SLOW DOWN ON PCH ENJOY THE CUISINE
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. LXXIX • NO. XII
THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2024
malibutimes.com • $.50 • WEEKLY
Caltrans holds first in-person PCH master plan meeting at City Hall The next meeting will be turn lanes, speed bumps, building bridges, parking spaces, or roundon July 18 from 1 to abouts. 4 p.m. on Zoom Streets are for Everyone ExecBy SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times
Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath (Center) poses with Small Business Awardees (left to right) Denise Klein, Lenise Soren, Danielle Dutcher, Ian Roven, Barbara Bruderline, CEO Malibu Chamber of Commerce, John Johannessen, Mark Harwell, Shiva Dadashiyanpour, Earl Clarkston and Hayley Mattson. Photo courtesy of Supervisor Horvath’s team
Inaugural Small Business Awards celebrate local enterprises’ resilience and generosity during trying times Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath honors small businesses from local chambers of commerce By BARBARA BURKE Special to the Malibu Times
in Malibu who unceasingly and generously served the community during the Woolsey Fire, the pandemic and recent rains, flooding, and “She just showed up when no one else did . . . like magic!” said landslides. Barbara Bruderlin, chief executive officer of the Malibu Pacific Palisades Bruderlin and the CEOs of other nearby chambers of commerce Chamber of Commerce in her letter nominating Danielle Dutcher of nominated local businesses for recognition by Los Angeles County CONTINUED ON PAGE A6 4 Malibu Real Estate for an award recognizing small business owners
Nine months after four Pepperdine students were struck and killed on Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), the City of Malibu and Caltrans held their first in-person workshop to include the community in the PCH Master Plan development to make safety enhancements along the deadly highway. On July 11, Caltrans held a workshop at City Hall where community members were able to share their ideas on where they would make safety enhancements on PCH. Many residents attended the meeting and shared their concerns on what needs to happen now before another tragic accident occurs. “We know that time is of the essence here, and we know that the community wants something to happen now,” Caltrans District 7 Deputy District Director Marlon Regisford said in an NBCLA interview. The group mainly focused on the 22-mile stretch within Malibu city limits. Options included reducing speed, adding landscape medians, more sidewalks, paved shoulders,
Malibu parents Malibu authorities respond following attempted assassination call school of former President Donald Trump at Pennsylvania Rally bus service local take on political was shown speaking to the crowd cancellation ‘dire’ Acandidates when gunshots rang out, and Trump’s and
SMMUSD superintendent meets with parents to explain By JUDY ABEL Special to The Malibu Times
Some Malibu parents are scrambling to find transportation to school now that the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District is unable to provide school bus service for general education students. The SMMUSD announcement caught many families off guard last month who rely on what they consider a “fundamental right” to school bus service. At a meeting July 10, SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton explained the unfortunate lack of personnel: “I wish I had the drivers, but I don’t.” There were four Malibu routes with one originating in Santa Monica that made stops from Sunset Mesa through Malibu, terminating at Malibu High School. Last year, the district was already short drivers causing inconsistent and late arrivals to school. Two drivers and two mechanics also retired, adding to the paucity. A school bus driver shortage is hitting districts across the country, but Malibu’s distant location and lower ridership could be a factor in recruiting outside vendors from taking on the work. Larger districts provide more opportunities for outside bus services that Shelton CONTINUED ON PAGE A5
political rally attendees’ safety after the Trump assassination attempt By BARBARA BURKE Special to the Malibu Times
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence. It’s sick,” President Joseph Biden said in a late-night press conference hours after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania political rally on July 13. “We cannot be like this. We cannot condone this.” The shooter was killed by the Secret Service moments after. At least one rally attendee is dead, and two are injured, according to reports. Right before the gunfire, Trump
hand went immediately to his right ear. He then knelt down as Secret Service agents jumped on top of him to shield him. Reports state that Trump is currently okay, and law enforcement officials say the shooting is being investigated as an attempted assassination and that an AR-style rifle was found on the scene. The Malibu Times checked in with local law enforcement and politicians concerning security precautions for political and other public gatherings, especially given that candidates for City Council positions begin to pull nomination papers to declare candidacy beginning on July 15. Keeping local elected officials, political candidates and the public safe is the highest priority of local public Security tends to former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump after an CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
attempt on his life July 13 at a political rally in Butler Park, Pennsylvania. Associated Press
Planning Commission approves alcohol to be sold at two new facilities in Malibu City manager introduces interim planning director at the Planning Commission meeting on Monday By SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times
To start off the Planning Commission meeting on Monday night, Commissioner Skylar Peak thanked Planning Director Richard Mollica for his dedication to the community serving as Planning Director for the City of
Malibu. In his comments, Peak emphasized Mollica’s performance during and after the Woolsey Fire in 2018. “Richard worked around the clock within that disaster to put our city back together, to get residents the information that they needed and I don’t think that anyone understands the amount of work that his staff under his leadership did to get our city back on its feet,” Peak said. “I wanted to acknowledge that and tell you how much I appreciate you, and you are going to be deeply missed.”
Commissioner Dennis Smith also thanked Mollica for his service. “I do believe that your calming voice during that time, saved us; you put our city at ease,” Smith said. “I wish you and your wonderful and beautiful family all the best.” Mollica thanked the commission for his recognition and introduced interim Assistant Planning Director Salvador Lopez Jr. “I’m happy to be here,” Lopez said. In other comments, Peak
mentioned the recent letter submitted from Assistant Planning Director Adrian Fernandez to City Council stating that he wanted to “finally raise the curtain on abuses and collusion that [he] has both witnessed and personally endured within the City of Malibu.” However, the commission was unable to address the letter and was asked to move the discussion forward. Senior Management Analyst Rebecca Evans mentioned the recent passing of one of their CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
utive Director Damian Kevitt attended the meeting and said it was refreshing to see Caltrans reach out and get input from the community. “It’s definitely a new thing for Caltrans, them reaching out and sort of digging into the community or getting sort of more in-depth feedback,” Kevitt said. “Sort of phase one outreach session where you get the community feedback and what they would like to see. What are the issues that they would like to see or how they would like to reimagine, and what comes up from that.” After the meeting, Kevitt said he felt as though Caltrans was listening and taking input. “We’ll see if that reflected in their design plans,” he said. “The design plans still have to be brought into reality. All of this is just going to be basically a blueprint of what could be done down the road.” As far as what the City of Malibu is doing to create awareness, Kevitt said there could be more that could be done. “This is not a criticism of the work that’s put into it, because I do feel like there’s been efforts and CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
INSIDE
this week
Malibu native wins Miss California United States |B1
News Briefs . . . . . . . . . A3 • Court Date upcoming for Fraser Bohm Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . A4 • Events Business . . . . . . . . . . . A6 • All is well with Malibu’s wellness sector Local News . . . . . . . . . A7 • Beaches after 4th of July weekend Malibu Life . . . . . . . . . B1 • ‘Money for Nothing’ author Thomas Levenson kicks off new season at the Malibu Library Speaker Series People . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 • Ben Marcus: Interview with a white shark Community . . . . . . . . . B3 Legals . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4 Business & Directory . . .B5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . .B8 • Malibu basketball standouts shooting for improvement this Summer