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

POSTED 3:55AM WEDNESDAY

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Water Pipe Project Underway, Malibu Under Orders Not To Use Water Except To Drink Or Flush

Mandatory water use restrictions are scheduled to be imposed in Malibu beginning at 2 this afternoon … as county engineers again try to replace a piece of the 65 year old pipe that brings water in.

KBUU News has been told the overnight project tonight was still on schedule …. despite a forecast for very bad weather.

This is the second attempt to tap into the high pressure water pipe … along pacific Coast Highway just north of Chautauqua Boulevard.

And for the second time … Malibu and Tipanga Canyon have been told … restrict your water use.

Drinking and sanitation only … from 2 pm until 2pm tomorrow.

That was the same order issued a month ago …but muddy conditions and other problems prevented the pipe connection from being finished. 

Once again … some major lane closures and hole digging will be required for this.

At least one lane of westbound PCH will be closed at Chautauqua starting this morning … and lasting all night. 

Expect another massive traffic line.

Last month … this backed up traffic onto the 10 freeway … which caused a traffic jam on the 405 freeway as far back as Carson.

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Major Cold Snap, Wind, Rain and Maybe Snow On Tap This Week

As we have been saying … the weather is expected to take a major turn this afternoon.

It will be very windy and much cooler.

Extreme winds … gusts to 50 miles an hour … will arrive this afternoon … and blow in the cold weather.

Starting tonight … there’s a chance of showers.

Sunny and very windy tomorrow.

The much-stronger part of the storm arrives Thursday … when we will see colder weather and harder rain … and heavier snow. 

The peak of the storm will be Friday and Saturday.

This portion of the system is still 4 days away … and changes in the storm track are still very possible.

But rainfall totals look to be 2 inch across the coasts and 4 inches in the foothills and lower coastal slopes. 

Snow will be a major concern with this system .… the National Weather Service says the lowest snow elevation will be 2500 feet Friday night. 

That is very low … but it is just above almost all of the Santa Monica Mountains.

But some of the TV meteorologists are saying snow could fall as low as 15 hundred feet.

And that would mean … snow on Kanan Dume Road.

We’ll see if that is TV hype or an overcautious National Weather Service,.

Right now multiple feet of snow seems likely above 4000 feet elevation ..,. that would include the 5 freeway over the Grapevine,. 

Maybe with up to a foot of snow on the 14 freeway … and substantial snow on 395 all the way to Bishop by Friday.

Sunday and Monday should be fairly dry and uneventful … but another storm is currently forecast for the middle of next week.

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Zero Tolerance For Flammable Material Within 5 Feet Of Structures Coming

Change are coming from the LA County fire department… in terms of clearing fire hazards form near structures.

Beginning next year … a new state law will require the removal of all flammable materials from within five feet of any structure.

This is called the “Zone Zero Law.”

And so … starting now … LA County firefighters will be informing people about the Zone Zero Law when they conduct this year’s required fire inspections.

Nothing that can create embers can be stored or planted within five feet of any structure. 

In addition … about 15 hundred Malibu homes will soon be getting Brush Clearance Notices for the first time.

The whole city is in the state’s Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.

Previously, notices were only sent to homes that were deemed most vulnerable via visual inspection or historical fire data. 

Now …  everyone will get the notice.

That means that the number of homes receiving notices in Malibu will increase from 4,100 to 5,600. 

The inspection requirement for all homes within the very high fire zone has been in place for decades.

But the county says improvements in its mapping software now puts all 56 hundred structures in Malibuin the very high fire risk zone.

For 15 hundred of them … for the first time.

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Parking Thicket At Point Dume Attacked, As Beach Road Reopens

More than 30 parking tickets were written Sunday afternoon up on Point Dume … as the coreopsis blossoms proved irresistible to dozens of tourists … and a pain in the neck for residents. 

Down on the beach … the Point Dume access road was newly opened … with access to the point from Westward Beach.

That beach … its parking lot, and the restrooms in the beach parking lot were blocked off for more than two months … 

The edge of the road and the restroom building were in danger of falling into the ocean .. due to very high tides and heavy surf during the recent storms. 

The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors dumped 6000 tons of rocks to build a new revetment.

And the county plowed through the small Dune Restoration Project project built by the Santa Monica Bay Foundation. 

Beaches and Harbors used sand from the project area for the emergency repairs. 

The county is reportedly working with the Bay Foundation on plans for future dune habitat restoration in the area.

Under state rules … the county will have to come in to Malibu city hall for permits to keep the emergency repair work.

And it is likely that the California Coastal Commission will require the loss of the beach and some sand dunes to be mitigated … 

All of Zuma … Westward and Point Dume beaches remain severely eroded this winter.  

The boulders along the access road are a new attractive hazard … a danger for beach goers, especially during high tide and high surf conditions. 

“Keep off the Rocks” signs are in place … but you can see what is coming…

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Armed Carjacker Chased From SM Pier To Culver City

Santa Monica police chased an armed carjacker from the pier to Robertson Boulevard on the 10 Freeway last week.

A person getting into their Ford Focus was confronted by two carjackers at the beach parking lot Thursday evening.

It was about 7 p-m Thursday when a driver had their car stolen … at gunpoint … in the large parking to north of the pier.

One suspect jumped out of the car … near PCH at the McClure Tunnel … as the driver sped off.

At Robertson … the driver aimed at several cars while throng to evade police. 

That didn’t work … he was arrested.

Back at the pier … Santa Monica police aided by an LAPD helicopter were unable to find the accomplice. 

The suspected carjacker was Jonathan Manuel Perez, a 22-year-old parolee from Los Angeles,. A replica firearm was found in the car.

Perez was on active parole for a prior armed carjacking.

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Caltrans Sticks Bills To City

Caltrans is asking the City of Malibu to pay more for the project to synchronize the PCH traffic lights in the eastern half of the city. 

And as a result … the city is going to have to shuffle money around from other projects.

According to a city report … the bids for rebuilding the highway between Puerco Canyon and Pepperdine came in high … way high.

The city has plans to narrow the median … shift traffic closer to the center of the highway … and leave room for bicyclists and parking along the shoulder.

Even though this is a state highway … Caltrans wants the city to pay for this out of the share of county sales tax money allocated to Malibu for transportation issues. 

Because the median project is so expensive … the city says that project will be split up into separate phases … and the available funds will be used to perform part of work. 

In addition, Malibu is planning to use part of the median project funds to pay for the PCH Signal Synchronization project in eastern Malibu.

The city says Caltrans wants the city to pay for the traffic signal controller cabinets and new computerized software license.

That’s a $1.2 million cost increase for the city … bringing the city’s contribution to the signal synchronization project to 15 point 8 million dollars.

In addition … Caltrans is also making the city pay one million dollars to connect a new right turn lane from the the new Trancas Creek bridge to the traffic light at Trancas Canyon Road.

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Lack Of Right Turn Lane Causes Crash At Trancas

And construction of that turn lane will come too late for one motorist.

She crunched her large pickup truck into the back of a big orange MTA bus … that had slowed to turn right at the signal Sunday afternoon.

Traffic jammed.

No one hurt. 

Construction of the right turn lane was promised by the owners of Trancas Country Market when they remodeled the shopping center 10 years ago.

But the city never forced the issue … and now will pay one million dollars to get the job done. 

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Homelessness Task Force Wants Publicity

What should  you duo if a homeless person needs help in your neighborhood?

Or if you see somebody living out of a shopping cart in a canyon?
Malibu’s Homelessness Task Force thinks its confusing … for residents and businesses.

The Task Force will meet this morning to consider setting up a public education campaign.

The idea be to provide information on the city’s web site and elsewhere.,

Answer questions … like Who to call regarding safety concerns related to people experiencing homelessness.

How homeless encampments are handled on public and private property d. Existing efforts and successes in assisting people experiencing homelessness.

And what law enforcement can and cannot do.

Toyed city’s Homelessness task force meets on the computers today at 2.

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The city Planning Commission meets tonight.

Two proposed houses … on Cuthbert and Zumirez … on the agenda.

Also … extension of permits for three houses.

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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.

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Support for KBUU radio comes from Mad Interior Art.

Based in the fashion capital of the world, Milan, Mad Interior Art selects remarkable crystal, porcelain and stone art objects with a remarkable artistic depth …  created by the biggest names on the Italian and international scene.

Shop from home.  Fast shipping.

Mad Interior Art dot com … from Milan to Malibu … supporters of Radio Malibu. … KBUU.

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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.

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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.

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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.

The tap room at Trancas Country Market is open… 

And the Malibu Brewing Company is serving its Oktoberfest fest beer … a traditional lager with notes of toffee … moderate malt flavors and delicate hops. 

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

Malibu Brewing Company Malibu California

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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

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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