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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. XXXV
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2025
malibutimes.com • $.50 • WEEKLY
Malibu has appointed veteran municipal leader Joe Irvin as its new city manager. Photo courtesy of City of Malibu
Malibu appoints Joe Irvin as new city manager Veteran municipal leader brings wildfire recovery experience and collaborative leadership style as city approaches a pivotal year By BARBARA BURKE Special to The Malibu Times First Bank hosted the annual Malibu Navy League Toys for Tots Toy Drive with Vice President and Senior Branch Manager Sandy Cordova (left) and Malibu Navy League President Heidi Bernard (right) posing for a photo alongside three Marines from the Pasadena 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines in full dress uniform. Photos courtesy of Malibu Navy League
Malibu Navy League spreads holiday cheer with Toys for Tots drive Community members, volunteers, and local businesses join forces to collect hundreds of gifts for children in need nity. Their annual Toys for Tots drive, held last week, brought together residents, volunteers, and service members to collect and distribute gifts for The holiday spirit was alive and well in Mal- children in need throughout the area. The event, ibu, thanks to the efforts of the Malibu Navy now a long-standing holiday tradition in Malibu, League and the generosity of the local commu- demonstrates the town’s commitment to supportBy HAYLEY MATTSON Publisher, Editor in Chief
ing both local families and the men and women who serve in the U.S. armed forces. This year, First Bank once again opened its doors for the event, with Vice President and Senior Branch Manager Sandy Cordova greeting
Malibu council approves controversial communications tower after years of dispute In a 4–1 vote following a special meeting, the City Council granted a conditional use permit for the 75-foot Los Angeles County tower at Santa Monica College
After years of legal disputes, public opposition, and procedural missteps, the Malibu City Council voted 4-1 on Dec. 17 to approve a conditional use permit (CUP) for a controversial 75-foot communications tower built by Los Angeles County on the Santa Monica College Malibu campus, The communications tower is shown at left on the Santa Monica College Malibu campus. Photo by Hayley Mattson/TMT
Study finds lasting health impacts from Palisades Fire New research reveals prolonged heart, lung, and systemic health effects for Malibu residents By JUDY ABEL Special to The Malibu Times
Nearly a year after the Palisades Fire tore through Malibu and Pacific Palisades, new research suggests its health impacts were deeper, broader, and longer-lasting than previously understood. Local residents may continue to feel the effects long after
the smoke has cleared. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found sharp increases in heart attacks, lung illnesses, and unexplained medical symptoms among residents living in or near wildfire burn areas following the January 2025 Palisades and Eaton fires. The analysis was conducted by researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the largest hospital system in Los Angeles County, using emergency department data spanning seven years for comparison. CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
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INSIDE
this week
Daring rescue at Carbon Beach Two paragliders saved by sheriff’s deputies who jumped into the frigid surf to save lives By JUDY ABEL Special to The Malibu Times
By HAYLEY MATTSON Publisher, Editor in Chief
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As Malibu approaches the first anniversary of the worst wildfire since cityhood, the City Council has appointed Joseph “Joe” Irvin as its new city manager. Readers, some with trepidations, others with optimism, and all with queries, will get to meet him when he assumes his duties on March 2. When one first meets Irvin, he’s affable, easy to converse with, knowl-
edgeable, and humble. He’s the type of guy who takes the time to reflect and ponder, to identify and weigh all the various factors affecting policy decisions, and — very important to many a Malibuite — to readily acknowledge that with regard to many issues that Malibu faces, he knows he doesn’t know everything and, even more importantly, he wants to meet with constituents, city staff and councilmembers to educate himself regarding those issues and concerns he needs to come up to speed on. Irvin wants to meet with — and learn from — the rebuilding homeowners
It was a regular patrol shift for LA County Sheriff ’s Deputies Sevak Grigoryan and Christopher Matkin last Friday until the calm afternoon turned into a frantic life-or-death rescue of two lives. The two deputies based at the Malibu/Lost Hills station were each in separate patrol cars when they raced to an urgent call for help at Carbon Beach. Two paragliders, a man and woman, had become disoriented when
they hit a fog bank on their descent to the beach. The paragliders crashed into the water, tangled in their equipment. They were sinking fast and panicking. As the two officers pulled up to the scene they heard Spanish-speaking construction workers calling out to the victims some 50 yards out in the waves. The victims, who only spoke Spanish, were calling for help and needed it immediately. Their feet got tangled in the heavy cords that attached their parachute and CONTINUED ON PAGE A6
Safety group says Malibu ahead of larger cities in speed-camera rollout New Streets Are For Everyone report gives city a B+ for progress, despite joining program later By JUDY ABEL Special to The Malibu Times
A new statewide report card released this month by Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) finds Malibu earning a B+ for its progress in implementing California’s speed safety camera pilot program, which is a higher grade than several larger cities, including Los Angeles, which scored a D.
The report, AB 645 Speed Safety Systems — Why California Can’t Afford to Wait, evaluates how seven California cities are progressing toward deploying automated speed enforcement under Assembly Bill 645. The legislation, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 13, 2023, authorized a five-year pilot program allowing speed safety cameras on high-injury corridors, CONTINUED ON PAGE A6
Thomas Lubisich’s 100th birthday celebration |B1
Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . A2 • Driving Change: 2026: The year we either fix this or lose everything News Briefs . . . . . . . . . A3 • Evacuation warnings issued for Franklin and Palisades fire burn areas Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . A4 • Dec. 26 - Jan. 11 City of Malibu Free Holiday Tree Recycling Real Estate . . . . . . . . . .A7 Malibu Life . . . . . . . . . B1 • Pepperdine men’s water polo earns three All-American honors People . . . . . . . . . . . . B2 • Burt’s Eye View: The best gift of all Legals . . . . . . . . . . . . . B2 Business & Directory . . . B6 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B6 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . B8 • Sharks dominate Nordhoff, cruise to winning record