City tile is presented to Susan Dueñas for seven years of service with the City of Malibu 

In Malibu — a city that is no stranger to fires, floods, earthquakes and landslides —  city employee Susan Dueñas has turned the safety of residents into a complete city department that’s become so important to the well-being of the community. 

Dueñas, Malibu’s first-ever public safety director, was honored at the City Council meeting Monday evening for her years of service to Malibu and for making a real impact in disaster preparation. The seven-year city employee was honored with a Malibu city tile for her significant contributions to public safety.

“Susan has done so much. Her job as public safety director is one of the most important things we’ve got going on here in the city,” Mayor Steve Uhring commented. “She has done an excellent job of building a staff to make it work, trying to harden Malibu from fires. She hired all the fire liaisons we’ve got to do the checks of houses. She’s the one who helped put together our contract with the California Highway Patrol. She’s done everything we’ve asked her to do and more.”

Dueñas had years of public service and emergency management under her belt before arriving in Malibu in 2017. She began her public safety career in West Hollywood and continued her services in El Segundo and Oxnard. She played an important role for 14 years at the Ventura County Office of Emergency Management overseeing homeland security grants and programs.

Dueñas arrived in Malibu when she was hired as public safety manager. 

“It was a new role,” she said. “At the time they weren’t really sure what they needed.” 

As the city’s safety needs grew, especially after the Woolsey Fire, Dueñas hired more staff to develop the department, implement more safety programs, and Public Safety became an official department of the city. She was promoted to director in 2022.

Public safety in Malibu has many challenges, nature being one, but also according to Dueñas, “It’s challenging being a full contract city. Having little direct control over a lot … PCH, the mountains, all these things that impact us, the city staff, and community. We don’t have direct control. It comes down to forging relationships. I can’t overstate how important that is. These are big agencies we’re dealing with whether it’s Caltrans, the State of California, County of Los Angeles, the Fire Department.” 

Dueñas gave the example of staffing shortages at partnering agencies. “You know what needs to be done, but you can’t always directly control it,” she said.

Public safety in Malibu does not happen without its many volunteers, whom Dueñas praised. 

“That’s one of the best parts of this job is that we have incredible volunteers,” she said. “Between the Volunteers on Patrol, the CERT team, Arson Watch, and community brigades coming. This community is incredibly lucky to have amazing volunteers who do so much. I’m impressed by our volunteers every day. Our CERT team leader has single-handedly quadrupled our communications capabilities by getting a repeater up in the mountains. 

“One VOP wrote over 400 parking tickets last Sunday by himself!” Dueñas pointed out, noting those tickets amount to $30,000 in fines. “In a way these volunteers are an extension of our department.” 

Dueñas is in daily communication with city volunteers.

“Even though we’re a small department, I actually feel like we’re kind of big because we have all these extensions,” she said. “We work closely on things.”

Under Dueñas’ leadership, the homeless count in Malibu has dropped by half from roughly 180 to 60. 

“Until the larger problem of homelessness is addressed at a national and state level,” she said. “It’s not going to go away, but at least I feel that we’ve been successful in managing it as best we can and preventing some of the public safety impacts, especially fires. We’ve developed a good system for reducing the chances of fires in the hillsides.”

Dueñas reflected on how far the deparment has come.

“I’m proud of growing the program. We finally have the resources to get things done,” she said. “It’s labor intensive, such as our three fire safety liaisons. It’s incredible what they’ve been able to do. We have a high-functioning department of paid staff and great relationships with volunteer organizations. We’ve been able to effect some change. There’s still lots of work to do, but it’s nice to see we’ve had an impact.

“I can’t say enough how lucky I am to have the support of the city to give us the resources to fund what we need to fund.” 

Malibu City Manager Steve McClary said of Dueñas,“Susan plays a critical role in ensuring the city is as best prepared as possible for any disaster or emergency situation. In addition, Susan works tirelessly with the staff and community on many other critical issues, including homelessness and other matters involving public safety, such as parking enforcement. She is trusted by the community for her knowledge and expertise on matters involving public safety, disaster preparedness, and disaster response. The city’s Public Safety Department is a shining star thanks to Susan’s dedication and leadership.”  

Graduate-to-be shines on the water polo team and in her film production classes

Staff Report

At Malibu High School (MHS), senior Stevie Sturges embodies the spirit of innovation both in the classroom, on the field, and in the pool. From her involvement in Career Technical Education (CTE) classes to her remarkable achievements in athletics, Sturges is an excellent example of dedication and versatility.

Sturges’ educational journey began at Juan Cabrillo Elementary, followed by Malibu Middle School, and now culminating at MHS in her senior year. Throughout her high school experience, she has immersed herself in CTE classes, including television production and journalism, as well as participating in film production projects.

“Taking CTE classes has helped me learn how to work efficiently with large groups of people with many different personalities and skills,” said Sturges. “I have learned how to be an authoritative figure in a class, while also still respecting them and being kind and encouraging. I also developed the skill of being quick on my feet and learning fast with technology.”

As the producer of Shark TV, a weekly series of episodes created by MHS TV production students, Sturges plays a pivotal role shaping the show’s content and supporting her classmates.

“I have loved being able to help create these Shark TV episodes to make people laugh and inform people of school events in a fun way,” said Sturges. “I also wanted to be the producer of this class to encourage students to be creative and bring out parts of themselves they didn’t know they had.”

In addition to her academic pursuits, Sturges excels in athletics, showcasing her talents as a swimmer and water polo player. She has been swimming since she was eight years old and playing water polo since she was 10.

“Being a student athlete has helped me tremendously with learning how to manage time and stress,” said Sturges, who received First Team All CIF-Southern Section, All League MVP and Team MVP honors during her senior year. “I have also created some of the best relationships that I know will last a lifetime while being on this team. The sport itself has taught me to control my emotions and work in a team environment.”

Reflecting on her academic career, Sturges emphasizes the importance of self-discovery and stepping to different environments.

“I have taken a variety of different electives through the years, and an important part of taking those electives has been learning about myself and what I love,” said Sturges. “Some of the things that I have participated in here at Malibu High are things that I believe I will enjoy doing in different environments for the rest of my life.”

In addition to her academic and athletic pursuits, Sturges acknowledges the guidance of MHS TV Production teacher Rachel Stowell, whose support extended beyond the classroom.

“Ms. Stowell has helped me so much and given me so much advice not only for production, but with life in general,” said Sturges. “She is a brilliant woman, and I am very lucky to have been in her classes and learned so much from her.”

Sturges plans to continue her academic and athletic career at Ventura College, where she will play water polo and study film production. After two years, she hopes to transfer to a four-year university and continue playing water polo.

School’s three-day run of popular musical’s high school version astounds rapt audience

By Barbara Burke 

Special to the Malibu Times

“I had a blast at Mean Girls!” Doug DeLuca, a Malibu High School parent who came to support the school’s production, exclaimed. “The talent blew me away — it felt like watching an off-Broadway hit instead of a high school musical.” 

For three days in Malibu, proud parents, family and friends, and members of the community thoroughly enjoyed MHS’s production of “Mean Girls,” the Broadway musical high school version, a rendition of the iconic 2004 film and its Broadway musical counterpart. 

“Mean Girls” tells the story of Cady Heron, who starts high school at 16, being home-schooled by her scientist parents in Kenya for the first 15 years of her life. The play is a brutal, but accurate, take on high school cliques, gossiping, and peer pressure.  Cady quickly encounters “The Plastics,” a group of popular girls who rule the school through intimidation, back-stabbing and bullying. Although Cady originally joined the Plastics as a joke — and to spy on them for her new friends Janis and Damian, she becomes immersed in the Plastics’ world, desperately trying to be accepted, and in the process, she discovers the dark side of high school friendships.

Although Slashfilm’s Ethan Anderton once opined that “Mean Girls” was “the generation-defining high school movie” capturing the teenage culture of the early 2000s, the Malibu High performance audience, most of whom are teens, related to the updated high school version.

The roles of Regina (Windy Wildman), Cady (Sophie Regan), Janis (Alex Murphy), Damian (Nick Ortiz), Gretchen (Shannon Rosen), Karen (Kylie Morra), and Aaron (Noah Baron) were all superbly performed, and the vocal numbers were nothing short of tremendous, with the MHS pit band, coached by Vince Juardo, accompanying the performers.

From the moment the curtain rises to Regan preparing to leave Kenya for the U.S. (which she and her mother comedically comment is “currently politically unstable,” and where “almost everybody is on opioids”) to the ending when — after intervening trauma, drama, and yes, a lot of karma — there is a genuine Kumbaya among the key characters. MHS’s actors, musicians, and the stage crew, ably managed by senior Kate Baker, who has served in that role for four years, performed professionally and entertained the delighted audience.

The Malibu Times caught up with Wildman and Regan and asked them how they prepared for their roles and what, in their mind, the central messages of the play are.

“I have worked to find the balance in my Cady Heron’s truth in each decision she makes,” Regan said. “Pulling from the real feeling of wanting to be accepted and feeling like you need to change yourself to fit others, but in the end realizing you can only find your people when you’re truly yourself.” 

For her part, Wildman commented, “In our production of ‘Mean Girls,’ I play Regina George, the antagonist of the show. Throughout the show, the story follows the idea of social norms and what it is like to be a teenager in modern society, and figure out who you are and how to stay true to that in the midst of a society pressed by said social norms.” 

Wildman elaborated, “Strangely enough, I contribute to these central ideas by being the catalyst of them, as the main ‘mean girl.’ Yet, having my character brought to her downfall and hit by a bus, I simultaneously symbolize the breaking down of societal stereotypes.”

Seniors Regan and Wildman are best friends, have been involved in dramatic arts since early childhood, and — no small feat — have both been accepted into NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts for Dramatic Arts, all facts that add complexity to their on-stage performances in “Mean Girls.” 

“The relationship between Regina and Cady in the play is one of my favorites in the whole show because they each have such a deep character turnaround that they truly get to experience together,” Regan said. “The scene when Regina and Cady both choose to forgive and reconnect highlights how both of them changed the other.”  

When asked whether, in her mind, the central theme of the play focuses on loyalty or girl power, a hotly debated issue amongst critics since the original play debuted, Wildman responded, “I personally believe that it is in some ways about both! I would definitely say that female empowerment, and just the empowerment of all those around you in general, is a huge takeaway from the show and essentially, is what I believe to be the central message. However, there is definitely an underlying theme of loyalty — not necessarily to others, but loyalty to your true self, and to not changing yourself for anyone or anything, and we hope that both of those ideas are something people are able to feel and take away from our show!”

“Mean Girls” was also the senior showcase for Baker, who has served as the stage manager for four years. 

“A production like ‘Mean Girls’ truly takes a village,” Regan said. “We had our MHS Vocal Director Dr. Krysta Sorensen teaching us vocals and giving us every tool to make sure we can sing at our peak in the most healthy way for such a demanding show, Ms. Brigette Leonard was our amazing director making the show look its best and feel as natural as possible and they, together with the MHS Band, led by Conductor Mr. John Kibbler and Musical Director Joellen “Cha Cha” McNaughton — they are the reason the show comes alive every night.”

As attendees left the opening performance of “Mean Girls,” many commented that the performers’ futures are bright and, to use the language of the last vocal number in Mean Girls, a few of them commented metaphorically, “I see stars!”

Families enjoyed a Saturday afternoon with games, treats, and a photo booth bus

Over the weekend, Trancas Country Market celebrated moms in Malibu with an evening of complimentary treats, a fun photo booth bus, and games with their little ones.

“Mother’s Day is literally a reflection of the best day of my life — becoming a mom,” Hayley Carling said. “You think about the day you gave birth.”

Carling said she loves going to the beach, going to the playground, shopping, and “doing all the girly things” with her three-year-old daughter Lily. 

“And eating cupcakes!” she added. 

Carling and her daughter enjoyed the playground at Trancas Country Market, blowing bubbles and checking out the table full of sweet treats. 

“It’s very special, it’s very cool to have things like this for the little ones to enjoy and adults walk around and see how much fun the little ones are having. It’s making everyone smile, so we love that,” she said. “We’re a small community, so it’s really fun to have events like this.” 

Founder and CEO of Global Branding Central Marc Appelbaum has been organizing all the events at Trancas Country Market and was excited to have visitors enjoy the MaliBus photo booth.

“It’s moms day, so we want to celebrate the moms and all the mothers out there, so we have some treats, we have some pictures with the MaliBus photo booth that they’re going to be giving away for free, and a ton of games and just letting people have fun,” Appelbaum said. 

After playtime and complimentary treats, families enjoyed picking out fun props for the photo booth bus provided by Brian Schofield. 

Schofield said visitors also enjoyed the photo booth bus on March 9 for the 10th anniversary of Vintage Grocers.

Appelbaum said despite the difficulties with permits, he hopes to bring people to the shopping center.

“That’s what we’re trying to do, keep people coming around, keep building it out,” he said. “Unfortunately with these weathers, we haven’t had consistent sunny days, but everyone that does come around, there’s always something for them. Everyone does enjoy it. We just want people to come out more often and see all the different changes — there’s new stores coming and going so it’s always a fun place.”

Appelbaum said the next event he has planned is “Dad’s Day on the Green” on June 15 and “Summer Dream on the Green” on July 13. To see upcoming events, follow the shopping center on Instagram @trancascountrymarket. 

“Malibu is such a small community so everyone does support,” he said. “We do get a lot of foot traction, so it’s great to have the families that come out of town here and having something to do, but the more that people follow us on social media and see these events, it’s great.”

MHS band members take inspiring field trip to Bandrika Studios in Tarzana

It was a field trip that will be remembered for a lifetime. Twenty-four high school musicians from the Malibu High School band spent a day at a professional recording studio, not just for a tour of the beautiful facility, but to actually have a recording session where LA’s top musicians and award-winning composers record scores for movies and television. 

The MHS musicians, led by Band Director John Kibler, were hosted in March at Bandrika Studios in Tarzana. 

After just a few months of rehearsal, amid school assignments and playing for the MHS production of “Mean Girls,” the teens pulled off an unbelievable performance of the jazz fusion classic “Spain” by Chick Corea in what Kibler called “a totally professional style recording session.” 

Kibler, a professional musician and band teacher at MHS since 2018, said this was one of the best learning experiences for the young musicians. “This is something you’ll find yourself in if you become a musician if you’re interested,” he said.

The MHS recording session was set up just like a professional booking. Every musician had their own microphone and headphones. The band’s drummer was isolated in another room as is standard practice. 

“The equipment and everything was totally top-notch, super-pro,” Kibler noted. “I think having each kid with a mic in front of them ups their concentration, focus, and level of playing. It really turned out well, and they got to see it all come together. We put in the work rehearsing the song, but then we did a few takes, took a break, did some over-dubbing where we layered some other sounds on top of what we previously recorded, and it was really fun to see the whole process come together.”

The students then were allowed into the control room to see first-hand computers and recording equipment that the engineers used to record their piece. The kids were able to see and hear their work edited and the process of music production. 

“The beginning is from take one, the ending from take four,” Kibler explained. “Music production is not just performance. It (a studio experience) exposes them to all these different career paths in music. You don’t just have to play an instrument. You can be a recording engineer or an editor.”

Amar Taha a 17-year-old trumpet player raved about the experience. The MHS senior said, “Recording in a professional studio was an amazing experience. I felt like a professional musician. For example, noticing all the high-tech equipment, observing the professionalism of the producers, and doing multiple takes of our song Spain by Chick Corea (arranged by Paul Murtha). 

Bandrika is certainly an experience I won’t forget.”

Lulu Goode, 16, a sophomore flutist, said, “The band trip to Bandrika was an amazing experience. Actually recording the song was so cool, recording and re-recording different pieces of the song was a new and super great experience. We also got to learn about and see super cool instruments, and that is something that I will never forget.” 

One of the most unusual instruments the group heard was the studio’s undoubted gem, a 1928 Wurlitzer organ. The nearly 100-year-old instrument is not only rare, it has 1,366 pipes and a host of percussion instruments, all triggered from its console. The organ, that was commissioned by Fox Studios, can be heard in hundreds of movies from the silent era through its residence at Fox until 1997. The Bandrika Studios was built around the massive instrument. 

Parent and trip sponsor Evyen Klean, whose son plays keyboards in the band, called Bandrika a “musical museum of super cool instruments.” He called the trip “fantastic.” Kibler described the studio and experience with the students as “super cool and amazing.”

But the real amazing part was the talented young musicians. Kibler applauded his musicians, saying, “This year we have one of the best bands we’ve had since I’ve been here. It’s so supportive and positive this year with everything we do. We’ve been doing a lot more projects, and everybody’s so enthusiastic. They keep each other in check. It operates like a community and democracy when deciding what to play. We talk about it. I’m super excited with this high school group and their level of playing the,ir ability to meet challenges, and their enthusiasm for new things. It’s really great.”

To see and hear the kids’ amazing performance, visit drive.google.com/file/d/1lef-dAP95dQnI9q14nyvbnRCRH3qJOsc/view?usp=drivesdk