Assemblymember Brownley endorses Osborn
Community activist Torie Osborn has announced she will campaign for a seat in the California State Assembly to represent the state’s 41st district, with the support of current Assemblymember Julia Brownley, according to a press release from Osborn’s office. The 41st District includes Malibu.
Osborn announced her candidacy at a fundraising event at a home in Pacific Palisades on Sunday.
Osborn’s current opponent is Santa Monica mayor Richard Bloom, who announced his campaign earlier this month.
California’s 41st District, now represented by Democrat Julia Brownley, is made up of parts of the coast, including Malibu, the Santa Monica Mountains and the west San Fernando Valley. Due to term limits, Brownley can’t run for the seat again in 2012.
Aside from Brownley, politicians endorsing Osborn include Sen. Sheila Kuehl, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Los Angeles City Councilmember Bill Rosendahl and Los Angeles City Controller Wendy Greuel, among others.
Osborn has lived in Santa Monica for 25 years and graduated with an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School. In addition to her work at the Liberty Hill foundation and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, she ran the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, served as a senior advisor on homelessness and poverty to Mayor Villaraigosa, served as Chief Civic Engagement Officer for the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and is currently senior strategist for California Calls, a network of 25 organizations throughout California committed to common-sense government reform, including fair tax and budget policies.
Malibu Realtors meet
The Malibu Association of Realtors gathered for their second membership meeting of the year last week at Duke’s Malibu.
Speakers at the meeting included Los Angeles County Tax Assessor John Noguez, California Association of Realtors Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young, and association President Dan Ross. With more than 110 Realtors and guests in attendance, the speakers addressed topics such as property values and the state’s real estate market.
Ross spoke to the crowd about the Civic Center area wastewater treatment plan, an issue the Realtors have been working on with the city for a year and a half. They also discussed long- and short-term solutions for the fire department’s concerns about the adequacy of water flow in the local waterworks system and ability to fight Malibu fires.
Malibu receives $3.1 million in storm water grants
The State Water Resources Control Board has approved $3.1 million in storm grants for the City of Malibu, according to a press release from the city.
The city will receive two separate grants, one for $2.5 million and the other for $600,000, which were awarded through California Proposition 84 Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS) Grant Program.
The larger grant will be used for Malibu’s Broad Beach Road Biofiltration Project, which will help design a filtration system that will collect dry weather flows from eight storm drain catch basins along a one-mile stretch of Broad Beach Road and allow the flow to percolate through the ground. The project is intended to “reduce contaminants that may affect water quality and habitats for shallow water fish by reducing the discharge from the surface streets onto the sandy beaches up the coast from Zuma Beach, the single most popular beach in Los Angeles County.”
The smaller grant will go to the Wildlife Road Treatment and ASBS Focused Outreach project. The project will install filtration systems in catch basins to treat dry weather runoff along Wildlife Road in the Point Dume area. The project will also hire a Coastal Preservation Specialist to talk to residents about reducing water waste and helping eliminate runoff. Additionally, the specialist will coordinate city programs with other programs focused on water conservation and environmental protection.
“These two grants will allow the City of Malibu to continue its ongoing program, further reducing the impact of runoff on the beaches and ocean,” Malibu Mayor John Sibert said. “These new projects will not only build new collection and filtration systems in the western part of Malibu, but they will also fund staffing to monitor performance and educate citizens and visitors.”
Water quality symposium June 30
Malibu’s 2011 Water Quality Symposium, titled “21st Century Science and Technology,” has been scheduled for June 30, according to the city of Malibu.
Topics to be covered during the meeting include “several water quality source identification studies, the economics of sea level rise, a visual tour of Malibu Marine Resources,” among others.
After the event, attendees will have the option of touring Legacy Park, which is equipped with a storm water collection facility.
The symposium will take place at City Hall, 23825 Stuart Ranch Rd., from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The event is open to the public and costs $25 per person, which includes lunch. Organizers encourage early registration and can RSVP to Rebecca Nelson in the Environmental Programs Office at rnelson@malibucity.org.
Summer solstice June 21
The summer solstice, which marks the official start of the summer season, is June 21. That means Tuesday is also the longest day of the year, with more daylight hours than any other.
The day marks the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere and, consequently, brings winter to the southern hemisphere.
Malibu Friends of Music host finale event
The Malibu Friends of Music and the Montgomery Arts House for Music and Architecture will host their season finale concert June 19.
The show will feature the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra and music director and conductor Scott Hosfeld, members of the renowned Felici Trio, violinist Rebecca Hang and cellist Brian Schuldt, along with guest artist Wesley Hawks on clarinet.
The musicians will perform classics such as Mendelssohn’s “Octet for Strings,” Prokofiev’s “Overture on Hebrew Themes” and Vivaldi’s “Concerto.”
Along with the concert, the event will also feature a barbecue and musical silent auction.
The event takes place at the Montgomery House for Music and Architecture, 6307 Busch Dr., with the barbecue and auction at 5:30 p.m. and the concert at 7 p.m. Reservations can be made and more information can be obtained by calling 310.589.0295.