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. XIII
THURSDAY, JULY 25, 2024
malibutimes.com • $.50 • WEEKLY
Malibu Marlins win city swim contract
Separation setback: Back to square one City of Malibu renews its petition for school district split
Rancorous year in local swim community ends with shutout of old vendor
By BARBARA BURKE Special to The Malibu Times
By JUDY ABEL Special to The Malibu Times
After a year of tumult and rancor between two swim clubs in Malibu, the city has awarded the newly formed Malibu Marlins swim club a sole contract to provide swimming programs to the community. Erik Ran will remain in place as the aquatics vendor’s head coach. It was the abrupt firing of Ran last year that split the swimming community. Ran had been the head coach for the Malibu Aquatics Foundation (MAF), once the city’s sole swim vendor that ran the Malibu Seawolves swimming programs. When parents learned of that decision last summer, many complained to MAF about his dismissal, saying that they had no input in the MAF board’s decision. After angry accusations and charges between MAF and the parents of swimmers who supported Ran, disgruntled parents started a new swim club, the Malibu Marlins, and promised members transparency in running the organization as well as a democratic process in the hiring and firing of coaches. However, the CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
(From left) Heal the Bay’s Dr. Katherine Pease, Annelisa Moe, CEO/President Tracy Quinn, Dr. Tania Pineda-Enriquez, and Naomi Meurice are shown at the July 17 press conference in Santa Monica. Photo by Samantha Bravo/TMT
Heal the Bay releases 34th Annual Beach Report Card Malibu beaches manage to miss the Honor Roll and Beach Bummer list By SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times
Santa Monica Pier and Mother’s Beach were included on the list of most polluted water in California, as determined on the annual Beach Report Card released by the environmental nonprofit Heal the Bay. Malibu’s beaches managed to miss the Bummer List however it did not make the Honor Roll either. On Wednesday, July 17, Heal the Bay, the West Coast’s most comprehensive water quality data analysis released its annual Beach Report
Card. in too The report found that beaches in the South Bay Area scored higher grades in summer. The good news is that nearly 90 percent of monitored California beaches received A or B water-quality grades for the dry-weather summer months. That figure is close to the state’s 10-year summer average, but does mark a 6 percent drop from the last Report Card. “Eighty-nine percent of California beaches were safe to swim at during summer 2023, but we are still seeing water quality impacts from record-breaking storms, urban runoff,
and sewage spills,” Heal the Bay’s CEO and president Tracy Quinn said. “California’s 20th century water infrastructure was not designed to address the challenges faced by climate change in the 21st century. We need to upgrade outdated sewage treatment facilities and prioritize public investment in nature-based, multi-benefit stormwater capture infrastructure.” Over 30 years ago, Heal the Bay introduced the Beach Report Card as a pivotal public health tool designed to safeguard beachgoers.
Schaar also was the youngest X Games gold medalist after completing a 1080 in 2012 Asia X Games in Shanghai
Caltrans keeps the workshops going with second PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study virtual meeting Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Malibu residents also participated in July 11 meeting The participants were given a list of safety enhancements and that was held in person By SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times
A little over 30 people logged on to the second PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study workshop last week held by Caltrans and the City of Malibu, around the same number of people who attended the first workshop on July 11. On Thursday, July 18, from 1 to 4 p.m. many of the same people who attended the first in-person meeting, were at the second meeting and were able to participate in a survey of safety enhancements on certain areas on
were able to rank their preferred safety improvement priority from highest to lowest. The survey focused on areas such as Las Flores to Carbon Canyon and Puerco Canyon to Sea Vista Drive. The study aims to identify safety and multimodal travel improvements for all users of PCH in Malibu, including options for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as enhancing transit opportunities on PCH. Deputy City Manager Alexis Brown and Public Works Director Rob DeBoux were at CONTINUED ON PAGE A8
By BARBARA BURKE Special to The Malibu Times
If you ask Tony Hawk and Shaun White about the skateboarding acumen of Malibu’s professional skateboarder, Tom Schaar, they’ll tell you he’s extremely skilled in the sport. “Tom is showing us the future of vertical skating with every new technique and routine,” Hawk says. “And, he is one of the few who can transfer those skills to the smaller park settings.” White describes Schaar as, “an amazing talent!” Elaborating, he adds, “I’ve skated with Tom over the years and watched him become the competitor he is today — he continues to impress me!” Indeed, Schaar has phenomenal street cred in the world of skateboarding. He’s the guy who first landed a “1080,” which is three revolutions. He completed the trick on a mega ramp and
The 2024 U.S. Olympic Skateboarding Team, including Malibu’s Tom Schaar (second from right) poses together after the team was announced. Photo by Hayden Sahli
succeeded in doing so after four unsuccessful attempts. At the time, Schaar commented to ESPN, “It was the hardest trick I’ve ever done, but it was easier than I thought.” Schaar also was the youngest X Games gold medalist after completing the 1080 in a competition at the 2012 Asia X Games in Shanghai. In 2019, he was named to the first-ever U.S.
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INSIDE
this week
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Malibu skateboarding sensation Tom Schaar to compete in Olympics
Caltrans District 7 is holding PCH Master Plan Feasibility Study: a study aimed at identifying safety and multimodal travel improvements for all users of PCH in Malibu. File Image
On July 18, the City of Malibu suspended mediation sessions regarding the establishment of an independent Malibu Unified School District and issued a letter to the Los Angeles County Office of Education Committee on School District Organization to resume the process for the previously filed petition, according to a press release issued by the city late on that day. The communication noted that the city originally filed a petition with the County Committee in 2017, but eventually requested that the County Committee pause the petition process to allow time for mediation with the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District. “Despite dedicated efforts to find common ground and extensive progress on the revenue sharing agreement, ultimately the parties were unable to reach a resolution,” the release said.
Skateboarding National Team. Forbes Magazine listed him in their 2020 30 under 30 Sports category, highlighting the next generation of sports talent. Schaar is on the 3-man park skateboarding team representing the United States at the Olympics in Paris. Born and raised in Malibu, the 24-year-old athlete is the son
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Children’s Lifesaving Foundation Wilderness camps return for the summer |B1
News Briefs . . . . . . . . . A3 • President Joseph Biden drops out of presidential race; endorses his VP Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . A4 • Events Business . . . . . . . . . . . A6 • A panoply of issues facing City Council candidates Local News . . . . . . . . . .A7 • Parents and city leaders meet to brainstorm restoring school bus service Malibu Life . . . . . . . . . B1 • Santa Monica Visitor Center hosts artist Arnie Rudman People . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 • Ben Marcus: Frankie on the Beach, a tribute to a man’s best friend Community . . . . . . . . . B3 Legals . . . . . . . . . . . . .B4 Business & Directory . . . B5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . .B8 • Score, selfie, sign: Former Waves standout Stacy Davis recognized on and off Japanese hoops courts