6/1 Vehicle Burglary A vehicle parked near the Malibu Pier was broken into and ransacked. The victim’s iPhone, purse, and wallet were stolen. There was no damage made to the vehicle. The victim was unsure how they entered their vehicle. There were no security cameras available for evidence.
6/1 Vehicle Burglary A vehicle parked near Topanga State Beach was broken into and the victims iPhone and iPad were stolen. The victim hid the key in a bush nearby, went surfing, and upon return, the key was missing and their glovebox was rummaged through. There was no damaged made to the vehicle. There were no security cameras available for evidence.
6/4 Burglary A vehicle parked near Serra Road was broken into and ransacked. The victim hid the key in the right rear tire, and upon return, their laptop, wallet, and credit cards were stolen. Their laptop was worth $2,500. There were no security cameras available for evidence.
6/7 Burglary A vehicle parked near Surfrider Beach was broken into and ransacked. The victim left the key under the grill of the vehicle, and upon return, the key was missing and their wallet was stolen. The victim received a notification of a $5,721 charge made to their credit card at a Bloomingdale’s and Walgreens in Santa Monica.
6/7 Burglary A vehicle parked near Dan Blocker County Beach was broken into, and an iPhone, wallet, and $800 in cash was stolen. The suspects were seen by a bypasser who saw two males, described as Hispanics, go into the vehicle, take the belongings, and run off to another vehicle.
Latta will serve as the director of Our Lady of Malibu’s preschool, launching littles into their academic world
By Barbara Burke
Special to The Malibu Times
Albert Einstein once said, “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”
For more than 40 years, Malibu’s Shari Latta has provided the youngest locals with an amazing adventurous learning experience — their first of many in the academic world.
Children’s Creative Workshop, Latta’s preschool, a nonprofit organization, provided a haven for the littlest in our town to become curious about their world, respectful of one another and confident in their learning. Some 1,200 of Malibu’s wee wanes were proud to call “Miss Shari” their teacher for four decades.
CCW was forced to close its doors in June 2022 after losing its lease from the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District — the stated reason was that the district did not have any space to accommodate the preschool given the construction of the new Malibu High School. Despite the valiant efforts of a multitude of Malibu parents, the preschool could not find an alternative location.
So, undaunted and still feeling her call to teach, Latta started to instruct a couple days a week at Our Lady of Malibu preschool, an experience she thoroughly enjoys. Now, she has been named that school’s preschool director.
“Shari and I grew up in Malibu and went to school together,” Denise Peak said. “She was my daughter Alicia’s teacher and she taught all of Alicia’s children when the elementary school was called Point Dume Marine and Science School.”
Shari, Peak shares, “always had bunny rabbits that added to my children’s love of animals.”
Alicia Peak, now a parent of three and also a teacher, highly compliments Latta’s teaching process and her impact on generations of Malibuites.
“As an educator myself, [I think] Shari’s preschool curriculum stands well above any other I have ever seen.” Alicia said. “She creates cross-cultural units of study through song and art and ignites all of the senses for small children.”
Arlene and Josh Mosshart heartily agree.
“I had four kids taught by Shari and we felt she provided a preschool that was a safe haven for them to learn,” Arlene said. “Hers was a classroom with a great vibe and I always loved that her classroom door was always open.”
Malibu parents of several generations were attracted by Latta’s methods of teaching which incorporate a lot of marine science, geography, wildlife, biology, Malibu history and the rich Chumash culture.
“I teach all of those subjects in my science-based curriculum, which is taught through music and art.” Latta says. “I love teaching at OLM as the entire campus exudes nurturing and calm and mine is the most beautiful classroom I’ve ever had — it is surrounded by trees and shrubs and is very full of light.”
Josh Mosshart shared that Latta provided Arlene and he a delightful, insightful prism through which they saw their children learn and grow.
“We had tears of joy as we were able to experience our kids discovering so many wonderful things about the world.” Josh shared. “I’m originally from Idaho and the preschool experience that Shari provided to my children was reminiscent of my small town — she provided the experience for the children that we all seek.”
Latta always knew she wanted to be a preschool teacher. Early in her life, she helped her mother teach little ones.
“I feel really lucky to teach,” Latta said. “I guess I got a gift from my mom — a gift of understanding and enjoying children — it became natural for me. After 45 years of teaching preschool, I’m not tired of it — I look forward to working full time at OLM because I know it can make an impact and can help teach the children a love of learning.”
Full of energy and optimism, Latta not only teaches wee wanes. She finds plenty of time for her many athletic and work endeavors.
Life as a junior lifeguard instructor and as a lifeguard
“Shari was my first junior lifeguard instructor and she always made it fun,” Malibu native Margaret Sampson, 38, said. “She made sure we worked hard and also that we had a great time. I really looked up to her and now, I appreciate that my first junior lifeguard instructor was a woman because it made it seem perfectly normal and reasonable that women were lifeguards.”
Latta loves to be a lifeguard, an endeavor she’s enjoyed for 35 years.
“I love to explain everything about the ocean to people,” She said. “I get to explain about the fish, whales, dolphins, birds and wild animals — it’s an honor to do so.”
In her spare time — query, where in the world does she find some — Latta also enjoys long-distance running and sheplays ice hockey in a league.
“Our hockey team has competed all over Canada and in Alaska,” Latta said. “I was attracted to the game of hockey because it is so challenging.”
But wait — there’s more about this very active, very humble and very affable Malibuite.
“I used to run triathlons,” She says casually, as if it’s no big deal. “Now, I enjoy participating in half marathon distance running and last year, I ran a 14-mile leg in our team’s 109-mile relay in Canada and Alaska.”
With both physical and creative energy, Latta nurtures and challenges the littlest Malibuites to learn and grow, and to be respectful, optimistic, and curious.
“Shari’s a legend for sure!” Josh Mosshart declared. 
Agreeing, Denise Peak said it best: “We are forever grateful for Shari’s leadership and dedication to the children of Malibu — I know I speak for many parents and grandparents that she is a Malibu treasure as her kindness and love will be reflected in many generations of Malibu children.”
How does one sum up a local’s lifelong contribution to children’s education, both in the classroom and as a junior lifeguard?
Denise Peak very ably did just that when she said, “Shari is the pied piper of our town and has influenced so many children to be forever young!”
An August 28 court date has been announced in the case of Fraser Michael Bohm. The 22-year-old from Malibu is accused of causing the deaths of four Pepperdine students on October 17, 2023.
The scheduled preliminary hearing is set for the Van Nuys courthouse. Bohm faces four counts of murder and four counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Bohm pled not guilty to all charges at an arraignment last year. He was jailed for a short time, but has been free for nearly nine months after posting a $4 million bond.
Law enforcement officers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department say Bohm was allegedly speeding in the 21600 block of Pacific Coast Highway when witnesses saw him lose control of his vehicle causing him to crash into nearby parked vehicles that hit four pedestrians who were standing on the side of the roadway. Niahm Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams died at the scene.
District Attorney George Gascón called Bohm’s actions a “senseless act,” adding, “We want to assure the community that we are committed to seeking justice for those who have been taken from us too soon.”
If convicted as charged, Bohm faces the possibility of multiple life sentences.
Mae Chandran shares her culinary culture and expertise on ‘The Great American Recipe’
The culinary talents of Mae Chandran have launched the Malibu resident from home cook to television personality with her upcoming appearance on the new season of the PBS hit show “The Great American Recipe.”
Season 3, debuting June 17, features the very charming 76-year-old as the series’ oldest contestant in a friendly and upbeat competition that celebrates the multiculturalism that makes American food so delicious and vibrant. The Malibu Times got the opportunity to chat with this very vibrant personality who wouldn’t reveal the outcome of the show, but did offer some compelling reasons to watch it.
Chandran has called Malibu home for 38 years. She was born in China, moved to Hong Kong as a youngster and then moved to the US at age 8, settling in Fall River, Massachusetts. She and her family lived above her family’s Chinese American restaurant.
“I grew up in the restaurant business,” the mother of two Malibu High School graduates said.
“I’ve always had this love for food,” she said, specifically mentioning the regional food from her New England youth, including shellfish, like quahogs. But as a child, Chandran wasn’t allowed in the commercial kitchen. She had to wait until the restaurant closed at 10 p.m. to practice her skills and experiment in the kitchen. She devoured cookbooks and collected recipes, and though longing to study culinary arts, she received degrees from UCLA and an MBA from Loyola. She taught a few cooking classes in Los Angeles while also raising her children. But Chandran said she is basically “self-taught. My love for cooking has never died down.”
Chandran had never even heard of “The Great American Recipe” until a casting agent found her. The other contestants were discovered through their cooking related Instagram accounts. Chandran posts on Instagram too but commented, “I’m more than just about food. I’m about gardening, my family. I’m the only one they did not find through Instagram.”
The grandmother of two went through “a very rigorous process” to eventually get cast. Chandran was sent to Nashville last October for nearly a month of shooting the eight-episode series. She worked 12- to 14-hour days and when questioned if she could keep up with that pace Chandran told the producers, “What a silly question. I’m from a restaurant background. We were open seven days a week. I said, ‘yeah, what’s the problem?’ I think they wanted to know because of my age. But I have more energy than others that age.”
On the show, contestants are asked to prepare regional dishes and foods they grew up eating. They have just one hour to cook and plate the dish. Chandran cooked a dish “very prevalent in California” but she isn’t allowed to reveal it yet.
Unlike other reality TV cooking shows “The Great American Recipe” does not eliminate contestants. When asked what the winner receives, Chandran answered, “Nothing. That’s the beauty of it.” The winner gets bragging rights and according to Chandran, “the privilege of being the winner.” It’s this attitude that makes Chandran so charming. She added, “It’s a very encompassing show, very inclusive.
“It’s a heartwarming show. I think I’m going to be friends with all these people because every one of us is so normal. We’d help each other. I’d hate to be in a show that’s cutthroat, where they eliminate people. This show is about inclusivity.”
All in all, Chandran was responsible for creating nearly 20 dishes. One in particular was a meal her mother served to her she remembered from her childhood.
“This show is about family traditions and shows how America is comprised of all nationalities, all different types of foods,” she said. “We talk about tradition and how one recipe is carried down through the ages and how recipes make us feel. I think it’ll be an eye-opener for a lot of people because it’s more than just about food. It’s about how food binds us and how different people have different celebrations. One of the dishes we made was for celebrating, another was a signature dish.”
Chandran’s dishes were described as Cantonese, which the Malibu resident described as “very delicate food.” But once she married a man who favored spicy food, her cooking style changed to “a lot of heat and spice.”
She concluded, “Because of my husband I learned to use curry and spices. Love is through the stomach, right?”
Malibu resident Mae Chandran (fourth from left) poses with her fellow cast members for Season 3 of the PBS cooking show “The Great American Recipe.” Contributed Photo
Musician raised in Malibu emerges from the darkness of addiction to delight fans and find inspiration
By Barbara Burke
Special to The Malibu Times
It’s been a long and winding road for Malibu’s Indio Downey as he traversed from his carefree childhood growing up in Malibu, then, unfortunately, spiraled down — down, down, down — into the painful and sometimes seemingly insurmountable abyss of addiction, but then, painfully, slowly and … finally, successfully, climbed out of that insidious nightmare.
On the evening of June 28, Downey stood tall and talented on Trancas lawn, preparing to perform with his band in his hometown.
Affable and approachable, Downey smiled as he shared a few details about his treacherous journey and survival and about how important Point Dume is to his creativity and Malibu is to his essence and ethos.
Answering questions right before the sound check, Downey displayed humility, gratitude, and contemplation during our colloquy.
Did he attend Malibu High School? Yes, but only for one year and then, the addiction began and soon ensnared him.
Was he looking forward to playing here in Malibu?
And how!
“I’m really excited to play at Trancas lawn in my hometown as Malibu is such a very special, unique community and provides all of us with such an awesome culture!” Downey said. “Playing near the beach in Malibu is awesome!”
An ever-growing crowd of attendees gathered, toting lawn chairs and beach blankets as kids and dogs cavorted joyously without a worry in the world.
Amidst the cacophony, the calm and confident Downey smiled serenely as he surveyed that mayhem in front of the stage, briefly flashing an expression that revealed he fondly recollected his carefree childhood days in Malibu.
Pausing to reflect a moment, he shared that his interest in becoming a musician began during that childhood when he heard bands around LA play superb concerts.
“Three bands in particular influenced me,” Downey said. “I saw Wolf Müller and Kings of Leon when they played at the Music Box, and I enjoyed Queens of the Stone Age there, and I was intrigued by other bands who played at the Viper Room and at Henry Ford Theater.”
These days, Downey draws inspiration from Point Dume, he said, noting that it is there where he is most creative and that his song, “Dume,” one of five tracks from his recently released EP, “Cigarettes in Bed,”derives from his affinity with one of Malibu’s most iconic areas.
Music, Downey notes, is transformative — and music was key to his transformation from being an addict to becominga prolific creative.
“‘Dume’ is about the fatal attraction of self-destruction,” Downey explained. “Doom is my biggest fear and within the context of the song, it’s a metaphor for my past addiction, but I switched the spelling to Dume as a play on Point Dume.”
“Cigarettes in Bed,”released in February, is infused with influences from both slacker rock and grunge, and the Trancas audience gyrated joyously as they danced and grooved with the various songs Indio played.
“Indio’s sound melds the head-banging rebellion of early 2000s punk and the grungy melodrama of ’90s alt rock with a sincerity and conviction all his own,” music commentator Carmel Walsh wrote recently. “Cigarettes in Bed is gritty and dynamic, pairing punk-tinged rock anthems with simmering moments of self-reflection.”
So true.
“My goal as a musician is to contribute to a very exciting rock scene in LA,” Downey says. “I also want to get into the habit of playing in Malibu!”
From the looks of the crowd enjoying his music on Trancas lawn where locals love to gather for concerts, he’s most welcome to play again anytime — and often.
Artist Indio Downey performs at the Trancas Concert Series on Friday, June 28. Photos by Samantha Bravo/TMT
Internationally acclaimed artist Lita Albuquerque is revisiting one of her very first land art installations in Malibu, a place she’s called home for decades.
The expansive body of artworks, sculptures, and installations created by Albuquerque — one of the preeminent land artists of our time and a self-described futurist and humanist — can be found in museums across the globe, including the Whitney, the Getty, LACMA, and MOCA. Her Celestial Disk star map is featured at the entrance to Los Angeles’Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
Known as a land artist coming out of California’s Light and Space Movement, Albuquerque sees her unique and groundbreaking art as “the evolution of the human being and what is needed to be able to essentially connect with ourselves into the earth and into the cosmos. I call myself a humanist because the human being is always part of my intention … doing things that through alignments, through simplicity, through geometry, through color affect a perspective inside of ourselves.”
She’s also a futurist “because I have a very interesting thing about time.” A colleague has called her the “queen of the now, of the moment.” She demonstrated over a minute how she practices a way to position the self in what she calls a“cosmic address.” Beginning with her specific location on earth, she systematically expands her focus and calls out successively expanding perspectives as to her location in the cosmos at a precise moment of time. She started this practice decades ago and sees it both as a way of reorienting and re-centering perspective and as a mnemonic tool, enabling her to recall specific moments like being on a donkey in the Valley of the Kings.
Born in the U.S., Albuquerque was raised in Tunisia and France, but “Malibu has always been really important,” the artist said. She moved to Malibu at age 13 not speaking English at the time and lived on the beach near Decker Canyon.She remembers a quieter Malibu where “big sea lions washed up on shore.” She lived next to actor James Arness, but television to her seemed foreign. Later she moved to what was known as the “Other Colony,” a 132-acre area between Tuna Canyon and Big Rock. It was the site of the Coffee House Positano, which she described as having a “beatnik” vibe. The area transformed into an artists’ colony that filled with creatives, including the poet and painter Lawrence Ferlinghetti, actors, writers, and filmmakers who lived a bohemian lifestyle in bungalows on the site. The young Albuquerque worked there and then flourished as an abstract painter.
The “Other Colony” was destroyed in the 1993 Old Topanga Fire, but Albuquerque’s time there probably served as an impetus for her transition from painting to becoming a land artist. Working at her own Malibu studio in 1978, she decided to “make a break” from painting, calling her work “too personal.” Now, instead of using cloth canvas, the earth became Albuquerque’s canvas with three initial works all sited in Malibu. The first was “Malibu Line,” a vivid blue trough running perpendicular out to the horizon where it met the ocean. As described by the Los Angeles Nomadic Division (LAND), “Malibu Line” was “a direct mark on the land that connects the viewer to the earth and to the horizon. By virtue of a slight optical illusion, the line both spatially and symbolically links land to sky, and sky to the ocean horizon beyond.”
“They were really about the land,” the UCLA-educated artist described of her initial works, each utilizing her signature Albuquerque blue, a striking aquamarine pigment. “For me it was about light and about the land.” By nature, land works are ephemeral. All three of the original Malibu land works are gone, weathered away by wind, rain, and fire.
In June, Albuquerque revisited her career-defining “Malibu Line” at her longtime residence in Decker Canyon, which was consumed in the Woolsey Fire. She dug a 68-foot long trench, 14 to 17 inches across and filled it with her signature blue pigment. The public was invited for free viewings with tickets snapped up immediately online through LAND, a site-specific free-arts program that sponsored the viewing.
This new iteration of the piece will be a companion to another installation the artist will create in Tunisia, where the Pacific will be replaced by the Mediterranean Sea. The public will be able to view her stunning work again this fall when Albuquerque has two exhibits of new works opening as part of the Getty’s Pacific Standard Time initiative.“Earth Skin” premieres Sept. 11 at Michael Kohn Gallery. She’ll cover the gallery floor with a granite composite so thin it will appear flush with the ground. Her other work debuting at Cal Tech Sept. 27 titled “This Moment in Time” will feature a gold-leafed walking bridge.
Check nomadicdivision.org for future “Malibu Line” viewings.
Pepperdine pair the first in school history to reach the women’s doubles national championship match
Savannah Broadus and Janice Tjen, perhaps the best Pepperdine Waves women’s tennis doubles team ever, finished the collegiate tennis season as runners-up.
The duo was defeated by the Georgia Bulldogs’ Aysegul Mert and Dash Vidmanova in the NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships’ doubles championship at the Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on May 25.
Broadus, a junior, and Tjen, a senior, advanced through four rounds of play in the four-day event before falling in the championship match 7-6 (4), 2-6, 1-0 (9). The Waves twosome entered the 32-team tournament as the top-ranked squad.
Mert and Vidmanova had a 3-0 advantage in the first set before Broadus and Tjen held serve in the fourth game. The Waves broke Georgia in the fifth game to put the match on serve. Soon after, both duos held serve before a first-set tiebreaker. Then Georgia seized a 4-0 lead before winning the first set.
The Waves bounced back in the second set. They broke Vidmanova’s serve in the second game, which led to Tjen’s stellar serving. The Waves took double-break lead in the fourth game. They were soon leading 4-2. Tjen and Broadus then held serve and broke their opponents when Mert double-faulted.
In the super-breaker, Vidmanova and Mert grabbed a 5-2 advantage, before Tjen and Broadus stormed back courtesy of a two lobs from Broadus that gave the Waves a 7-6 lead. The Bulldog duo saved a match point with Tjen and Broadus leading 9-8, and eventually won the super-breaker 11-9.
In the their previous match, Broadus and Tjen defeated Tennessee’s Sofia Cabezas and Elza Tomase 6-2, 6-1 to become the first Pepperdine women’s doubles team to reach the national championship match.
The Waves defeated North Carolina’s defending national title pair of Fiona Crowley and Carson Tanguilig 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the semifinals matchup against Tennessee. The victory made Broadus and Tjen the first Pepperdine pair ever to make the tournament’s semifinals twice. They made it that distance in the 2022 tournament.
Tjen and Broadus downed Ariana Arseneault and DJ Bennett of Auburn 6-3, 6-4 before beating North Carolina. Pepperdine was never broken and never faced a deuce point during a service game in the first set.
The Waves doubles team began the tournament with a come-from-behind win over California’s Mao Mushika and Hannah Viller Moeller. Broadus and Tjen won the match 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (13).
Broadus and Tjen are the first Waves women’s doubles team to be named All-American three times. The pair had a 35-5 record this season. They never ranked below fourth in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.
Tjen advanced to the second round the NCAA singles tournament. She defeated Auburn’s Bennett in the first round 6-3, 6-1. Georgia’s Vidmanova beat Tjen in the next round 7-6 (1), 7-5.
Broadus and Waves senior Lisa Zaar were beaten in the singles tournament’s opening round. Broadus was defeated 7-5, 6-4 by Syracuse’s Miyuka Kimoto. Zaar was beat by San Diego State’s Andjela Skrobonja 7-5, 6-1.
The women’s squad’s season ended in third round of the NCAA Division I Championships
Pepperdine Waves women’s golfer Jeneath Wong captured the first tournament win of her collegiate career this season.
Wong’s first-place finish in the Silicon Valley Showcase in March and her stellar golf throughout the Waves’ four-month spring campaign led to her being named a Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American for the second straight season on May 24.
Wong, a sophomore from Melbourne, Australia, credited Pepperdine head coach Laurie Gibbs and assistant coach Kacey Dalpes for her now being an honorable mention All-American twice.
“I feel really honored to get the title back-to-back,” Wong said. “The season was pretty good. I was heading in a really good direction this season. I’ve grown as a golfer a lot with my coaches’ help. I feel they have pushed me to this level to get me to win my first college event.”
Gibbs said Wong had consecutive good seasons.
“We look forward to the continued growth in her game as she achieves more success in the next two years,” she said. “Jeneath is an excellent teammate and representative for the Waves as she competes around the world.”
Wong’s All-American recognition came on the heels of her winning the West Coast Conference Player of the Year award and being named to the conference first team in April.
Wong had a 72.47 scoring average this season with 2,174 strokes in 30 rounds. Her career scoring average of 72.58 is tops in the Waves’ record books.
Wong wasn’t the only Pepperdine golfer to receive postseason honors.
Waves seniors Lion Higo and Kaleiya Romero were also named to the All-WCC first team, as was junior Lauren Gomez. Gibbs was recognized as the conference’s Coach of the Year.
Higo posted a 72.71 scoring average and had five top 10 finishes in tournaments, while Romero had the same scoring average and was named the conference’s golfer of the month February. She also had four top 10 placements. Gomez, the WCC Championship individual winner, had a 72.21 scoring average and earned four top 10 finishes.
Pepperdine men’s golfer Mahanth Chirravuri, a sophomore, was selected for the PING All-West Region team by the Golf Coaches Association of America last month. Chirravuri led the Waves with an 71.44 scoring average in 34 rounds. He posted three top 10 placements and six top 20 finishes.
Chirravuri and his teammates Brady Siravo, a sophomore, and freshman William Walsh received WCC recognition also. Siravo had a 73.42 scoring average this season and finished in the top 10 three times. Walsh had a 72.39 scoring average and three top 10 finishes also.
Wong won the Silicon Valley Showcase by shooting a 206 (-7). She finished in the top 10 in four tournaments and the top 20 in eight tournaments. Wong, ranked 43rd on the Clipp’d rankings and 65th on USGA polls, led Pepperdine with 12 rounds under par this season. Three of those rounds were in the Silicon Valley Showcase.
Wong recalled that she hit the ball really well during the tournament.
“I was not missing the greens,” she said. “I put my ball in really good positions that set me up for good birdies, as well as saving some easy pars.”
She is also the eighth player in Waves’ history to be named a WGCA All-American in back-to-back seasons.
On the golf course, Wong said, she is sharply focused.
“I’m really hardworking and determined to achieve my goal, which is to one day play on the LPGA Tour,” she said. “I put in the work in hopes to reach that goal.”
The men’s golf team’s season ended in the NCAA Rancho Santa Regional. The women’s squad’s season ended in the NCAA Division I Championships third round.
Wong aims to have just as much success next year.
“I want to probably have a few more wins,” she said.
City Council adjourns meeting in memory of driver killed on July 4, will address Nobu incident on Aug. 12
The election of for the seats of mayor and mayor pro tem took place at the City Council meeting on Monday night. Before the administration of the oath, outgoing Mayor Steve Uhring was acknowledged by the city and community for his service as the mayor.
“He has worked diligently, and it has been an honor and pleasure to sit beside him here these past nine and a half months,” new Mayor Doug Stewart said. “It’s been good for all of us to have him and the rest of the councilmembers experience here.”
Uhring thanked the city staff, the residents, and the council members for their dedication to making Malibu a better place to live.
“They’ll be more challenges in the future so please maintain your vigilance and keep on fighting,” Uhring said.
The floor was open for nominations and Mayor Pro Tem Doug Stewart was elected to serve as mayor, and Councilmember Marianne Riggins was elected as mayor pro tem.
Doug Stewart takes the oath of office after being elected as mayor of Malibu at the City Council meeting on Monday, July 7. Photos by Samantha Bravo/TMTMarianne Riggins (left) is sworn in Monday night after being elected Malibu’s mayor pro tem. Photo by Samantha Bravo/TMT
“Marianne and I have terms that run until 2026, the other three council seats are coming up for election in [November] to create Malibu’s 18th City Council,” Stewart said. “We’re going to run a great city, and we will keep our great city that we have today. With that, thank you very much, now let’s get to work.”
Planning Director Richard Mollica was also recognized and provided with a certificate for his 20 years of service to The City of Malibu. Mollica announced his resignation on June 25, and it will take effect on July 25.
Mollica joined the City of Malibu in 2004, and is one of the city’s longest-term employees. He worked in the Planning Department for 15 years before being named the assistant planning director in 2019, and then as acting planning director in 2020.
Riggins presented the award to Mollica, who accepted it alongside his family.
Malibu Planning Director Richard Mollica, who announced his resignation on June 25, is shown with his family accepting a certificate for 20 years of service from City Councilmember Marianne Riggins during the council meeting Monday, July 8. Photo by Samantha BravoMalibu Planning Director Richard Mollica, who announced his resignation on June 25, is shown with his family accepting a certificate for 20 years of service from City Councilmember Marianne Riggins during the council meeting Monday, July 8. Photo by Samantha Bravo
“It’s been a real pleasure working with a number of councils and community members and just other folks in the city, it’s really been a blast,” Mollica said. “Malibu to me has always been a great place, I really enjoyed working here, and it’s been a real joy. I got to work with a lot of neat people who have gone on to do much bigger and better things, and I’ll follow with them.”
The city is currently launching an executive search to replace him.
After public comment, Malibu/Lost Hills Capt. Jennifer Seetoo attended the meeting to provide an update on the fatal incident that occurred on Thursday, July 4, and said the incident is an ongoing investigation.
“An investigation takes time,” Seetoo said. “Our investigators are on it; we obtained signatures on multiple search warrants, and the detectives are talking to the District Attorney’s Office. We are going to look at this from A to Z.”
On Thursday, July 4, at 10:20 p.m., LASD responded to a two-vehicle collision near the intersection of Carbon Canyon, which shut down Pacific Coast Highway in both directions for nearly 10 hours. A white 2019 MBZ four door sedan was travelling east on PCH when for reasons unknown, it crossed the center line and struck a black 2020 Cadillac Escalade head-on. As a result of the collision, the driver of the Cadillac Escalade succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The passenger in the Cadillac Escalade suffered major injuries. The driver of the MBZ also suffered significant injuries. Both injured parties were transported to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for treatment.
Seetoo said they are investigating if alcohol, speed, or distracted driving plays a factor.
“I do appreciate your patience,” Seetoo said. “We want to make sure that the integrity of this investigation is right there and complete, so I’m very cautious of what answers I can give you.”
Seetoo also thanked former Mayor Uhring for his service.
“What a year,” Seetoo said. “Thank you so much for your leadership.”
Jefferson “Zuma Jay” Wagner also spoke during public comment and showed photos of the trash left in front of his surf shop from the limousine drivers that took attendees to the Fourth of July party at Nobu. Riggins asked if the city can ask Nobu to help clear out the garbage.
Sgt. Chris Soderlund provided an update on the Fourth of July weekend and a recent animal cruelty case.
On July 3, two hikers in Malibu Canyon discovered a German shepherd zip-tied around its muzzle and neck. The hikers called the Malibu/Lost Hills station and the Malibu Search and Rescue team was called in to rescue the animal that was stranded in a ravine. Rescuers were able to cut the zip ties off the animal. It was taken to the Agoura Hills LACO Animal Shelter. The hikers discovered the dog near the Backbone Trail head on Malibu Canyon near Mesa Park Tractor Way around 8 p.m.
Anyone with information can call the shelter at (818) 991-0071.
The council motioned to address the Nobu incident at the next meeting on Aug. 12.
“I think we have to do that sooner rather than later because we are not looking good,” Uhring said. “We don’t have a backbone, and we better get one.”
The next City Council meeting, on July 22, was canceled; the next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 12.
