Thirty-two cats were found living in a small camper parked across from Neptune’s Net at Ventura County Line on Sept. 26.

Sherman Baylin, one of the founding members of Malibu Pet Companions, a nonprofit group that rescues homeless and abandoned animals, received a call late in the evening on Sept. 25 about 20 cats left in a camper up by County Line.

The woman who lived in the camper had been in a car accident the previous day, Sunday, and was still hospitalized. Apparently, several people in the area knew about the animals crowded into her camper.

When Baylin, Stephen Brandwein, David Collier and several other volunteers arrived, they realized the number of animals was much higher than 20.

Volunteers, who came to rescue the cats, found the floor caked with more than three inches of fecal matter. The animals appeared to be malnourished, had no water and many had visible sores and lesions.

With the help of the Ventura County Park Rangers, they removed trash from the camper to make their way inside. Then began the difficult task of removing the cats.

One dead kitten was found under the front seat of the camper. After successfully rescuing most of the cats, a problem was encountered; six cats were huddled beneath a small sink, under drain piping, inaccessible to human hands.

Enter the Ventura County Fire Department. Station No. 56 sent a fire truck and four firefighters, who cut a hole in the outside of the camper so the sink area could be reached from the outside.

After more than three hours, all the cats were rescued and were sent to the Malibu Animal Hospital and Pacific Coast Animal Hospital. They are being spayed, neutered, and treated for ear mites and whatever other infections they might have. They are also being tested for diseases.

It is estimated it will cost two to three thousand dollars to treat all the cats, and Malibu Pet Companions is hoping for donations, as well as homes for the cats.

There are no plans at the moment to charge the woman who owns the camper. Her physical and mental states may rule out legal action. Her family has asked that her name be withheld.

People interested in adopting one or more of these cats can contact Malibu Animal Hospital at 310.456.6441 or Pacific Coast Animal Hospital at 310 456.1783. Tax-deductible donations to Malibu Pet Companions can be sent to P.O. Box 4318, Malibu, Calif. 90264.

With the MTA strike now in its third week, and PCH traffic flowing smoothly without the stopping of big buses to add delays, some Malibu residents are hoping the strike will never end. But the people who depend on the buses are gritting their teeth and asking God for help.

“I’m delighted,” says Pt. Dume resident Deborah Kramer, whose four-year-old daughter, Gabriella, enters kindergarten near their home next fall.

“I’m not as fearful now,” she said. “Those buses race down the hill and exceed the speed limit. It isn’t safe.”

But housekeeper Alida Lopez, who is shortening her work day to reach her five- and 11-year-old sons when their school day ends 35 miles away, says, “I pray every day, ‘Help me, God, to get to my work.’ ”

Many bus riders are so dedicated to their work, their bosses do not know they are having trouble.

“The strike has been no problem for me,” says KCAL 9 employee Dorothy Lucey, as she dashes through the children’s park near Malibu Country Mart. “The woman who works for us has a car.”

“It’s a mess; that’s all I can say,” says Lucey’s nanny, Sondra, who juggles her schedule to drive her daughter to college.

Some employees are finding it nearly impossible to get home.

Like Carlos Ruiz, who normally spends more than two hours on three buses to get from his residence in Van Nuys to his $6-an-hour Webb Way Union 76 Station job cleaning the auto repair workshop.

“I work from 3 p.m. to midnight,” he explains. “I must support my wife and three children. When I am lucky, I can get a ride from a cousin.”

Ruiz says he is being careful not to break any company rules.

“I am finding some cars to sleep in,” he explains. “They are not company cars. And I am not the only one to do this. My friends at McDonalds and Ralphs and Coogie’s do the same. And they are not all Latino.”

But Ruiz finds humor in the situation.

Getting coffee one morning, his friends ask him in Spanish, “You just getting in to work?”

“No,” he replies. “Vivo aqui. Se vive bien en Malibu.” (I live here. You can live well in Malibu.)

At some businesses, such as Guido’s Restaurant, employees like Chef Tony Valenta are picking up kitchen workers near their homes. But for other workers, the reality is, getting a ride is costing money.

Oscar Mondragon, who heads the Malibu Community Labor Exchange Center, reports that less than half of the usual 70 workers are showing up for pick-up construction jobs each morning. Some are paying up to $8 for rides from private drivers.

“Little shuttle businesses are springing up,” said Mondragon.

And for workers like Lisa Rodriguez, who earns up to $80 a day keeping house, it’s worth it.

“I lost last week’s pay,” she explains. “I don’t want to lose a job.”

Justin Silvers, whose 10 employees at Malibu Carwash and Detail are giving each other rides, notes that local residents and business owners not only are discerning, but also demanding.

“It’s been my experience that this is a small community,” he said. “The job has to be perfect. If it isn’t done right, you have to make it right. Even it if costs you money.”

September Edwards, who works as a personal assistant to Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue Rabbi Judith HaLevy, normally leaves her Marina del Rey residence each morning at 7:30 so she can get to work by 8:15.

Since the strike began, she has been hitchhiking instead.

“Yes, of course it’s dangerous,” she says. “I stand on street corners with my thumb out. A part of me is afraid. But I’ve got to get here, and I’ve got to get the job done.

“What if I don’t go in?” she said. “I don’t want to even question that. I am very grateful for this job.”

With extra long hours needed to prepare for the weekend’s Rosh Hashanah services, Edwards was counting on being able to spend the night in Malibu last week.

“I’m not sure who it would be with,” she said. “I haven’t asked.”

Meanwhile, the strike remains simply an inconvenience for most Malibu residents, like June Joseph, who admits, although she is staying on top of her own housework, she is starting to miss her housekeeper.

“I normally pick the whole house up before she comes,” says Joseph. “But I really need her for the floors, the windows, and the bathrooms.”

In an apparent indication of a stepped-up enforcement policy relating to faulty septic systems, Vic Peterson, the City of Malibu building official, served a 60-day letter on both the Malibu Bay Company and Koss Real Estate Investments. The letters concern septic systems serving the businesses operated on their properties in the Civic Center. The 60-day period refers to the amount of time both recipients have to act on the demands made by the city.

The letters were sent on Sept. 22. The one sent to the Malibu Bay Company (MBC) relates to the Winter Canyon Wastewater Disposal plant, located between Pacific Coast Highway and Civic Center Way, across the road from several condominium complexes. That site handles the waste disposal for the Colony Plaza Shopping Center. The city told David Reznick of the MBC “it has become apparent the seepage pits for your wastewater disposal system are not functioning and your system has failed.

“In order to reduce stress on the seepage pits you are required to pump your system as often as is necessary … We will be monitoring the system closely.”

The city goes on to warn, if the surfacing (of effluent) does occur, they will require the seepage pits be abandoned and the septic tanks be pumped daily.

“You are hereby ordered to submit, within 60 days” a plan for renovation of the facility. The city then warned that “failure to comply could result in an interruption of service to your tenants.” Copies were also sent to L.A. County Health Services and the L.A. County Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Resnick said he was not surprised when he received the letter. He said MBC has made a number of improvements to reduce odor problems over the summer and this is an additional problem that has come up recently.

“The focus will be to upgrade the treatment facility that is there now,” said Resnick.

This upgrade will involve additional treatment beyond the primary treatment that is already done.

“We have the same objective in mind,” said Resnick, who stated the city and MBC are working together to solve the problem.

The letter sent to Koss Real Estate Investments related to their properties at 3835 Cross Creek Road and the Malibu Country Mart. In that letter, the city referenced an earlier agreement between Koss and the city, in which Koss indicated they wanted to install a secondary treatment facility or an alternative. The city gave Koss the same terms as MBC–pump as necessary, if that fails, pump daily. The city also gave Koss 60 days to come up with a plan to renovate the entire septic system — at the end, the same threat if there was no solution; “Interruption of service to the tenants.”

Greg Kozak of Koss said the city has since retracted his letter.

“That was a letter sent out to me because they needed plans and I sent them the plans,” said Kozak, who did not want to comment any further.

No one is officially saying it, but it is rumored the city is under pressure from the RWQCB to take action. Additionally, the Governor just signed two new bills, which takes more local authority away from city officials. In the case of AB 988, it gives authority to the California Coastal Commission to create a Local Coastal Plan for Malibu. AB 885 creates a timetable for coming up with statewide septic system standards. The city had opposed and lobbied unsuccessfully against the bill.

City officials did not want to comment on the issue.

“Because it’s an open code enforcement matter, our policy is not to discuss that,” said Christi Hogin, interim city manager.

“Our goal is to get some cooperative solutions and I’m hopeful of the outcome of this,” she said.

“Department heads are not supposed to comment on any issues,” said Peterson.

But practical problems do exist for commercial septic tank systems in the city.

Tom Lubisich, owner of W.A.S.T.E.C. Inc., said there are several problems with commercial septic tanks.

“Most of the time, they overflow prematurely,” he said.

The Civic Center area is particularly affected because the ground is already saturated.

Businesses in areas like these usually need weekly pumping, he added. However, others said the tanks do not need to be pumped that often, once every six months is enough, they said.

One possible solution for businesses in the Civic Center area is a mini-treatment plant. But a disposal method for the purified water is always controversial and using the water to irrigate the landscape is only part of the solution, since watering is not needed in the winter.

However, Lubisich insists the installation of a citywide sewer system is not necessarily the answer either.

“Malibu became a city because people don’t want a sewer system since it would be costly and people would still need septic tanks,” he said.

Technically, building a sewer system is not a good idea because of the way the Pacific Coast Highway shifts — pipes could break often, he said.

Additionally, it would open up Malibu to more development, he added.

But the biggest impact would come from the work itself. The highway would be torn up for at least five years, creating many problems for residents who are already here.

“That’s just for the first phase,” said Lubisich.

And the expense is forbidding for residents as well. The cost to residents would be a minimum of $10,000, said Lubisich.

“If people would just give me the $10 000, I will pump them free for the rest of their lives,” he said jokingly.

Enrollment is up throughout Southern California and Malibu schools are no exception.

So far, local schools have managed the influx of students quite well, enabling a few to transfer from other districts using inter-district permits. But siblings of inter-district students, who are already enrolled in local schools, may not be as lucky since there is a waiting list at several of the schools.

As of the second week of the new school year, Webster Elementary School had a waiting list for third- and-fourth graders. The school is virtually full, with only two or three spots open in kindergarten and first grade, said Principal Phil Cott.

“Enrollment is robust,” he said.

Juan Cabrillo has a waiting list for all primary grades, with a few spots open in fourth grade. Students have transferred to the school from areas such as Las Virgenes, Santa Monica and as far as Oxnard.

Nearing their enrollment capacity is Pt. Dume Marine Science Elementary School, with 314 students enrolled this year as compared to 294 last year. The maximum the school can hold is 360 students.

“We are ultimately going to have about 60 students per grade level,” said Principal Cynthia Gray.

And attendance is very high at Malibu High School, with 1,180 children enrolled in grades 6 through 12.

In addition to increased enrollment, all four schools have hired new teaching staff and a couple have added new curriculum as well as completed labs and gardens over the summer.

Webster hired three new teachers, replacing one who retired and two who are on leave.

Regarding curriculum, Cott said the school is “always trying to do better.”

“We’re really pushing character development and community service for classes,” said Cott.

One area where the school is focusing is Internet-based research in the third, fourth and fifth-grade classes.

Students in grades kindergarten through third continue to benefit from the 20-1 student/teacher ratio, while fourths and fifth-grade classes average 30 to 32 students, said Cott.

At Cabrillo the fall semester began smoothly for parents, students and staff, said Principal Pat Cairns.

Teachers were well-prepared at a two-day retreat in the Channel Islands. Before school began, they sent personal letters to all the children letting them know what to expect and welcoming them to a new year.

The retreat helped staff plan through grade-level groups that looked at objectives and talked about existing programs and what they want to do during the new school year. As a result, the teaching staff bonded together and now work as a team, said Cairns.

“It gave everybody such enthusiasm,” she said.

The school’s aim is to teach subjects in-depth and enable the children to use high-level thinking skills, said Cairns.

“We don’t want superficial teaching,” she said.

In order to prepare students in fourth and fifth grade for middle school, students may have more than one teacher in subjects, such as math. There will also be diagnostic testing for students.

“The teachers will work in teams, moving students around,” said the principal.

The school has also added three new teachers to its staff this year, and the retreat made the transition smoother for them, she said.

Pt. Dume currently has 16 teachers with only 15 classrooms. Five teachers are recent hires, with four new to the district, and all commute to teach in Malibu. One, who moved from Colorado, said she found it difficult to find a home here.

The recently completed science lab will be the main showpiece of the school, said Gray. Tanks are being set up and children come in daily to see how to establish an environment for fish and other marine life. Muralist David Legaspi, III, had come in during the summer, and with the children’s help painted an underwater sea mural in the lab. The entire venture is funded by the Parent Teacher’s Association.

Malibu High has the most staff changes, adding 12 new teachers.

Like the teacher at Pt. Dume, Principal Mike Matthews said new staff has had difficulty in finding affordable housing in Malibu.

“Newer teachers have to live further and further,” said Matthews.

New classes that the high school offers this year are French I and semester classes in astronomy and geology. The new language class turned out to be quite popular, said Matthews.

“We started with two French I classes and now we offer three,” he said.

The school also offers a gifted program that will begin in October. Creative writing, journalism and marine biology are the type of classes that have been offered in the past, with the programs changing every year. Though gifted students will have priority, most students can take these classes, said Matthews.

After school, the Malibu Boys and Girls Club will offer various programs that will be particularly targeted to middle school students.

Because the school encompasses middle school and high school students, it can be hard to give each its own identity, said Matthews, who has been working on individualizing each group.

The faculty and staff are making every effort to create a distinction between the two, offering separate lunches, passing periods and two separate bell schedules. A separate Back-to-School night is also part of the plan to give the middle school its own distinction.

“Logistically, it’s fine,” said Matthews. “Culturally we need to create separate [entities].”

The Harry Barovsky Memorial Youth Commission was established recently to take a stand and make sure that youth has a voice in the Malibu community.

This group of 15 young commissioners met in their official capacity for the first time on Sept. 21 at the Bluff’s Community Center.

“I joined community service for my school so I could represent my friends, their ideas and what they want,” said Mose Wintner, 12, who attends middle school at Malibu High.

Before the meeting, the group members were interviewed and selected by the City Council based on their leadership skills.

“These 15 commissioners were selected after an all-out recruitment was conducted between March and June,” said Marilyn Stern, recreation supervisor, who will act as a liaison for the group.

“We chose two representatives from each grades 6 through 12, having three representatives for the 12th graders,” said Stern.

The young commissioners were selected for their enthusiasm, commitment and their ability to demonstrate leadership, she said.

The commission will aid the city by acting in an advisory capacity to the City Council and staff and will act as a liaison for the Parks and Recreation Dept.

“Their goal is to increase opportunities for youth in the area,” said Stern.

To achieve that goal, the Youth Commission will work on the implementation of youth programs and activities, develop a common vision and youth master plan, help to engage youth in meaningful activities and create a positive environment for youth participation, said Stern.

Wintner was well-prepared for the task at hand since he is on the student council at Malibu High this year and he was captain of his baseball team last year. The young commissioner also received references from his friends for his resume.

“I think baseball and sports are fine, but a teen center where kids could go would be good,” said Wintner. “Like the Boys and Girls Club but bigger, a place where kids can go so they can stay out of trouble.”

After selection, the group had a two-day orientation and training at Camp Shalom.

“This helped them bond and get some leadership training,” said Stern.

“The idea of the commission is to get ideas from the youth in the community to give back to City Council,” said Paul Adams, Parks and Recreation Dept. director.

The commissioners’ appointment is for two years, except for older members who will graduate at the end of the school year.

One of the first orders of business was to select a chair and vice-chair. The group elected Alexis Bolter as chair and Caitlin Harris as vice-chair.

Bolter said she is dedicated and excited to be on the commission.

“I really like to work with people and make things happen,” said Harris.