With the MTA strike now in its third week, and PCH traffic flowing smoothly without the stopping of big buses to add delays, some Malibu residents are hoping the strike will never end. But the people who depend on the buses are gritting their teeth and asking God for help.
“I’m delighted,” says Pt. Dume resident Deborah Kramer, whose four-year-old daughter, Gabriella, enters kindergarten near their home next fall.
“I’m not as fearful now,” she said. “Those buses race down the hill and exceed the speed limit. It isn’t safe.”
But housekeeper Alida Lopez, who is shortening her work day to reach her five- and 11-year-old sons when their school day ends 35 miles away, says, “I pray every day, ‘Help me, God, to get to my work.’ ”
Many bus riders are so dedicated to their work, their bosses do not know they are having trouble.
“The strike has been no problem for me,” says KCAL 9 employee Dorothy Lucey, as she dashes through the children’s park near Malibu Country Mart. “The woman who works for us has a car.”
“It’s a mess; that’s all I can say,” says Lucey’s nanny, Sondra, who juggles her schedule to drive her daughter to college.
Some employees are finding it nearly impossible to get home.
Like Carlos Ruiz, who normally spends more than two hours on three buses to get from his residence in Van Nuys to his $6-an-hour Webb Way Union 76 Station job cleaning the auto repair workshop.
“I work from 3 p.m. to midnight,” he explains. “I must support my wife and three children. When I am lucky, I can get a ride from a cousin.”
Ruiz says he is being careful not to break any company rules.
“I am finding some cars to sleep in,” he explains. “They are not company cars. And I am not the only one to do this. My friends at McDonalds and Ralphs and Coogie’s do the same. And they are not all Latino.”
But Ruiz finds humor in the situation.
Getting coffee one morning, his friends ask him in Spanish, “You just getting in to work?”
“No,” he replies. “Vivo aqui. Se vive bien en Malibu.” (I live here. You can live well in Malibu.)
At some businesses, such as Guido’s Restaurant, employees like Chef Tony Valenta are picking up kitchen workers near their homes. But for other workers, the reality is, getting a ride is costing money.
Oscar Mondragon, who heads the Malibu Community Labor Exchange Center, reports that less than half of the usual 70 workers are showing up for pick-up construction jobs each morning. Some are paying up to $8 for rides from private drivers.
“Little shuttle businesses are springing up,” said Mondragon.
And for workers like Lisa Rodriguez, who earns up to $80 a day keeping house, it’s worth it.
“I lost last week’s pay,” she explains. “I don’t want to lose a job.”
Justin Silvers, whose 10 employees at Malibu Carwash and Detail are giving each other rides, notes that local residents and business owners not only are discerning, but also demanding.
“It’s been my experience that this is a small community,” he said. “The job has to be perfect. If it isn’t done right, you have to make it right. Even it if costs you money.”
September Edwards, who works as a personal assistant to Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue Rabbi Judith HaLevy, normally leaves her Marina del Rey residence each morning at 7:30 so she can get to work by 8:15.
Since the strike began, she has been hitchhiking instead.
“Yes, of course it’s dangerous,” she says. “I stand on street corners with my thumb out. A part of me is afraid. But I’ve got to get here, and I’ve got to get the job done.
“What if I don’t go in?” she said. “I don’t want to even question that. I am very grateful for this job.”
With extra long hours needed to prepare for the weekend’s Rosh Hashanah services, Edwards was counting on being able to spend the night in Malibu last week.
“I’m not sure who it would be with,” she said. “I haven’t asked.”
Meanwhile, the strike remains simply an inconvenience for most Malibu residents, like June Joseph, who admits, although she is staying on top of her own housework, she is starting to miss her housekeeper.
“I normally pick the whole house up before she comes,” says Joseph. “But I really need her for the floors, the windows, and the bathrooms.”