July
• The July 4th weekend began when 800 pounds of undocumented marijuana washed up onto Westward Beach in an abandoned Panga boat. The occupants of the boat were nowhere to be found. It has happened several times before that Panga boats from Mexico, powered by outboard motors, have used Malibu beaches as a point of entry into the USA.
• The 51-year-old Malibu Middle School “Building E,” which had been the source of much controversy because of the presence of PCB toxins, was torn down in preparation for new construction of a new modular style building as early as fall 2018.
• In one of the biggest land deals in the history of Malibu, a privately owned 24-acre parcel adjacent to Malibu Bluffs Park and the ball fields was sold to a Malibu local, Scott Gillen, who plans on building five custom houses. The property, often referred to as the Crummer property (because its original owners were the Crummer family, who were early Malibu land developers), will include a dedication to the City of Malibu of a 1.74-acre parcel adjacent to Bluffs Park and a donation of $1 million to help the city develop the parcel—and a further $4 million to be paid to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.
• The renovation of the Malibu Lagoon by the State of California has been called a “total success” by the state, but some surfers have a different take on the situation. According to the surfing community, the lagoon changes have impacted how the water flows and Third Point, a particular area near the Malibu shoreline that is known worldwide, is slowly being ruined. They also charge that the changes have increased the erosion around the Adamson House, which may be in danger.