Happy 100 Birthday Dick Van Dyke
NEW FALL HOURS: 9-7 DAILY
M A LIB U ’S AWA RD W INN IN G N E WSPA P E R S I N CE 1 94 6 VOL. LXXX • NO. XXXIII
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2025
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Arlene Van Dyke (second from left) leads a flash mob in tribute to her husband Dick Van Dyke, during a preview of his documentary, “Dick Van Dyke 100th Celebration.. Photo by Judy Abel
Dick Van Dyke’s centennial celebrated with sold-out documentary preview Fans gather in Malibu for an exclusive early screening of a three-decade project honoring the beloved entertainer ahead of his 100th birthday Arson Watch was honored by the Malibu City Council for logging thousands of volunteer hours on red-flag nights and providing early reports that helped firefighters catch the Franklin Fire in its infancy. Seven members recognized Monday were unable to attend, still displaced by the Palisades Fire. Photo courtesy of the City of Malibu
Malibu commemorates Franklin Fire one year later Community gathers to honor firefighters, volunteers and first responders while reflecting on survival, recovery and lessons By HAYLEY MATTSON Publisher, Editor In Chief
On Monday night, nearly one year after strong Santa Ana winds ignited a brush fire that became a nightmare for Malibu, the City Council chamber filled with firefighters, volunteers, elected officials, and residents who came together not to grieve in isolation, but to remember collectively and express their gratitude.
The Franklin Fire ignited just before 11 p.m. on Dec. 9, 2024, near Malibu Canyon Road, minutes after a celebratory post-election reception at City Hall had ended. By dawn, the blaze had scorched more than 4,000 acres, destroyed 20 homes, damaged 28 others, and forced thousands to flee in the dark. Miraculously, no lives were lost. Mayor Marianne Riggins opened Monday’s special remembrance by yielding the floor
to Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Silverstein, whose own home on a ridge between the fire’s origin and City Hall stood directly in its path. Silverstein, wearing the same Elvis Presley T-shirt a friend had handed him the morning after he and his wife Mindy fled with only a pillowcase of clothes and their dog, delivered a raw, 12-minute account that brought tears to
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By JUDY ABEL Special to The Malibu Times
With anticipation building toward his milestone 100th birthday on Dec. 13, fans celebrated the incomparable Dick Van Dyke on Sunday at a soldout preview of a brand-new documentary honoring Malibu’s favorite citizen. The Malibu Film Society secured an early screening of the film — 30 years in the making — giving locals a rare first look. For fans, this is a must-see event. “Dick Van Dyke 100th Celebration” screens only this weekend in 1,000
Malibu Surf Legend Randall Miod honored Malibu Unifed School District: Long time comin’ and a long way to go
Inaugural Surf Legend Award honors Randall ‘Crawdaddy’ Miod, lost in the Palisades Fire By BARBARA BURKE Special to The Malibu Times
He is remembered as the quintessential free-spirited surfer. He is remembered as a loyal friend — always optimistic, always willing to lend a hand. He is remembered as a cherished son, gone far too soon. Family, friends, and community members gathered at the Malibu City Council meeting on Monday, Dec. 8 to celebrate and honor Randall “Crawdaddy” Miod, 55, who perished in the Palisades Fire inside his Malibu home on Jan. 7. In a moving tribute, the council presented Miod with the first-ever Malibu Surf Legend Award, a new honor created to recognize the surfers who helped
theaters nationwide, including 50 in the Los Angeles area. After Dec. 13 and 14, the documentary will never be available on streaming or online platforms. “It’s not going to the web, not going to YouTube, no online — this is it,” filmmaker Steve Boettcher emphasized. The film had this reporter in tears of laughter during classic clips from “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” even after countless previous viewings. Boettcher spent three decades interviewing the song-and-dance legend along with luminaries who shared CONTINUED ON PAGE A5
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this week
Malibu City Council approves three keystone contracts to facilitate school separation, marking a major milestone By BARBARA BURKE Special to The Malibu Times
Amidst a plethora of attendees expressing intense joy and gratitude to all the diligent volunteers involved in the protracted, decades-long effort to create Malibu’s own school district, at its Dec. 8 meeting, the Malibu City Council approved three pivotal negotiated agreements with Santa Parks and Recreation Commission Chair Judy Villablanca (left) and Malibu Chamber of Com- Monica Unified School District that merce Board Member Chris Wizner (right) present Carol A. Smith (middle left) and Lawrence set forth the financial framework for an independent Malibu School DisMiod (middle right) with the Malibu Surf Legend Award on behalf of their late son, Randall “Crawdaddy” Miod, at Monday’s City Council meeting. Photo courtesy of City of Malibu trict, authorizing joint powers beshape the culture and identity of not have come to fruition without tween the two districts during the Malibu. the leadership of Chris Wizner — separation period. Accepting the award were Miod’s a longtime friend of Miod and the parents, Lawrence Miod and Carol driving force behind the creation of A long time comin’ A. Smith. Smith, visibly emotional, the Surf Legend Award. Malibu’s efforts to have its own acknowledged that the honor would CONTINUED ON PAGE A7 school district have been colloqui-
ally referred to as “a very, very long divorce” as initial efforts began decades ago. Malibu and Santa Monica have shared a school district for more than 70 years, and for more than half that time, Malibuites have wanted to leave and form their own school district. The three agreements the council considered, entitled the Revenue Sharing Agreement, the Operational Agreement, and the Joint Powers Agreement, were approved by the SMMUSD Board on Dec. 1. Although the signing of the keystone contracts marks a major milestone in Malibu’s decades-long effort to have its own, independent school district, there are still quite a few steps to get to the day when locals are celebratCONTINUED ON PAGE A8
County pressures telecoms on Wildfire-Safety Delays Supervisors authorize action to compel companies to underground fire-risk wires alongside SCE’s work By BARBARA BURKE Special to The Malibu Times
Lindsey P. Horvath, Malibu’s representative on the County Board of Supervisors, has led the effort in forcing telecommunications providers to underground their telecommunications wires concurrently with Southern California Edison’s ongoing undergrounding of electrical wires. On Nov. 18, the board of supervisors approved Horvath’s motion to authorize the County Department of Public Works, assisted by the county’s legal
counsel, to initiate formal proceedings, including filing a formal complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission, to require telecommunications companies to underground their wires in coordination with SEC’s ongoing efforts, particularly in and around the Palisades Fire burn scar areas. “Fire season is upon us! Failing to underground wires is dangerous!” Before the Board of Supervisors met, Horvath, joined by LA County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella, LA County Regional Planning Director Amy Bodek, and some wildfire survivors held a press conference to discuss why the telecommunications companies are not undergrounding, despite Telephone poles hold up wires on the far west end of Big Rock that are scheduled to be CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
undergrounded in January. Photo courtesy of Janet Fulk
Malibu welcomes the holidays with community cheer |B1
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . A2 • Driving Change: When slowing down saves lives: why PCH’s roundabout pilot deserves our support News Briefs . . . . . . . . . A3 • Chef at Paradise Cove Café killed on PCH Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . A4 • DEC 13: Dick Van Dyke’s 100th Birthday Celebration at MEF Holiday Tree Lot Real Estate . . . . . . . . . .A9 Malibu Life . . . . . . . . . B1 • Fire relief continues with free shop courtesy of 24LA People . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 • Malibu Scene: Beautiful, Fertile, Rich: Part One Legals . . . . . . . . . . . . . B3 Business & Directory . . .B5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B5 Community . . . . . . . . . B7 • Celebrating 100 years of the photo booth! Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . .B8