Heal the Bay president stepping down
Heal the Bay president Mark Gold announced Tuesday he will leave the environmental organization, according to a press release from Heal the Bay. Gold, who has worked with Heal the Bay for 23 years, has accepted a position at the University of California Los Angeles as associate director of its Institute of Environment and Sustainability.
A UCLA alum, Gold will lead the institute’s Coastal Center. He will take his new post Jan. 30.
Heal the Bay executive director Karin Hall and associate director Alix Hobbs will oversee day-to-day management and fiscal oversight for the organization. The environmental group’s board of trustees will meet to discuss the organization’s future. Gold will continue to serve on Heal the Bay’s Board of Directors.
“I have been lucky to be part of an environmental organization that has achieved so much to better Southern California,” Gold said. “I’ve had the privilege to work with many incredible leaders, staff members and volunteers that have shared a common vision of clean water and protected watersheds. I am confident that the senior management team we’ve spent years developing will continue to move the organization forward. Heal the Bay will always be an important part of me, but I look forward to new challenges at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment.”
Smuggling boat, 2,500 lbs. of pot seized
Another drug boat was intercepted last Wednesday in southern Ventura County near the county line, as authorities seized 2,500 lbs. of marijuana and arrested 10 people, according to the Ventura County Star. The 27-foot “panga” boat, an open-air fishing vessel typically used by smugglers from Mexico, was spotted offshore near Deer Creek Road by a National Guard patrol. The patrol contacted Customs and Border Protection, whose agents found the boat onshore, along with 2,500 lbs. of marijuana in bales.
The agents arrested nine men and later found a 10th hiding in the rocks about a quarter mile south of where the boat landed. The arrested included both the boat crew and men who arrived to meet them. The men were taken into federal custody. About 100 gallons in gas in 5-gallon drums and two vehicles were also seized in the smuggling operation.
Car falls into Tuna Canyon ravine
A man drove his 2012 Jeep off Tuna Canyon Road and into a ravine Sunday, Malibu/Lost Hills Traffic Sgt. Philip Brooks confirmed. The accident occurred 1.8 miles north of Pacific Coast Highway at around 1 p.m.
The driver, Bruce Buehner of Studio City, was airlifted to UCLA with neck, shoulder and back pain.
The 49-year-old driver told authorities he stopped his vehicle in a turnout to admire the view, but didn’t realize he stopped with his wheels on the edge and accidentally drove into the canyon, dropping about 100 feet. He was the only person in the vehicle and no further information about his current condition is known.
City Hall closed Monday
Malibu City Hall will be closed Mon., Jan. 16 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. day. For more information, visit malibucity.org.
“Ask the Mayor” column to debut
Malibu Mayor Laura Rosenthal has asked Malibu residents to send questions they have about current local issues to her email at lrosenthal@malibucity.org for a new “Ask the Mayor” column. Rosenthal intends to research the questions and respond with “information-based answers,” which will be posted on the city’s website and Facebook page.
Lane closure on Topanga Canyon Boulevard until Jan. 18
One lane of Topanga Canyon Boulevard will be closed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily through Jan. 18. The closure will be from one to four miles north of Pacific Coast Highway.
Workers are removing weeds and brush from the slopes to reduce fire danger. Motorists should expect one to five minute delays and should consider alternate routes.
Search called off for missing kayaker
The search for a kayaker who went missing off the coast of Malibu Dec. 29 has been called off by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Authorities identified 65-year-old Louis Robert Piatt as the man who called 911 from a kayak at 3 p.m. Dec. 29 off the coast of Malibu complaining of chest pains. Thirty minutes later, authorities found an overturned kayak and a life jacket floating two miles off the coast.
Piatt is described as a white male, 5 feet nine inches tall, weighing 170 pounds, balding with brown eyes, according to KABC-TV Los Angeles.
An extensive joint search for the Piatt was undertaken by the U.S. Coast Guard, the county fire department and the county sheriff’s department emergency services detail.
The incident is now a missing person’s case and is being handled by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department homicide detectives, Malibu/Lost Hills Sgt. Vivian May told The Malibu Times.
Artists sought for permanent artwork at fire station
The Los Angeles County Arts Commission’s Civic Art Program is seeking an artist or artist team to create permanent artwork for Fire Station 71 in Malibu, which is being rebuilt, according to the City of Malibu.
The Request for Qualifications says opportunities for artwork include the addition of decorative tiles or mosaic to the building’s facade and east retaining wall. The theme is a nod to Malibu’s historic connection with tile production at Malibu Potteries. The Arts Commission is looking for artwork that incorporates innovative ideas that are relevant to the community.
The deadline for responding to the Request for Qualifications is Jan. 18.
Direct questions about the RFQ process to Civic Art project manager Erin Harkey at 213.202.3985 or eharkey@arts.lacounty.gov.
For more information visit malibucity.org or lacountyarts.org/civicart.htm.
Holocaust survivors to visit Pepperdine
The Diane and Guilford Glazer Institute will honor Holocaust survivors Bernd and Judy Simon in a ceremony titled “Inspiring Truth: The Simon Hero Foundation” at Pepperdine University’s Payson Library Tuesday. In addition to hearing Bernd’s story, event-goers will be able to view the art exhibition “Art Survives: Expressions from the Holocaust.”
Bernd and July Simon survived internment in a concentration camp before marrying and moving to the United States. Bernd then enlisted in the U.S. Army and flew on a B-24 crew over Europe during World War II.
The Simon Hero Foundation was created in their name to tell their story through a social media platform. The foundation’s goal is to “create and distribute customized 3D education platforms” to be used in museums, schools and universities around the world.
“Pepperdine is embracing the Simon’s story, which embodies the sort of moral courage our school aspires to,” Pepperdine Dean of Libraries Mark Roosa said. “And the Simon Hero Foundation’s innovative platform is an exciting new tool that inspires learning and action in communities.”
The Glazer Institute is also sponsoring the “Art Survives: Expressions from the Holocaust” exhibit in the Payson Library Gallery. The exhibit features work by five Holocaust survivors who created their artwork during and following the Holocaust.
“We are excited to support the Art Survives program through the eyes of true ‘global heroes’ Bernd and Judy Simon by using both traditional and socialized new media,” Lani Netter, founder of The Simon Hero Foundation, said.
“Inspiring Truth” takes place Jan. 17 at Pepperdine’s Payson Library Kresge Reading Room, 24255 PCH, at 4 p.m. The “Art Survives” exhibit will be on display in the Payson Library Gallery through Feb. 17.
For more information visit pepperdine.edu.
Malibu biofuel company NexSteppe gets big investor
DuPont Co. has invested in Malibu energy-crop company NexSteppe to develop feedstock for biofuels and other bio-based products, Bloomberg News reports. DuPont is the largest chemicals company in the U.S. by market value.
“The collaboration will focus on the development of new sweet sorghum and high biomass sorghum hybrids which will create additional feedstock options for these rapidly evolving industries,” a NexSteppe press release states.
DuPont did not disclose the size of its investment in NexSteppe.
“Collaborations like this one with NexSteppe will provide new opportunities for growers to address the rising demand for secure, environmentally sustainable and affordable alternatives to fossil fuels,” John Bedbrook, vice president for DuPont Agricultural Biotechnology, said in a press release.
According to NexSteppe, sorghum is a drought- and heat-tolerant crop that can grow in areas with low rainfall and high temperatures. It has a fairly short growing season and is increasingly grown as a source of feedstock for industrial value chains.
“Sorghum is a crop with significant genetic diversity and great potential that has received relatively little research attention and funding,” Anna Rath, NexSteppe founder and CEO, said. “Combining DuPont’s world-class research and development capabilities with our industry knowledge, experienced team and singular focus, we will be able to rapidly improve the crop to produce feedstocks tailored to the needs of the biofuels, biopower and biobased products industries.”