-The summer saw the exodus of some of Malibu’s old retail and restaurant standbys. Howdy’s Restaurant, Diesel Bookstore and (later in the year) 98% Angel each announced departures from the Malibu Country Mart. Most were staggered by the rise in rents and the feeling they were being forced out for the new stores, each paying $15 or $20 per square foot in certain locations. In the city-owned Malibu Lumber Yard, which is leased to Glimcher, the Malibu Art Barn and MLY Gallery also closed their doors.
-Beautiful Fourth of July weekend weather, temperatures in the 80s and 90s, and fireworks in three different locations brought 584,000 visitors streaming into Malibu.
-The controversial Reiner-led Measure R seemed to have little difficulty gathering the necessary signatures to get onto the November 2014 ballot, perhaps a harbinger of what was to come. The City Council put Measure R onto the ballot, while at the same time coming up with its own formula retail ordinance. It looked somewhat like the poison pill strategy some corporations use to avoid hostile takeovers.
-James Garner, whose TV show the “Rockford Files,” filmed locally at Paradise Cove and helped to create the Malibu legend, passed away at age 86. Garner, an avid environmentalist and a very approachable guy, didn’t hesitate to get involved in public debates about the environment at a time when most actors shied away from political controversy.
