More than one ton of pot intercepted at Point Dume
Federal authorities seized an estimated 1 1/4 tons of marijuana early Saturday morning from a smuggling boat beached in Pirate’s Cove and arrested three men, a press release from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department stated. A search near Cliffside Drive for a fourth suspected smuggler was called off Saturday morning. According to the release, the three men arrested were Mexican nationals and the drugs were valued at more than $1.2 million.
The open fishing vessel from Mexico, called a panga boat, was spotted in Pirate’s Cove at Point Dume early Saturday morning. Border Patrol Agents and deputies from the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station were the first to respond to the scene.
“California National Guardsmen, working in support of Customs and Border Protection coastal enforcement operations, initially spotted the vessel offshore and relayed the information to law enforcement officers in the area,” the release states. “CBP officers and agents, and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies responded to Point Dume State Beach shortly after 12 a.m., where they discovered the boat and numerous bales of marijuana totaling 2,575 pounds with an estimated street value of $1,287,500.”
The three men in the area who had landed onshore on the boat were arrested and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations for further investigation.
According to the press release, in fiscal year 2011, the Los Angeles/Long Beach Regional Coordination Mechanism recorded 26 maritime smuggling incidents in the greater Los Angeles area, seven of which were in Ventura County. To date in fiscal year 2012, there have been 14 such incidents in the Southland, including three in Ventura County and one in Santa Barbara County.
Heal the Bay announces new team
Stephanie Medina Rodriguez has been appointed to a two-year term as chair of Heal the Bay’s board of directors, the environmental group announced last week. Heal the Bay’s longtime executive director, Karin Hall, will take over staff leadership of the organization.
Heal the Bay announced its new management team after releasing the news that president Mark Gold was leaving the organization. Gold left Heal the Bay to take a position at UCLA Jan. 27, retaining his seat on the board of directors. The environmental organization decided to get rid of the president position after Gold’s departure, a job created for him in 2006.
Rodriguez, a resident of the San Fernando Valley, has served on the group’s board for the past eight years. She is an Emmy Award-winning media executive with decades of experience in broadcast journalism, community relations and marketing.
“As we transition into a new phase for the organization, I’m looking forward to working closely with the dedicated board and staff to extend our reach throughout Southern California-the South Bay, the San Fernando Valley and the Latino community,” said Rodriguez. “Education will remain a priority for Heal the Bay, rooted in strong science and advocacy. There is no better time to become a member, get involved and help protect what we love.”
Hall has been working at Heal the Bay for 10 years. Before joining the organization, she spent 15 years as a senior advertising executive at several prominent national advertising firms.
“I am proud and humbled to lead Heal the Bay,” said Hall, who has served as executive director since 2006. “We have an incredible team of dedicated professionals and volunteers who are making a difference every day. Our mission of protecting people and nature, teaching future generations, and enjoying the oceans and waterways is essential to a vibrant, healthy Southern California.”
Malibu High senior named Youth of the Year
Malibu High School senior Makenzie Kizis has been named the 2012 Boys & Girls Club of Malibu Youth of the Year.
Kizis, who has been a member of the Boys & Girls Club (BGCM) for seven years, was selected for the honor out of eight candidates. Each nominee shared a three-minute speech about the profound impact the club has had on his or her life before a panel of judges. The Youth of the Year title recognizes outstanding contributions to a member’s family, school, community and BGCM, as well as personal challenges and obstacles overcome.
Kizis works as a high school intern mentoring her younger peers at BGCM. Since the sixth grade, she has participated in every program and volunteer activity the club offered. Kizis has expressed that she credits the club, along with programs like Torch Club and Jr. Staff, as influencing her moral character and teaching her to be open-minded, responsible and passionate about everything she does. Additionally, she has volunteered with her school through Can-A-Week Club, The New Hope Club and Operation Smile. When not helping out her community, Kizis excels on the volleyball court as a three year member of the girls’ varsity team.
“When I was younger, I looked at the club and saw an environment of fun and freedom,” Kizis said. “Now I understand what the club truly is and what it has become for me. The club is a reservoir for every form of religion, ethnicity and personality to fuse together and learn from each other. It is hard to imagine what I would be like without the club.”
On Feb. 16, Kizis will compete against Youths of the Year from 26 other Boys & Girls Clubs in Los Angeles County for the opportunity to advance to the California Youth of the Year competition in Sacramento.
Results of the Los Angeles County competition will be announced March 15 at a Boys & Girls club of Los Angeles County event at the California Science Center. If Kizis progresses past the county competition, she will compete for the title of Pacific Region Youth of the Year and a $10,000 scholarship. The five regional winners go on to Washington, D.C. in September to compete for the Boys & Girls Club of America’s National Youth of the Year title. The National Youth of the Year receives an additional $50,000 in college scholarship funds and is installed by President Obama in an Oval Office ceremony.
The Boys & Girls Club of Malibu Teen Center has been a part of the community since 1999. BGCM hosts more than 120 teens daily and provides professional youth development services to more than1,200 youth annually.
For more information about the club, or to follow Kizis and her journey as Youth of the Year, visit malibuyouth.org.
Fourth accident in months occurs at PCH and Sunset
An accident occurred Monday morning near the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Boulevard, slowing eastbound traffic through Malibu, a Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station confirmed. Traffic was backed up on the highway to at least Rambla Vista for most of the morning.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s West Traffic division declined to release any further information about the accident.
This is the fourth accident to occur at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset in less than six months.
Three weeks ago, a cyclist was hit by a car and critically injured at the same intersection. On Sept. 24, a pedestrian was struck and killed near the intersection. Just a week prior, on Sept. 18, a Ferrari crashed near the same spot, killing one person and leaving another critically injured.
Memorial held for missing kayaker
A memorial took place Friday in Calabasas for Lou Piatt, the man who disappeared a few weeks ago while kayaking. Prior to his disappearance, Piatt made a 911 call complaining of chest pains.
Piatt was a successful real estate entrepreneur for nearly 40 years. He served in the United States Marine Corps as an Infantry Officer. During a tour of duty in Vietnam, he served as a platoon and company commander, and a battalion assistant operations officer. He was awarded the Navy Cross and a Bronze Star for his valor in combat.
Piatt is survived by sons Tyler, 16, and Trapper, 15, his partner Portia Park and her daughter Nicolette. A fund has been established on behalf of Tyler, Trapper and Nicolette at loupiattmemorial.com.
Samohi group calls for anti-racism measures
According to a Jan. 27 press release, a number of Latino and African-American students became involved in conflicts around the Santa Monica High School campus last week. Unsatisfied with the administration’s response to the issues, an on-campus group known as the Committee for Racial Justice is calling for the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District to get to the root of the problem.
The committee was formed last summer after an incident involving members of the Santa Monica High School Wrestling Team. During the May 4 incident, an African-American member of the team was reportedly held against his will and subjected to racist behaviors. According to the group, the incident, coupled with the district’s slow response, caused them to form the committee, which consists of parents of students at Santa Monica High School, students, community members and clergy.
Since its inception, members of the committee for Racial Justice have met with district board members and officials to express their concerns.
Legacy Park named state’s Project of the Year
Malibu’s Legacy Park has been awarded the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Project of the Year Award for the state of California, according to the City of Malibu. Last year, the city won five awards for its creation of the park.
Legacy Park was recognized for its “innovative approach to construction, progressive ideas promoting sustainability, and its use of advanced technologies and materials.” The Malibu park has now been submitted for consideration as the American Society of Civil Engineers’ National Project of the Year.
“The creation of Legacy Park is one of the many ways the city has shown its dedication to helping create a cleaner environment and protecting the health of our nearly 13,000 residents and the approximately 15 million visitors who explore Malibu’s mountains and shores annually,” Malibu Mayor Laura Rosenthal said. “We thank The American Society of Civil Engineers for recognizing our commitment to environmental stewardship and our leadership in innovative construction.”
The 15-acre, $35 million project was completed last year. The stormwater and urban runoff project can capture up to 2.6 million gallons of stormwater and urban runoff for treatment and disinfection per day.
“Malibu Legacy Park is an innovative example of incorporating sustainability, showing environmental responsibility and using forward thinking in a project that improves water quality at the adjacent creek, lagoon and beaches, as well as beneficially using captured and treated stormwater and providing valuable habitat and educational opportunities,” said American Society of Civil Engineers Region 9 governor and awards committee chair Kathy Haynes, P.E.
The award will be presented at an awards dinner on Feb. 28 in Sacramento.
School District board meeting Thursday in Malibu
The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Board of Education is conducting its regular meeting at Malibu City Hall Thursday, giving Malibu residents a chance to make their voices heard on education issues in their back yard.
The public meeting begins at 6 p.m. at City Hall’s Council Chambers., 23825 Stuart Ranch Rd.
For more information visit smmusd.org.