Malibu Ferrari driver rejects plea deal
Stefan Eriksson, the Swedish businessman who allegedly crashed an Enzo Ferrari on Pacific Coast Highway along the Malibu coast this past February, turned down a plea deal Monday that would have him spend under two and a half years in prison.
Eriksson’s trial is beginning this week. He is charged with embezzlement, grand theft and drunken driving. Eriksson will receive a separate trial on a gun possession charge.
County to consider water rate hike
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has scheduled a hearing for Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. on a proposed water rate increase for those living in Waterworks District No. 29, which is where most Malibu residents live. According to the county, the average monthly water bill would go up approximately $18 per month if the hike were approved.
County officials are proposing an eight percent water rate increase and to raise the surcharge from 25 cents to 50 cents per hundred cubic feet. They say the higher charges are necessary because the cost of purchased water has gone up by nearly 10 percent since 1996 (the year of the last water rate increase) and to pay for a new water supply connection, in addition to other construction costs.
If a majority of the property owners living in Waterworks District No. 29 provide written protest to the county by the end of Tuesday’s hearing, the fee increase will not go into effect. The county board will also listen to oral arguments. The meeting will take place in Room 381B of the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, located at 500 West Temple St. in Downtown Los Angeles.
Hearing scheduled for proposed unincorporated Malibu LCP
A hearing will take place on Oct. 25 in Downtown Los Angeles on the proposed Local Coastal Program for an area that includes unincorporated Malibu. The Santa Monica Mountains Draft Local Coastal Program, if approved, would set the development rules for that area. An LCP includes a Land Use Plan and a Local Implementation Plan. An LUP was approved for the area in 1976, but an LIP has never been written.
Copies of the Draft LCP can be found at http://planning.co.la.ca.us/spSmmlcp.htm. The hearing will take place in the Regional Planning Commission Hearing Room 150, located at 320 West Temple St.
Firefighters put out Malibu area blaze
Los Angeles County firefighters took approximately 20 minutes to extinguish a fire in a two-story home on Van Velsir Drive in unincorporated Malibu.
Fire officials said the residents were not home during the fire, and nobody was injured. It was not known as of press time on Tuesday evening how the fire was started.
Yacht sinks near Malibu
Three people escaped unharmed when their 28-foot yacht sunk off the coast of Malibu near County Line Beach on Sunday afternoon. A call came in of a boat sinking with three adults in the water at 12:47 p.m. The U.S. Coast Guard and Los Angeles County Life Guards used helicopters, boats and jet skis in the search and rescue of the victims found floating near their partially submerged yacht. The cause is under investigation and an attempt to recover the vessel from the ocean bottom in about 30 feet of water were in progress Sunday evening.
Large field expected for Santa Monica race
The Saint John’s Santa Monica 5000 will kickoff on Sunday with a top-notch field expected to participate in the Los Angeles Sports & Fitness Invitational, the elite wave featuring athletes from around the region. The competitors will compete for a share of the $5,000 prize purse on a flat and fast course along the ocean in Santa Monica.
The LAS&F Invitational, which was first run in 2004 in Agoura Hills, brings together the best athletes in Southern California to compete in the Championship of L.A. Road Racing. In addition, several celebrities will be competing, including David James Elliott, Isaiah Washington, Cecilia Bogran, Lisa Arturo, Alex Bell, Kim Powers and 2005 Miss Massachusetts Cristina Nardozzi.
The post-race Party on the Pier will feature several live bands, including Los Angeles-based “Kelly’s Lot,” “New Maximum Donkey,” “Seeking Zenith,” and “For Pete’s Sake.” Participants can also look forward to a pancake breakfast served by “Survivor’s” Kim Powers, gait analysis performed by Coach Pat Connelly and activities for children including balloon animals, face painting, and a magician who works with live animals. In addition, all rides on the Santa Monica Pier will be open on race morning.
Race proceeds will help build the new Saint John’s Emergency Department. With 30,000 patient visits each year, the Saint John’s 24-hour Emergency Department provides life-saving services to the community each and every day. It also features a Fast Track program to provide care for life’s minor bumps and bruises.
City Council enters cyberspace
Beginning with Monday’s meeting, all City Council sessions can be viewed live on the Internet. Additionally, an archived video of each meeting will be available on the city’s Web site for 12 months-www.ci.malibu.ca.us.
City Council meetings take place on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m.
-Jonathan Friedman