Council to possibly ban beach smoking
At its Monday meeting, the City Council will vote on an ordinance to ban smoking at its public beaches. The Los Angeles and Santa Monica City Councils have already approved similar measures. Those cities operate their public beaches while Malibu does not. The state and the county run the beaches in Malibu. City Attorney Christi Hogin said she was confident the city could enforce the law even though it did not run the beaches. The city already has laws against nude sunbathing and drinking on the beaches.
Tremor shakes near Malibu
A small earthquake struck four miles south of Malibu on Friday just before 12 p.m. It measured magnitude 3.2, and caused no reported damage or injuries.
“It took us all by shock,” said Felipe Villegas of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. “It was so small, it didn’t even make our machine go off to alert us.”
The earthquake could be felt along the northwestern portion of the greater Los Angeles region, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Calling all young musicians
The American Society of Young Musicians is accepting scholarship applications for students aged 17 to 35 who are pursuing careers in music. Interested applicants should send a one- or two-page statement of their musical pursuits and goals, their most recent school transcript with the name and contact information of their school’s financial aid counselor, two letters of recommendation, a current photo, a biography and any performance tape or material that may be applicable. Materials should be mailed to The American Society of Young Musicians- Scholarship Department, P.O. Box 3860, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. All submissions must be received no later than May 14. Scholarship finalists will be presented at this year’s 12th Annual American Society of Young Musicians Spring Benefit Concert & Awards at the House of Blues in West Hollywood on June 3. For additional information, contact 358.8301.
Water conservation
The county of Los Angeles Department of Public Works is asking the Malibu community to conserve water. Due to unseasonably high temperatures during the last several weeks, there has been a significant increase in water use in the Malibu area, leading to a possible water shortage
According to the department, the water supply in the Malibu area is limited despite there being storage facilities to help meet the water demand during periods of high use. Some of the suggestions from the department include using less water for the lawn and to do it in the morning or evening, avoid running the water while bathing, brushing teeth, shaving and washing dishes, thawing frozen food in the refrigerator and washing clothes in full loads. Some additional recommendations include washing a car at a commercial car wash, keeping grass two to three inches long to enhance root development with minimal watering, using a broom or rake instead of a hose to clean sidewalks and driveways and keeping swimming pools at low levels to minimize splashing.
Local environmental agencies receive grant money
The California Coastal Commission recently awarded marine education grants to two local organizations. Heal the Bay was given $30,000 to continue the county’s Adopt-A-Beach Program. The program will create a volunteer task force to clean beaches after rainstorms, conduct inland schoolyard cleanups and will transport students from underserved inland schools to the beach for cleanup activities and educational presentations. The Malibu Foundation for Environmental Education was awarded $15,000 for its Kids’ Adopt-A-Beach assembly program and beach cleanup program in Los Angeles County. The assembly program will educate students at 12 underserved elementary schools about the harmful effects of ocean pollution, and will organize a beach cleanup event for 1,200 area students.
This is the Coastal Commission’s sixth year of providing grants for marine education and coastal improvement programs. More than $2.2 million has been awarded to local organizations throughout the state. The grants are funded through sales of the Whale Tail license plates.
Pepperdine graduation
Distinguished civil rights attorney and activist Fred Gray delivered the keynote address at the commencement ceremony for Pepperdine’s Seaver College Saturday at Alumni Park.
A senior partner for Gray, Langford, Sapp, McGowan, Gray & Nathanson, Gray is one of the nation’s leading civil rights figures from the 1950s and 1960s. Only one year after graduating from law school, Gray represented Rosa Parks after she refused to give up her seat on a public bus in Montgomery, Ala., prompting the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott. Gray also represented additional prominent figures in the civil rights movement, including Martin Luther King Jr. and the Alabama Freedom marchers.
Gray also successfully argued in several landmark civil rights cases. In addition, he was one of the first Blacks to serve in the Alabama State Legislature since reconstruction. He was also the first Black person to serve as president of the Alabama State Bar Association.
Food drive
Southern California letter carriers will collect food donations along their route on Saturday. The public is encouraged to leave nonperishable, unopened food next to their mailboxes for letter carriers to pick up. The food will go to local food banks and other area charities in the community. This is part of a nationwide program in its 13th year. Nearly 600 million pounds of food have been collected over the years.