Planning Commission approves Chinese restaurant
The Malibu City Planning Commission approved a permit on Monday for the operation of a new Chinese restaurant in Malibu Colony Plaza.
Kanpei Malibu will fill the vacant unit left by Barrel Malibu, a wine bar that closed in 2009. The applicant for Kanpei, Shahnaz Fattahi, also owns and operates the Subway three doors down in the shopping plaza.
Fattahi has already received a permit from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to sell beer and wine at the full-service restaurant. Kanpei will also provide food delivery services.
Planning Commissioners took some issue with possible alcohol consumption in the unit’s front patio area. The patio is still lined by gates that were installed without a proper permit from the city, so Kanpei’s owners would have to remove the gates or apply for the proper permit.
“We are still looking at the mix of uses,” City Principal Planner Stefanie Edmondson said.
Kanpei would also need further permission from the ABC in order to allow for alcohol consumption in the patio, Edmondson said.
The alcohol permits require no further action from the city or Planning Commission.
Manhattan Beach doesn’t want to give sand to Broad Beach
The City of Manhattan Beach reportedly doesn’t want its offshore sand to be dredged and brought to Malibu for the $20 million Broad Beach restoration project. The city wrote a letter to the State Lands Commission urging the agency to reject a Broad Beach homeowners’ group’s request to bring offshore sand from Manhattan Beach to replenish sand on the Malibu beach, according to the Torrance Daily Breeze.
“What I would say to the Broad Beach folks is, keep on moving,” Manhattan Beach Mayor Wayne Powell told the paper.
Two weeks ago, The Malibu Times reported that core samples had been taken from the ocean floor about a half-mile off the coast of Manhattan Beach, as well as off the coast of Dockweiler Beach, near Los Angeles International Airport, in search for a sand source for the restoration project. The project aims to add 600,000 cubic yards of sand to Broad Beach, which has largely eroded away over the past few decades.
Kenneth Ehrlich, lawyer for the Broad Beach Geological Hazard Abatement District, the group behind the restoration project, said the two sites were chosen after a half-dozen offshore sources of local sand, ranging from Point Mugu to Santa Monica, were “investigated and crossed off our list.” Ehrlich also explained the State Lands Commission, the lead agency on environmental review of the project, has indicated it needs to know the specific site the sand is coming from rather than a list of possible sources, so that it can do a thorough environmental review of the sand and the site itself.
In order to be approved, the site must be able to sustain the loss of 600,000 cubic yards of sand without digging a hole too deep in the ocean floor, and the sand must match the granule composition and chemistry of the sand at Broad Beach. Sand surveys from each site require approval from a task force or clearinghouse of multiple government agencies.
Small RV fire quickly put out by firefighters
Firefighters responded to a call of an RV fire at around 3 p.m. Monday on Busch Drive in Malibu, the Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed. The firefighters arrived on the scene where they quickly put out a small RV fire. No one was injured and the cause of the fire is currently unknown.
Actor Michael Madsen arrested on DUI suspicion
Actor Michael Madsen was arrested in Malibu last Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Headquarter’s Bureau.
Madsen was pulled over around 3 p.m. on Pacific Coast Highway near Malibu Canyon Road after sheriff’s deputies spotted him driving erratically, said Sgt. Jim Braden of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.
After failing a field sobriety test, the actor was arrested and had his car impounded. Madsen was booked at the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station and had his bail set at $15,000.
During the arrest, Madsen complained of a medical issue and was evaluated at a hospital before being formally charged, said Sgt. Braden.
The “Reservoir Dogs” and “Kill Bill Vol. 2” actor has described this latest ordeal as another “big misunderstanding,” according to TMZ.
As The Malibu Times previously reported, Madsen was arrested in March on suspicion of child endangerment. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office later dropped the charges due to insufficient evidence.
Big rig breakdown blocks Malibu Canyon Road
A broken down big rig blocked one lane of Malibu Canyon Road near Malibu Knolls Road for a few hours on Friday afternoon, according to the City of Malibu Emergency Services. The truck was reportedly traveling northbound on the road when it began having mechanical problems and broke down near Malibu Presbyterian Church. The breakdown restricted canyon traffic to one lane, causing delays in the area.
Malibu Music Awards to honor legends
The 5th Annual Malibu Music Awards, which began Monday, will conclude Saturday with an awards ceremony beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Malibu Inn. Industry legends Glen Campbell and Seth Riggs are in line for Lifetime Achievement and Impact honors, respectively.
The awards, benefitting the nonprofit Malibu Symphony Association, local community music efforts and local children’s music programs, are sure to be emotional. Country legend Campbell has recently returned home to Malibu after a farewell tour following a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
“[Campbell] is an icon in the music industry,” said Terence J. Davis, the founder of the Malibu Music Awards. “He does a lot of charity work, and the city needs to come out and honor him at this event.”
Campbell will join past Malibu Music Award honorees such as Dick Van Dyke, Tom Petty, Johnny Mandel and Lainie Kazan.
Comedian Scott Conner and magician Krystyn Lambert will co-host the ceremony and present awards to prestigious artists in music of the past year. Performances at this year’s event includes Nick Richards & Boys Don’t Cry, Dominic & Scott Kay of the Commodores, country artist Harley Jay, Thomas King, Samantha Ronson & The Undertakers, and NBC’s The Sing Off Season 3 a cappella champions Pentatonix. For more information, visit malibumusicawards.com.
Mountains Restoration Trust receives $500,000 grant
The Mountains Restoration Trust (MRT) has received a $500,000 grant to purchase 17.4 acres to help complete the Cold Creek High Trail in Cold Creek Preserve. According to a release from the group, the acreage extends for 1.63 miles between Stunt Road and Cold Canyon Road in the Santa Monica Mountains, connecting the Cold Creek Trail, Stunt High Trail and Backbone Trail. The grant was given by the 2011 Competitive Natural Land for Trails Grant Program, which is funded through Proposition A, an open-space measure supported by Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.
Extending the Cold Creek High Trail works toward the goal of linking the east-west wildlife corridor of Topanga State Park with Malibu Creek State Park, according to the MRT.
“This generous grant allows us to buy private land that will now become public and protect a significant wildlife and watershed area. We hope to continue the Cold Creek High Trail through the land enabling the public to enjoy one of the most beautiful areas of the Santa Monica Mountains,” Executive Director Debbie Bruschaber said in the release.
School district welcomes new administrators
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education approved the appointment of Reham Dabash and Perla Brisky as the new Assistant Directors for Child Development Services at its Sept. 6 meeting.
Dabash has been with the school district for nine years, where she has been serving as a CDS multisite supervisor and has worked as a preschool teacher, according to a district press release. She also served as the principal of Hobart Early Education Center and Wilton Place Early Education Center as well as the Associate Principal of Kentwood Early Education Center and Marina Early Education Center, both within LAUSD.
Brisky has been at the SMMUSD for a year and has also been serving as a CDS multisite supervisor. Before that, she served as the site manager at the Riverside County Office of Education, Child Development Supervisor and teacher with the Foundation for Early Childhood Education in El Monte, and a teacher for Aids Project LA Child Care Center, Highlands Children’s Center and Universal Studios Child Care Center.
“I would like to welcome Ms. Dabash and Ms. Brisky to the new positions for 2012-13,” said Superintendent Sandra Lyon.