3 Kids Hurt As Car Rolls Off Merritt Drive Near Malibu High

Three Malibu high school students were hurt last night when their car rolled off Merritt Drive … just off Morning View Drive.

The car rolled off the street and downhill into a yard about 30 feet below Merritt … just east of the Morning View Drive intersection.

One of the kids suffered injuries that were severe enough to require emergency evacuation and transport via a county helicopter from Zuma Beach.

Sheriff’s deputies said the car had been driven at excessive speed on Merritt … a small and winding residential street that links Busch Drive to Morning View Drive.

Deputies said the victims were students at the nearby high school.

Farmers Market Surrenders To Inevitable, Will Move Out Of Legacy Park

The Malibu Farmers Market will move back to the county library parking lot … and give up its effort to occupy the nice city park across the street.

Executive Director Debra Bianco waved the white flag Monday night at the city council meeting … they surrender.

NEWSCART 06297 FARMERS SURRENDER 

“Yes.  

“We can go back next week as soon as the sheriffs department science the site map… The fire department have to sign the site map.”

The city has been frantically trying to get the Farmers Market out of the park … since last summer.

Everyone liked it there … except the man whose family sold the land to the city 14 years ago … at a discount. 

John Perenchio is firmly enforcing his legally-binding deed restriction … against commercial activity in Legacy Park.

Bianco and her supporters have been fighting fighting fighting the city’s requirement that they move out of the park … and back to the parking lot across the street.

The move was supposed to happen last summer … and thousands of dollars in city fines have been assessed against the farmers Market for operating without city permits.

The existing city permits still have to be changed …. Because the county wants to keep handicapped parking spaces available for disabled to accommodate people on Sundays,

City manager Steve McClary says that means moving 55 booths from the north half of the parking lot into the south half.

That means the city will have to renew the parking permit for the adjacent dirt lot … at the Chili Cookoff Site.

Mayor Steve Uhring and market director Debra Bianco … Monday night:

NEWSCART 06295 FARMERS SU DA 

UHRING:  “Let me suggest this. Right now move over to the county parking lot. We come back here in two meetings. Let’s see how that works out. If we gotta make some changes we can do it then, n’t work. 

BIANCO:  “OK and we have already signed off … just to let you know we have signed off on the map at the county and I think you have a copy of it.

“There is no space but I’ll do it. 

UHRING: “See what you can do.”

BIANCO:  “Let’s do it”

But the issue of the big fines remains … the thousands of dollars in fines that the city staff imposed on the Famers Market for violating city zoning permits. 

It is an open legal question if the city council … a political body … can waive administrative fines issued by the city staff …

So as it stands … the county fire department still has to approve a layout … and the Farmers market will be back in the parking lot.

Maybe this Sunday.

 

City Council Approves Funding For Arts Teachers, Middle School Athletics And Fundraising Plan

A onetime grant of 353 thousand dollars for Malibu’s public schools was approved by the city council Monday night.

The city is stepping in to make ups a loss of funding from the Santa Monica Education Foundation …. Which is no longer fundraising or disbursing money in Malibu schools.

The package includes a little money to set up a centralized fundraising effort … to raise money for local schools in ways other than shaking down parents.

Malibu parent Karen Al-Hardan said theidea is to set up a Malibu Education Foundation .. similar to Santa Monica and other cities … to eliminate the city subsidy in the future.

NEWSCART 06301 FOUNDATION

“A primary goal is to lighten the pressure on Malibu parents who are really the ones who are funding that at million dollars each year.

“The advisory board has taken the steps to up a new 501 C3 (federal tax exempt) for this entity as it’s been clear that the Malibu Education Foundations the path forward.  

“And it sets up a clear and unencumbered entity for is function at the outset.”

The city grant will allocate 22 thousand dollars for fundraising … to set up a permanent … professional fundraising system.

Plus 156 thousand dollars for athletics. 

That money will go to hire a full-time athletic coordinator … and top hire coaches to establish a middle school athletics programs.

And the largest share of the money will go to pay for arts teachers at Malibu’s two public elementary schools … plus 9 part time arts aids.

175 thousand dollars for elementary school arts.

Assistant city manager city manager Joseph Toney cautioned the city council that there one time appropriation of 353 thousand dollars might set a dangerous precedent.

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“Furthermore, this is creating a precedent that an entity can request funding from the city at any point … Potentially this is a slippery slope … where other organizations could request funding from the city Council. 

“This could be a slippery slope where other entities could come before the council. Also, the funding available could change. 

“This request would be one time in nature as the city’s fiscal outlook could change rapidly depending on economic conditions. 

“But of course we are in good economic health right now.”

As the assistant city manager said … that is subject to change. Today the governor is scheduled to discuss how he will deal with a projected $60 billion deficit in Calif’s budget this year… And school budget cuts are always possible from Sacramento.

Locally … there was no opposition to the school subsidy … except from defeated city council candidate Ryan Embree.

He called in to claim that the municipal funding of public schools is an unconstitutional  gift of public funds. 

That was rejected out of hand by council member Bruce Silverstein.

Malibu parent Karen Al-Hardan told the city council … supporting middle school athletic programs at Malibu Middle School is a worthy city goal.

NEWSCART 06299 FOUNDATION ATHLETIC 

“It would launch an athletics pathway … so in the vein of parity … it is similar to what Santa Monica launched for their middle school students this past school year.

“ And while there are questions about the ability for Malibu to support middle school athletics, given our current enrollment and existing community recreational programs… the benefits are clear.”

City council member Marianne Riggins said it was about time. 

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“Having been the president of the Athletic Booster Club at at Malibu High School, I understand firsthand how difficult it is to raise funds, and how important this funds are for the schools.”

Riggins also said the school district needs to make sure that kids who are not enrolled in Malibu’s public schools have access to the athletic programs at the city is underwriting.

The city council approved the onetime appropriation of 353 thousand dollars …

 

Council Puts Off ‘Immediate’ PCH Changes For Two Weeks

It was almost midnight Monday night when the city council finally got around to the issue of Pacific Coast Highway.

Councilman Bruce Silverstein had drawn up a list of immediate … unilateral actions that he suggested might be implemented on the road.

Without Caltrans approval .

Things like dropping the speed limit in places down to 25 miles an hour.

Closing off lanes.

Speed bumps.

But as the city council meeting dragged past 11:30 … he let those drop for now.

The council had already scheduled a review of safety steps the city could implemen … 

That is scheduled for the meeting in two weeks.

 

Malibu Triathlon Name Claimed By Losing Applicant, But Trademark Claim Is Dubious

Super League Triathlon is making a fuss about losing its exclusive concession to run the Malibu Triathlon.

And the Singapore-based corporation says it owns the name “Malibu Triathlon” as a registered trademark … and that it will “will undertake all necessary measures to protect our intellectual property.”

Monday night … the city council took away the exclusive concession from Super League Triathlon and instead awarded it to local resident Michael Epstein.

In a statement yesterday … Super League Triathlon said it is … quoting now …  extremely disappointed by the decision of Malibu City Council to award a permit for a triathlon to a former owner.”

They also blasted Epstein .. who founded the Triathlon two decades ago.

Super League says he sold the Malibu Triathlon in the past for commercial gain. 

Super League says the council’s decision sets a very dangerous precedent for the marathon event industry and all who want to promote health and wellness by investing in sporting events.

NEWSCART 06302 TRIATHLON STATEMENT

“There has been a disappointing lack of clarity around the decision-making criteria during the RFP process. We have asked the City Council many times for a meeting to discuss the criteria used in this process as we have been ready to satisfy any and all requirements, but have not received a response.”

So KBUU News asked our stall lawyer … A. I. Search …  is a name like that can be copyrighted as a trademark.

Super League Triathlon’s claim  appears to be a legal stretch.

U-S Copyright law does not allow a name to be trademarked if it is “primarily geographically descriptive.”

Or if the proposed trademark comprises “any matter that, as a whole, is functional.”

One might note that coming in second at a triathlon … does not mean winning it.

 

Trancas Garden Center May Be Fading Out

The Trancas Country Market’s garden center is close to going out of business.

The store confirms that it has decided not to renew its lease with the landlord.

Manager Debbi Stone says she would not call the landlord a corporate bad guy.

“There isnt a bad guy. But it is still sad. We are talking to someone who is interested in possibly taking it on.

“We shall see. 40 years is a pretty good run.”

Stone was writing in Next Door. 

 

Santa Monica College Again Top Community College In Transfers To Major Universities

Santa Monica College has maintained a streak as the No.1 transfer college to the University of California system, according to the latest data released by the UC Information Center. 

An SMC news release states the local college sent 1,086 students to UC campuses in the prior academic year—169 more transfers than the No.2 feeder college.

In addition, SMC maintained its spot as the leader for African American and Latino transfers to the UC and continues to remain the leading transfer college to USC and Loyola Marymount.

 University (LMU). The college is also the top feeder west of the Mississippi to the Ivy League Columbia University.

And more students matriculated from SMC rot Columbia University in Manhattan … than any other community college west of the Mississippi.

21 SMC students transferred to that Ivy League institution last year.

 

Make My Water Tap, From A Glass

The average plastic bottle of water has nearly a quarter million invisible pieces of ever-so-tiny nanoplastic … and most come from the bottles themselves.

Much of the plastic seems to be coming from the bottle itself … and the reverse osmosis membrane filters used to keep out other contaminants

Researchers at Columbia and Rutgers universities looked at five samples each of three common bottled water brands.

They used a microscope with dual lasers.

Particle levels ranged from 110,000 to 400,000 per liter, averaging at around 240,000 .

The report was posted in yesterday’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers still can’t answer the big question: Are those nanoplastic pieces harmful to health?