Malibu Canyon Road to be closed
A portion of Malibu Canyon Road will be closed on Sunday, June 21, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for tunnel inspection, according to the Los Angeles Department of Public Works. The closure will take place near Piuma Road.
More information can be obtained online at ladpw.org.
Cause of Kanan Dume fire undetermined
A fire that started Monday afternoon two miles north of Pacific Coast Highway on Kanan Dume Road burned 15 to 20 minutes before it was extinguished by five Los Angeles County fire engine trucks from Fire Stations 71 and 72, Maria Grycan, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Fire Department said Tuesday in a telephone interview. The cause of the fire, which burned one quarter acre of brush off the east side of the roadway, is unknown, Grycan said, adding that no homes were threatened or damaged and that there were no injuries. The case has been turned over to the Arson/Explosives Detail.
Council to discuss smoking ban, garbage fees
The Malibu City Council at its upcoming Monday night meeting will decide whether to schedule a July 13 election to reject or adopt a proposed ordinance to ban smoking in outdoor dining areas and public events within the city. The council will also discuss the possible imposition of fees on the collection of solid waste for residents and businesses within the Malibu Garbage Disposal District.
The proposed ordinance would prohibit smoking within 20 feet of an outdoor dining area, according to a city report. Businesses with outdoor dining areas would be required to post and maintain “no smoking” signs conspicuously within the area.
The ordinance would also prohibit smoking within 20 feet of any public event, except within a designated smoking outpost. Violators would be subject to the City’s administrative citation procedures, in addition to the other criminal and civil consequences available for municipal code violations.
The council will then discuss the possible imposition of fees on the collection of solid waste for residents and businesses within the Malibu Garbage Disposal District.
The potential collection of fees, recommended by city staff, would generate approximately $17,000 and be used to support the city’s source reduction and recycling efforts, as stated in a city report. The city council in 1993 approved a policy for the reduction and diversion of solid waste from local landfills in conjunction with the requirements of the California Integrated Waste Management Act of 1989. In order to fund the costs of this program, the city began collecting $7.20 per single-family household per year.
This process is now repeated every new fiscal year as required by Los Angeles County. A resolution imposing the new fee must be submitted to the County Assessor’s Office by Aug. 10 in order to place it on the tax rolls for the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
View Protection Ordinance submitted to city council
The View Protection Task Force last week voted 6-3 in approval of its proposed draft View Restoration and Preservation Ordinance, which will be evaluated and considered by Malibu City Council at an undetermined date.
Despite recent denouncement by Mayor Andy Stern, who said it was not up to the task force to draft a plan, but to gather community input, the proposed citywide ordinance only regulates foliage and would require property owners to remove or trim trees that impact the primary views (or “visually impressive scenes” like those of the ocean or of prominent landmarks such as the Malibu Pier) of neighboring private homes. It would also entitle property owners to restore and preserve a primary view that existed at the time they acquired their property.
However, the one-size-fits-all ordinance collides with various overlay districts including the Malibu Colony, La Costa, Malibu Country Estates, the knolls above the Civic Center and Trancas Beach, all of which have their own view protection laws that were voted on by residents and approved by the city council years ago.
The council last week formally requested a minority report from the task force, which, member Louis La Monte two weeks ago in a telephone interview confirmed, is currently underway.
SAG members vote to pass TV/theatrical contracts
The Screen Actors Guild last week announced that 78 percent of its members voted to approve its television and theatrical contracts, as stated in a recent press release by SAG. The two-year successor agreement covers film and digital television programs, motion pictures and new media productions, and becomes effective at 12:01 a.m. June 10 until June 30, 2011.
The contracts provide more than $105 million in wages, increased pension contributions and other gains, and establishes a template for SAG coverage of new media formats.
“This decisive vote gets our members back to work with immediate pay raises and puts SAG in a strong position for the future,” David White, Screen Actors Guild interim national executive director, said in the press release. “Our members can expect more positive changes in the coming months as we organize new work opportunities, repair and reinvigorate our relationships with our sister unions and industry partners, and continue to improve the Guild’s operations.”
City to host Marine Life Protection Act Initiative meeting
The City of Malibu will host a meeting on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at city hall to educate the public about the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative.
Passed into California state law in 1999, the MLPA requires that all existing state marine-protected areas be reevaluated, and a statewide system of marine-protected areas be created to protect, among other things, marine life, habitat and ecosystems. The MLPA is currently in the South Coast study region, an area that includes state waters from Point Conception in Santa Barbara County south to the California border with Mexico.
The meeting will feature an informational presentation by MLPA Initiative staff and opportunities for public questions and comments.
More information can be obtained by calling 310.738.2665.
Malibu, Santa Monica High schools among nation’s top ranked
Both Malibu and Santa Monica High Schools have recently been ranked as two of the nation’s top high schools, according to Newsweek and a press release from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.
Newsweek’s June 8 article, “Top of the Class,” ranked Santa Monica High School at number 251 and Malibu High School at number 313. The rankings of 1,500 of America’s public high schools were based on the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating seniors, the article states. A copy of the rankings can be obtained online at www.newsweek.com/id/201160.
-Olivia Damavandi