COOL GIFTS
MALIBU IN SIGHT
HAPPY FATHERS DAY
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. VII
THURSDAY, JUNE 13, 2024
malibutimes.com • $.50 • WEEKLY
City announces upcoming PCH safety campaign with Pepperdine students and law enforcement
The state of retail businesses in Malibu as summer visitors descend upon our community Malibu businesses gear up for tourists while navigating local economic challenges
Council OKs the Malibu Set Aside Funds and Malibu Film Society’s proposal to screen films at City Hall
By BARBARA BURKE Special to The Malibu Times
As locals prepare for the annual onslaught of millions of visitors during the summer months, Malibu businesses are rallying to attract beachgoers to their establishments, while wooing new local customers and endeavoring to keep their loyal local patrons. Some of Malibu’s retail areas are in a significant state of flux, while one apparently continues to be in a state of limbo — James Perse, the major tenant in Malibu Lumber Yard, is apparently still negotiating with the City of Malibu regarding MLY’s need to lease enough of its space to locally owned businesses, as is required by the city’s formula retail ordinance, Malibu Municipal Code section 17.61. Yet another retail center has yet to open. Cross Creek Ranch, a 122,324-square-foot mixed-use property at 23465 Civic Center Way, continues its efforts to lease many square feet of commercial, restaurant, and office space. The Malibu Planning Commission has approved applications for two restaurant spaces at the new venue, according to Planning Commissioner John Mazza. Comprising 10 one-and-two-story buildings, the property contains 71,605 square feet of retail and 50,719 square feet of creative, modern office space. In western Malibu, the Trancas Country Market is undergoing quite a transformation. A few months ago, locals vociferously bemoaned the closing of Trancas Canyon Nursery, a beloved source for plants and all things gardening. However, when this reporter stopped by Vintage Grocers yesterday, the operators of the nursery were at the market as well and pulled me aside to announce gleefully, “We’ve just signed a one-year lease with the management–we’re not going anywhere!” However, it seems inevitable that when the vicissitudes of Malibu’s retail economy gives something that benefits locals, such as the nursery carrying on business, something else is taken away. True that at Trancas as we celebrate a business not disappearing from our commercial sector, we need only to walk around the retail center to see that other businesses have vacated their venues or soon will. Malibu Meditations Journey has shuttered, leaving many loyal customers in the wellness space without a gathering place in western Malibu. We thought that Hiptique was going to close — there was a CONTINUED ON PAGE A6
By SAMANTHA BRAVO Of The Malibu Times
(From left) Malibu City Councilmembers Marianne Riggins, Paul Grisanti, and Mayor Pro Tem Doug Stewart ride in the Malibu Little League Closing Day Parade. Photo by Emmanuel Luissi
Malibu Little League Season closes with parade Members of the teams decorated their automobiles into floats on Saturday’s closing day By MCKENZIE JACKSON Special to The Malibu Times
The Yankees, a team in the Malibu Little League’s AAA division, caught fire in the batter’s box in final weeks of the league’s three-month season. Paul Clarke, the coach of the squad of 8- to 10-year-old boys, said the group’s stellar batting was
a result of the hard work they had done during practice this spring. “We couldn’t hit the baseball early on,” he remembered. “The last few weeks, everybody focused more. They all worked hard at home. They worked with the coaches. It was fantastic.” The Yankees’ bats stayed aflame during their matchup against the White Sox in the AAA division’s championship game at Bluffs Park on June 8. The Yankees registered hit after hit as they defeated the White Sox 11-6 to win the AAA championship.
Clarke said it was an honor to lead the Yankees this season. “They are an incredible group of boys,” he noted. “Always willing to participate, always willing to listen and learn. I’m happy to be a part of their baseball journey. Seeing these boys evolve and learn new skills has been phenomenal.” The Yankees squad included Bali Clarke, Brody Carpenter, Enzo Biedrzycki, Gavin Peterson, James Whitworth, Justus Mancuso, Lucas Diana, Mathis Hebert, Orion Saidoff, Peyton Levangie, and Zade Wilson. When their title victory was
secured, the group jumped up and down and high-fived and hugged each other in the infield before they shook their opponents’ hands. Cloudy skies and a slight drizzle of rain had no chance in washing away the festive mood of the Malibu Little League’s final day. The closing day included a parade, awards and recognitions, championship baseball, and a plethora of smiles beaming off the faces of boys and girls baseball and softball players and their parents on the park’s diamonds.
During the Malibu City Council meeting on Monday night, June 10, the city announced its upcoming Community Launch event on Thursday, June 27, at 5 p.m. at Malibu Bluffs Park. The city has convened a focus group of residents, Pepperdine students, and law enforcement partners to formulate a campaign that targets driving behaviors while empowering its residents that set the standard for driving in Malibu. “We’re very excited about this launch and we hope the community comes out to share in this effort,” Deputy City Manager Alexis Brown said. “We are making a long term commitment as a city, we’re looking at more of a three year type CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
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Senator Ben Allen recognizes The Emily Shane Foundation as nonprofit organization of the year The CalNonprofit initiative allows each state legislator to honor an organization in their district By BARBARA BURKE Special to The Malibu Times
“Empowering students to thrive.” That is the goal — and impressively, the achievement — of Malibu’s Emily Shane Foundation, an accomplishment recognized by California State Senator Ben Allen, who has named the foundation as a California Nonprofit of the Year at a celebratory luncheon at the state capitol on California Nonprofits Day, Wednesday, June 5. The prestigious honor acknowledges the foundation’s empowering underserved middle school students through personalized academic tutoring and mentorship. “I served on the school board when we tragically lost Emily Shane 14 years ago on Pacific Coast Highway,” Allen stated. “That Ellen and Michel have been able to turn that unthinkable loss into such a powerful force for good is commendable and inspiring.”
Michel (left) and Ellen Shane, founders of the Emily Shane Foundation, pose with a plaque recognizing the foundation as a California Nonprofit of the Year in Sacramento. State Senator Ben Allen bestowed the honor to the Shanes’ organization. Contributed Photo
Allen elaborated, stating, “The data is clear: students served by the foundation’s individualized tutoring and mentorship programs are more
likely to graduate high school and enroll in college and less likely to miss school or turn to illegal substance use. I am pleased to honor Emily’s legacy
by recognizing this life-changing work.” The CalNonprofit of the Year initiative, now in its ninth year, allows each California state legislator to honor a nonprofit organization doing outstanding work in their district. The foundation is one of more than 100 other honorees recognized by state senators and assembly members for their exceptional contributions to their communities. CalNonprofits, the leading policy voice for California’s nonprofit sector, sponsors the program in partnership with the state senate and Assembly Select Committees on the Nonprofit Sector. “It is our hope that this recognition will amplify our mission and garner the support needed to continue Emily’s legacy,” Ellen Shane, director of the foundation said. “Every child deserves the chance to succeed in middle school and beyond. May this honor be a stimulus to ensure a positive future for those we serve.” To learn more about the Emily Shane Foundation and its impressively impactful work, which strives to achieve educational equity and student success, go to emilyshane.org.
Appreciation events joyfully end Malibu school year by recognizing faculty, staff, and parents |B1
News Briefs . . . . . . . . . A3 • Malibu’s own Dick Van Dyke makes history as oldest Daytime Emmy winner ever at 98 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . A4 • Events Business . . . . . . . . . . . A7 • Manhattanhenge 2024 offers spectacular NYC sight Real Estate . . . . . . . . . .A8 Malibu Life . . . . . . . . . B1 • A force of nature with a Midas touch People . . . . . . . . . . . . .B2 • BEN MARCUS: The Pirate of Malibu Road Legals . . . . . . . . . . . . .B4 Business & Directory . . .B5 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . B5 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . .B8 • Pepperdine wins four major WCC awards for 2023-24 season