media feeding frenzy is being readied for the groundbreaking for the 101 Freeway wildlife overpass … the grand ceremony is tomorrow morning.

Freeway ramps at Liberty Canyon will be closed … and Agoura Road will be a traffic nightmare … for the big event.

That new crossing will be a huge project … leaping across the 101 Freeway’s 10 lanes and 300,000 vehicles per day.

And it may be there first of several.

Strudies are underway on building wildlife opcverpasses or underpasses at the 101 Freeway at the Camarillo Grade … another wildlife corridor between the Santa Monica mountains and the wild mountains to the north.

Wildlife bridges may also be built along he 118 Freeway near Simi Valley.  the Simi Hills, north of the 101 Freeway, from the Santa Susana Mountains. … and along the 5 Freeway in the Santa Clarita area …. where the freeway separates natural areas to the east and west.

Embattled Villanueva Spanked By Court Of Appeal, Told To Submit To Civilian Authority, as  County Auditor Faults Him On His Private Home Helipad

Two setbacks for embattled L A County sheriff Alex Villanueva.

The state Court of Appeal has ordered the elected sheriff to show up and testify under oath … about renegade gang-like groups of deputies that operate in the Sheriff’s Department.

State law requires Viullanueva to submit to civilian oversight … and L A County voters have overwhelmingly given the county watchdog … the county inspector general … subpoena power over the sheriff.

Villanueva has claimed all this is political theater … and argued that the state law did not apply too him.

Wrong … said the 2nd District Court of Appeal. denied his latest challenge to a more than year-old watchdog subpoena.

“He’s been ordered to do so,” Villanueva’s attorney Linda Savitt said Wednesday. “He will do so.”

The development is a major blow to Villanueva, who has been challenging the inspector general’s subpoena authority, both in court and by not showing up when he’s summoned. He has called the subpoenas politically motivated and harassing.

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Support for KBUU’s radio comes from the Mark & Grether Group.  

Combining the talents of Tony Mark and Russell Grether …. the Mark & Grether Group offers concierge level service and personalized attention to buyers and sellers, landlords and tenants here in Malibu. 

The 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.

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And ….

Sheriff Alex Villanueva was not telling the truth when he said that his office built a helipad next to his house … for his emergency use .. with the permission of the land’s owner and the local city.

That’s the result of an audit … conducted by the  LA County auditor-controller.

Villanueva had said the Southern California Gas Company gave its permission for the county to build the helipad on its land … near Villanueva’s house in Hacienda Heights.

The sheriff also said it was built with the permission of the City of Hacienda Heights. 

Not true … says the audit.

Villanueva also failed to get a helipad permit from LA County and Caltrans … as also required by state law. 

The sheriff’s office said the emergency helipad was needed to extract the sheriff from his house in case unruly demonstrators surrounded it.

The Los Angeles Times reported last February that the owners of the land had sent a cease and desist order to the county … when they discovered the sheriff’s office had constructed the helipad without permits and on their land … without permission. 

Yesterday … The Times reported that the sheriff’s office now says it “agrees with the Auditor-Controller’s recommendation to improve its contracting process.”

Villanueva is running for re-election … he is in effect the appointed police chief for the city of 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

City Has $16 Million In County Funds Reserved For Library, Rosenthal Wants To Help Poor Kids In LA With 3% Of It – Mazza Opposes The Charity

Malibu’s library has amassed 16 million dollars in tax money that can only be spent on library services … in Malibu.

State law sets aside 2.4 percent of property tax revenue for library services … and Malibu’s library system is flush to the tune of 16 million dollars.

Some of that money is envisioned by the city for a possible branch library in western Malibu.

But unlike any other city in LA County … Malibu is sitting on a pile of money.

Former mayor Laura Rosenthal … who sits on the county library foundation board … is asking malibu to step up with a half million dollars of that to benefit underserved children and seniors join other cities. 

That would be 3.1 percent of the Malibu money ,,. donated to a countywide endowment that would fund literacy services, extended hours and other help to libraries in less affluent cities.

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“This really is for all of LA County and it will help provide services that we take for granted here in Malibu – at our library-  to the rest of the library system.

“These are places that don’t have the extended hours, that we have don’t have the programs that we have, and I’m especially looking at programs for kids and for seniors.”

Not a good idea … says John Mazza.

He appeared at city hall yesterday to say Malibu money should be spent only in Malibu.

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“When you consider giving away $500,000 of our money … remember that there are 9500 people in (Malibu) in a county of 14 million …. and as I understand it … not one other city is giving any money.

“Not one.

“So it’s a burden on the taxpayer… A mandatory tax on the citizens of Malibu.”

Laura Rosenthal countered that spending Malibu money to benefit all of LA County also benefits Malibu.

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“This is going to help people that are kids are growing up with  … that our kids are going to be interacting with … that they are going to depend on for services – for all kinds of services – whether it’s in the grocery store whether it’s legal services their doctors whatever it is as we can help these areas in the cities that don’t have any extra money.

“We have an abundance of riches in Malibu .. In our library set aside funds that we get from the county every year.”

Rosenthal said the money is set by state law for Library services… And city officials said Malibu is the only city in the county with a gigantic surplus like this. Most cities have no money at all.

The matter was discussed by a City Council subcommittee yesterday… and will go before the city Council at some point.

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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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Wither Covid 19 In Malibu?  Hard To Tell

What is happening in Malibu .,.. in regards to Covid 19?

It’s hard to tell.

Thew testing figures released by the county are no longer relevant … as they largely do not count self tests.

The tests for all the Malibu school kids and teachers … conducted four days ago … are not analyzed yet by the school district.

Statewide … the number of Californians hospitalized with severe Covid 19 dropped below an average of 1,000.

The number of cases appears to be increasing.

Statewide … California is now averaging about 2,800 confirmed cases per day, up from about 2,300 at the beginning of the month.

Schools are not requiring masks … but strongly recommending them.

And the city council is going to resume in person in three weeks.

Maybe.

City council member Bruce Silverstein says he is receiving push back against the return to in-person meetings from residents.

Silverstein has expressed concern about the increase of the Omicron subvariant BA.2 in Los Angeles County.

And Silverstein is requesting that the Council reconsider its decision to return to in-person meetings.

He is asking the city council on Monday to either reaffirm its decision to go back into in-person meetings …. or stick to the Zoom rooms.

One problem … if the council decides to return to Zoom … it will have to readvertise the public hearings that were scheduled in person.

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