Mayor pro tem wants FEMA to reconsider fire reimbursement denials
Mayor Pro Tem Pamela Conley Ulich has requested the mayor send letters to the city, county and state asking for FEMA to revisit its denials for claims after the fire and to make payments to claim holders as soon as possible. Also, she wants city staff to defer fees for building permits for property owners who are not reimbursed by their insurance companies, and then the city would ask FEMA to reimburse it.
These requests are scheduled to be discussed at Monday’s City Council meeting. She wrote in her report for the council, “Many residents and Malibu neighbors spent countless hours with representatives of the FEMA immediately after losing their homes, only to find out that FEMA financial assistance was denied for many cases, and SBA (Small Business Association) loans were offered with onerous conditions, such as requiring prior bank liens to subordinate and requiring repayment out of the first insurance dollar received. These conditions, in effect, rendered it nearly impossible for property owners to obtain SBA loans.”
Conley Ulich has also requested the city to collaborate with the Operation Recovery group to create a section in the new Malibu Disaster Guide “that will give the community a primer of what to do when everything is lost.”
The council agenda also includes the appeal of the Planning Commission’s approval for 7,600-square foot home on Ramirez Canyon Road. The meeting, which is the final one for outgoing Mayor Jeff Jennings and Councilmember Ken Kearsley (and possibly Mayor Pro Tem Pamela Conley Ulich if she loses on Election Day, April 8), will take place at City Hall, located at 23815 Stuart Ranch Rd. It is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
Grunion greeters wanted
Those wanting to monitor the grunions on the beach during the spawning season must attend a workshop at Pepperdine University on March 31. The university is one of nine locations statewide hosting workshops.
Volunteers will experience a “grunion run” and witness the behavior of the silvery little fish as they come completely ashore to spawn. Grunion greeters monitor local beaches and collect information for about two hours during a grunion run. Peak spawning season typically occurs from April through early June. The grunion runs occur late at night, twice a month, after the highest tides associated with a full or new moon. After observing a run, greeters then submit information collected via an online form and a phone “hotline.” The data are used by Pepperdine University researchers conducting studies on grunions and to ensure their protection on the beach.
The workshop will take place from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Those interested must RSVP by Tuesday by sending an e-mail to project director Melissa Studer with their name, email, phone number and mailing address. More information on the project can be obtained online at www.grunion.org.
Baby animals arrive at Leonis Adobe
Two female Angora goats born on March 1 will be included in Springtime at the Adobe, the ranch’s annual Easter party.
“This is the first spring in six years that babies have been conceived and delivered here at the Adobe.
And we still have two Nubian goats that are expecting and will birth soon,” said ranch manager Diane Ramadan.
The event takes place on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. with the animals, an egg hunt and many other activities. The ranch is located at 2537 Calabasas Rd. in Calabasas.
-Jonathan Friedman