Pepperdine offers memorial events on 9/11
Pepperdine University will offer several events on Thursday to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Nearly 3,000 American flags will be displayed at Alumni Park, the expansive lawn below the Pepperdine University Theme Tower along Malibu Canyon Road. “Each flag will represent an innocent American life lost in the terrorist attacks,” said Ryan Sawtelle, president of the College Republicans.
A brief prayer service will be offered at 11:30 a.m. at the Heroes Garden outdoor sanctuary. The garden serves as a public space to pause, reflect and honor those who died on 9/11, including Tom Burnett, alumnus of the Graziadio School of Business and Management.
Women in Public Policy, a student organization of the School of Public Policy, will present a teleconference from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. called “The Road Ahead: U.S. Foreign Policy and Security in the Post-Bush Era.” It will feature John R. Bolton, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. The lecture will take place in LC159 on the Drescher Graduate Campus. Following the teleconference, School of Public Policy professor Robert Kaufman will lead a review discussion and remembrance of 9/11.
Former Attorney General John Ashcroft will conduct a lecture on “Leadership in Challenging Times” at 7:30 p.m. in Smothers Theatre. The event is sponsored by the Pepperdine College Republicans. Tickets are free and will be made available at 8:30 a.m. the day of the lecture at the Smothers Theatre box office. More information on these events can be obtained by contacting Pepperdine at 310.506.4000.
Major meetings to take place at end of month
Two significant public hearings will take place on consecutive days during the last week of this month. On Sept. 22, the City Council will vote on the proposed La Paz retail and office development. The next day, the Planning Commission will vote on a recommendation to the City Council for the Legacy Park project as well as consider whether to certify that project’s environmental impact report.
The staff reports for both projects are expected to be released this week. Look for detailed coverage in next week’s issue of The Malibu Times. The council meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. and the planning meeting will start at 4 p.m.
Dog injured in hit and run
A vehicle struck a 9-year-old chow being walked in Cross Creek Plaza last week on Tuesday. Despite the dog, named Miles, being hit directly in the head, he has survived.
“Miles spent two hours at the vet, got a chest X-ray, which was negative,” wrote owner James Groth in an e-mail to The Malibu Times. He added, “To my surprise, he is tougher than we thought and is doing well.”
Groth said he was walking Miles on a short leash at approximately 4 p.m. when a four-door Toyota Camry nearly missed him and struck Miles.
“He rolled over the front of the car and on the ground as the onlookers screamed,” Groth wrote.
Groth said a woman he approximated to be 18 to 21 years old stopped her car and said she would follow Groth to the animal hospital. The woman soon disappeared. Groth described her as having a trim build with blonde, streaked hair. He said her car was dark green with a California plate ending in “682.”
A Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s deputy interviewed Groth and a witness, Groth said. However, when called this week, the official at the station’s traffic station laughed and said she had no record of the incident.
EPA to study public health risks at beaches
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has agreed to conduct a study of public health risks associated with bacteria and viruses found commonly on local beaches and further assess pathogens attributable to birds and other wildlife. This agreement comes as the result of a settlement of a lawsuit brought to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the county of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Flood Control District and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies.
“I commend the U.S. EPA on its decision to have this information made available to the Flood Control District and its water quality partners,” said Diego Cadena, Deputy Director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works, in a press release. “The county and Flood Control District work closely with local regulators, cities and environmental groups to protect the health of swimmers, surfers, and other beach-goers. Our storm water program is based on sound science provided by the EPA and other experts, so this study will be invaluable to us.”
In the settlement, signed Friday by Federal District Court Judge Philip S. Gutierrez, the EPA agreed to study water quality impacts on human health at a beach that is subject to urban runoff, as are many of the beaches along the Los Angeles County coastline. The EPA further agreed to make its findings available to the public no later than December 2010 and publish new water quality criteria based on the study by October 2012.
Malibu Little League meeting next month
Malibu Little League’s annual General Meeting will take place on Oct. 7 at Juan Cabrillo Elementary School. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Families with children who played last year and would like to play next year are encouraged to attend.
The meeting’s agenda includes a vote on revised by-laws, State of the League Report, election of the 2009 Board of Directors and any other items proposed for new business discussion.
More information can be obtained by calling 310.317.2018 or online at www.malibulittleleague.org.
Toxic chemical testing of sport fish offers mixed results
Results from a major study of toxic chemical concentrations in sport fish in California says contamination from some toxics has declined, while that of others remains a problem.
The Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program, or SWAMP, has just released “Final Report: Bioaccumulation of Pollutants in California Waters: A Review of Historic Data and Assessment of Impacts on Fishing and Aquatic Life.” The study, which was completed for SWAMP by the San Francisco Estuary Institute, evaluated trends of toxic chemical concentrations in sport fish in California, comparing three decades of monitoring data on bioaccumulation collected by major state monitoring programs and smaller studies. “Bioaccumulation” refers to the build-up of chemicals in the tissue of a fish.
The results show major decreases in bioaccumulation for some contaminants, but little change in mercury contamination over time. Although still present in fish, the bioaccumulation of PCBs and DDT has steadily declined. Nevertheless, bioaccumulation of toxics remains a problem in many of the state’s water bodies. Of the 390 sites sampled recently, 68 percent have bioaccumulation concentrations above levels of concern.
The report recommends additional monitoring and assessment and makes specific recommendations for a cost-effective bioaccumulation monitoring program in California. SWAMP data is used by the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to develop sport fish consumption advisories for individual water bodies. One key issue is that consumption advisories exist for only a fraction of the water bodies likely to need them. Many water bodies with elevated contaminant levels in fish are near population centers and are popular for fishing. To begin to address this need, a program focused on lakes and administered by SWAMP began monitoring last year. The first year included sampling of 50 random lakes and 80 lakes popular for fishing. The remaining 120 popular lakes will be sampled this year.
-Jonathan Friedman