Matthews withdraws from superintendent consideration
Mike Matthews
Mike Matthews, interim superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District and former Malibu High School principal, announced last week that he is no longer a candidate for the superintendent position.
Matthews told the Web site, Santa Monica Lookout, last week that he believed the Board of Education was looking for somebody with more experience for the job, and he did not want to remain a candidate if he did not have a chance to be a finalist.
Matthews will remain as interim superintendent until a permanent replacement for John Deasy is found. When that happens, which could be by mid-summer, Matthews will return to his post as head of human resources.
Malibu Township Council elects new officers
Graeme Clifford
Graeme Clifford was elected last month as the president of the Malibu Township Council. Jefferson Wagner was voted in as vice president, and Lucile Keller and Al Ehringer were both re-elected as secretary and treasurer, respectively, of the council.
Next year the MTC will celebrate its 60th anniversary. The MTC is a volunteer-based organization that, according to the MTC, aims to serve the needs of all Malibu citizens. The organization holds regular meetings on the third Thursday of every month that are open to the public.
The next meeting will take place on June 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Malibu Presbyterian Church meeting room at 3324 Malibu Canyon Road. For more information, e-mail malibutownshipcouncil@earthlink.net or write to The Malibu Township Council, P.O. Box 803, Malibu, CA 90265.
The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura turns 15
The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura will throw a gala on Friday to celebrate its 15th anniversary. The Wellness Community has served more than 10,000 people over the past 15 years, including cancer patients and their loved ones.
From its beginnings as a small operation, the Wellness Community has grown to a 2,000-participant, 500-volunteer operation.
Malibu resident Beth Hill Kin, a hospice nurse, is a co-founder of the organization and serves on its Board of Directors.
Deadline for SMC committee applications extended
The deadline to apply for appointment to the Santa Monica College Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee has been extended to Friday. Committee members oversee the execution of Measures U and S, which fund capital improvement projects at the college. One of the vacancies is specifically for a Malibu resident.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old and may not be a college employee, official, vendor, consultant or contractor. The SMC Board of Trustees will review applications and make the final appointments.
Applications are available by calling 434.4402 or by going to www.smc.edu/admin/trustees/CitizensBondOversightCommittee/default.htm.
Mountains Restoration Trust launches program
The Mountains Restoration Trust has launched a Commemorative Oaks Program in Malibu Creek State Park designed to bring back the oak and walnut trees that once populated the Las Virgenes Valley. Individuals, families, churches, synagogues, youth groups and other organizations are invited to plant and nurture the next generation of these trees.
Planters may dedicate a tree in someone’s name or care for an entire grove as an ongoing project. Local conservationist Jo Kitz created the program.
For more information about the program, contact Kitz at 818.591.1701 ext. 203 or send an e-mail to jkitz@mountainstrust.org.
The trust’s headquarters are located at 3815 Old Topanga Canyon Road in Calabasas. The Web site is www.mountainstrust.org.
Pepperdine to hold free summer concerts
A series of eight public recitals will be presented from June 12 to July 20 featuring singers, pianists, faculty and guest artists who participate in the University’s Songfest program.
Songfest, a music study program in its 10th year, was founded by Rosemary Hyler Ritter and regularly features well-known artists such as John Harbison, Martin Katz and Margaret Lattimore.
For more information, send an e-mail to songfest@earthlink.net or go to www.songfest.us.
Meeting scheduled for Point Dume Safe Routes program
The Malibu Public Works Department will hold a third community meeting to present the final plans for the Point Dume Safe Routes to School walkway project on June 21, at 7 p.m. at the Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School, located at 6955 Fernhill Drive.
For more information, contact Mondher Saied by calling 456.2489 ext. 339, or sending an e-mail to msaied@ci.malibu.ca.us.
Duke’s Malibu to hold blood drive
Duke’s Malibu will sponsor a blood drive on June 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All donors will receive a free Frost from Wendy’s and a chance to win a $500 gas raffle.
Sign-up for the drive at www.givelife.org and use the sponsor code, Dukes Malibu, or call 317.6203. Duke’s is located at 21150 Pacific Coast Highway.
Pacific Coast Highway lane closures
One northbound lane on Pacific Coast Highway from the Malibu Pier to Corral Canyon Road will be closed every night this week until Friday from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. The California Department of Transportation has issued an encroachment permit to Verizon to do the work requiring the closure.
For more information, contact Deborah Harris with Caltrans at 213.897.3800.
-Heather Laird, Jonathan Frochtzwajg Jonathan Friedman