KBUU NewsScript Mon Jan 25

KBUU NEWS 7:15am Monday Jan 23

POSTED 11:15pm Monday Jan 24

=.  California’s legislature mat forcy Force the governors hand and require school children to be vaccinated against Covid.

=.  Hiring a new city Manager is on the agenda again tonight.

=.  Also, possibly releasing a human resources complaint against a city Council member.

=.  Another unusual January windstorm … and an unusual January brushfire closes Highway One at Big Sur.

=.  A homeless man throws an 83-year-old lady into the street in Santa Monica. 

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

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17 hundred and 94 positive cases detected in Malibu so far.

That’s up nearly a thousand this winter.

For the third Street day… The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Los Angeles County decreased. It was about a 5% decrease… from 4700 to about 4500. About 5% of those hospital patients are in intensive care units.

News just in this morning …that California’s legislature is going to consider adding Covid 19 to the list of diseases fro which school children must be vaccinated against.

State Sen. Richard Pan is a doctor … in fact … a pediatrician. 

And in past years he has been the chief advocate of mandatory vaccinations for children for such diseases as mumps measles and rubella. 

The Scarmaento Democrat this morning told the L A Times that he will proposed that the Legislature override Gov. Gavin Newsom’s scaled-back mandate from last year.Pan tells The Times … quote … “We need to make sure schools are safe so that all parents are comfortable sending their children to school,” “And we want to keep schools open.”

Last week… A different state senator proposed allowing children as young as 12 to determine if they choose to be vaccinated with or without the consent or knowledge of their parents.

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Will Malibu get a new permanent city manager???
The matter is on the agenda for tonight at 6.

Acting city manager Steve McClary is in the running to get the job.

A headhunter has been hired to recruit candidates for the job.

And there have been several closed-door sessions while city council members discuss the options. 

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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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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 is their Big Rock Amber Lager, a flavorful, toasty lager to enjoy during these cooler months.

Find this new lager, and any of Malibu Brewing Company’s premium craft beer in select retailers, or order direct at brewmalibu.com.

Malibu Brewing Company, Malibu California.

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Also on the agenda tonight…. a proposal for the city to release personnel files related to the complaint by former city manager Reva Feldman … that city council member Bruce Silverstein. 

Supporters of Silverstein are campaigning for the public release of an investigation done by a high-powered law firm … brought in to investigate her complaint.

When the city council approved buying out Feldman’s contract … both sides signed an agreement not to disparage the other.

Then … a few months ago … the results of another outside investigator came in … the probe into allegations of wrongdoing leveled by outgoing city councilman Jefferson Wagner …as taken down and publicized by Silverstein.

That investigation found that the Silverstein/Wagner allegations were false … wrong … and not from credible sources.

The H-R report into Feldman’s complaint was compiled after the non-dispraegment agreement was signed.

Acting city attorney John Cotti says the city could be at risk for being sued by Feldman if it releases the H R report.

Public discussion of releasing the report is on the agenda for tonight.

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You are listening to the latest news from Radio Malibu.

Support for KBUU’s radio covers from Orbit Homes Inc. 

Prefabricated homes are the future of construction. Easy to get permits. Fast to build and install. Cost effective … little construction waste. 

In Malibu, Orbit Homes has a showroom between City Hall and the Malibu racquet club.

Fire victims can check them out in person … and visit them on the web at www.orbithomes.us .

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Malibu’s city budget is looking a whole lot better … recovering form the shock and uncertainty of the arrival of Covid. 

The city slashed spending two years ago … and borrowed nearly 4 million dollars from its reserve fund.

The thought was that the city government was going to take a hit in revenues.

That didn’t happen … revenue its up 5 point 6 million dollars.

That’s a lot for a city with a 42 million dollar unreserved budget. 

Property tax revenue continues to swell … led unexpectedly by hotel and  bed and breakfast tax revenue.

The city ’s  Transient Occupancy Tax is on track to bring in 2 and a half million extra dollars in just three months. 

Apparently … the city is raking in the bucks there because the California Coastal Commission has delayed hearing the city’s proposed crackdown on overnight rentals.

Until Coastal signs off on the city’s restrictions …. Tax money from vacation and party rentals continues to stream into the city. 

The city is splurging on making sure that fire victims don’t have to pay for plan checks or building inspections to rebuild.

City Council members want to make it easier for western Malibu to rebuild the community. 

That cost is about 2 million dollars this year … and Malibu is alone amongst agencies waiving those fees for residents.

All this will be reviewed at the city council meeting … tonight. 

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Two plans to remake Pacific Coast Highway across half of Malibu will goi before the city council tonight. 

The plans have been in the works for years … and were top priorities on the traffic safety study that the city and Caltrans did seven years ago.

One project is to replace all of the traffic lights and make intersection improvements between Pepperdine and the city’s eastern ens.

Add wheelchair ramps at intersections. 

Synchronize the signals.

And between Pepperdine and Puerto Canyon … a proposal to narrow the center median a little … and move the traffic lanes towards the center … to make way for more room for bicycles and parking .

Both projects are funded by regional Metro sales tax revenues. 

With safety projects have been inching through Caltrans and Metro bureaucracy for years … and are ready for the city to sign final spending and management agreements. 

Neither project is expected to cause major traffic delays. 

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Southern California has not had any substantial rain for nearly a month … after the deluge that we got in late December. 

And the storm gate has slammed shut .. the jet stream is locked way up north over Canada.

Twice now this month … Santa Ana winds that in some places hit hurricane force blasted into Malibu.

On Saturday morning … one wind gust up above Paradise Cove hit 78 miles an hour … 

Trees blew down on Bonsai Drive in Zuma Canyon … and a huge tree blew down onto PCH across from Zuma Sushi.

The power grid was off and on all day Saturday as Southern California Edison crews worked to repair the overhead lines.

A house fire up near Kanan at Mulhiolland spread into tires and other stored objects Saturday afternoon.  

It smoldered for several hours as L A County fire crews kept a containment up.

The rare winter Santa Anas winds winds were part of the same weather system that spread a brushfire right to the edge of the ocean at Big Sur. 

The Colorado Fire threatened 200 structures. 

Hundreds of people remain evacuated.

Highway 1 remains closed from downtown Big Sur to Carmel.

That area also got hit by heavy rains a month ago … but has been dry since. 

One official told the San Francisco Chronicle Sunday …..“Usually we’re sliding, not burning … this is something we’d expect in the late summer. It’s very unusual.” 

The eruption of the January blaze underscored a warning increasingly issued by Cal Fire amid wildfire seasons that have been longer and fiercer in recent years: California’s fire season now is almost year-round.

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In news from down the coast … a homeless man is under arrest after throwing a woman off of a sidewalk and into the path of a car in Santa Monica.

The victim is described by Santa Monica police as 83 years old … the attack was at 20th Street and Arizona Avenue Friday … according to the Santa Monica Lookout newspaper. 

The woman told police she was waiting for a ride after a doctor’s appointment.

The vagrant crossed the street towards her and threw beer on her.

She says she called the man an ass … and the man then threw her into the street. 

An approaching car stopped.

Some men ran out of a business and tackled the man …. and held him for police.

A Santa Monica city council woman says the same man had assaulted her employees and her business earlier in the day … when they demanded that he wear a mask.

City Council member Phil Brock told the Santa Monica Lookout thus was …quote … “another senseless incident in our town. The constant barrage of outrageous incidents to our residents must be stopped.

“We have to find a way to utilize street services and increased mental health services. This must be our highest priority, in my view.”

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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