News Briefs

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Investigation pending regarding fatal accident

The California Highway Patrol expects to have a report ready for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office by the end of the month regarding the accident that killed Sister Mary Campbell and injured Pepperdine University law professor and U.S. Ambassador to Malta Douglas Kmiec as well as Monsignor John V. Sheridan, who later died of heart failure (See story on page A1). CHP spokesperson Officer Leland Tang said after the report is submitted to the District Attorney’s Office, an informal meeting will take place between CHP and District Attorney officials. After the meeting, the CHP will make a final recommendation to District Attorney on whether any charges should be filed.

Tang said Kmiec, who was the driver of the vehicle, was cooperative during an interview and “the pain and sadness he felt was very obvious.” He declined to provide any other details about the interview.

Tang added that when somebody dies in a vehicle collision, the CHP usually recommends that there be some kind of prosecution.

Legacy Park grand opening on Oct. 2

City officials are hosting a party on Oct. 2 for the grand opening of Legacy Park, which will serve a dual purpose as a passive park and as a storm water treatment system. The park has been under construction since last year, and planning for it began in 2006. It is on the site of the former Chili Cook-Off property on Pacific Coast Highway between Webb Way and Cross Creek Road. Completion of the Legacy Park project is considered a watershed moment in Malibu’s history as the city’s first major attempt to curb pollution of local waters.

Council to consider naming street for Emily Shane

The City Council on Monday will consider whether to rename a portion of Heathercliff Road after Emily Shane, the 13-year-old Malibu resident who was killed in April when struck by a vehicle while walking along Pacific Coast Highway near the Heathercliff intersection. If a majority of the council supports it, a public hearing will take place at the next meeting on Oct. 11. Also at the meeting, the council will discuss whether traffic cameras should be installed in Malibu.

Point Dume charter school petition submitted

Parents from Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School on Monday submitted a petition to the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District to make PDMSS a charter school. The Board of Education has 60 days to make a decision. Extensions are possible.

The petition includes more than 100 pages of financial analysis and details of the proposed curriculum as well as other information about how the charter school would operate.

With the charter designation, a five- to seven-member PDMSS Board consisting of parents and at-large community members would be in charge of school finances, curriculum and most other features the SMMUSD currently oversees. The SMMUSD would only remain in a monitoring role.

The PDMSS parents are seeking the charter status because they fear the school’s dwindling population means the SMMUSD will close the school. Also, they want local control during the difficult economic period. No SMMUSD official has taken a formal position on the issue.

More information on the petition will be provided in next week’s issue of The Malibu Times.

Equity Fund on school board agenda

The Board of Education will vote on the distribution of money from the Equity Fund for this school year at its meeting on Thursday. The Equity Fund is part of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s Gift Policy, which requires 15 percent of most monetary donations and the value of gifts given to individual schools be pooled together into the fund. Money from the fund is allocated to schools on a weighted formula.

At a board meeting last month, members noted that certain schools are receiving significantly more money through PTA fundraising than others. Also, they accused PTAs of not reporting all the money and gifts received as a way to avoid fully contributing to the Equity Fund. Several board members have called for a review of the Gift Policy, but that issue specifically is not on the upcoming meeting’s agenda.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. at the SMMUSD headquarters at 1651 16th St. in Santa Monica. However, school board meetings almost always start significantly later than when they are scheduled to begin.

Santa Monica Dems endorse school board candidates

The Santa Monica Democratic Club last week endorsed incumbents Oscar de la Torre, Ralph Mechur and Barry Snell as well as challenger Laurie Lieberman for the election for four seats on the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s Board of Education. The Malibu Democratic Club has not made its endorsements. President Jean Goodman said this will be done soon.

Prior to the vote by the 75 Santa Monica Democrats who attended the meeting, the club’s executive committee recommended endorsements. The one difference between the recommendations and the endorsements was the committee favored Malibu resident Patrick Cady.

Also, last week, the Los Angeles County Democratic Party endorsed de La Torre, Mechur, Lieberman and Nimish Patel, who sits on the district’s Financial Oversight Committee.

The other two candidates in the race are Chris Bley and Jake Wachtel.

Malibu Inn gets permit for liquor and live music

The Planning Commission earlier this month approved a conditional-use permit allowing the Malibu Inn to serve alcohol and provide live entertainment.

The popular Pacific Coast Highway hangout reopened last summer under new ownership with breakfast and lunch service. The new permit allows for the restaurant to be open from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. with a maximum of 94 restaurant seats and 340 patrons for entertainment events.

Annual haircut for charity at Pepperdine

Pepperdine University’s eighth annual Locks of Love event will take place on Sunday. Haircuts will be provided for those wishing to donate hair to the cause. Locks of Love is a nonprofit organization that collects hair to make wigs for children who suffer from medical conditions that result in hair loss. The event will take place at Pepperdine in the Howard A. White Center building at 1 p.m.