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Grassroots activists are not usually controlled by any political party. Their issues are often directly opposed to the policies of the major political powers.Yet, grassroots activism is the very essence of politics. It may be prompted by dumping tea in a harbor, or speaking out against slavery, testifying at a local city council meeting against the use of poisons, or protesting the cutting down of historic trees. It is without a doubt, a young girl who clearly sees the unethical treatment of Orcas at Sea World and her grassroots activism starts a nationwide campaign to stop the exploitation.
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ISSUE 30 APRIL 2016
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EXIT STAGE LEFT PART II o
THE THEATRICS CONTINUE. THIS TIME, COMMISSIONER BROTMAN MAKES A DRAMATIC DEPARTURE LEAVING THE FORMULA RETAIL ORDINANCE HANGING BY STEVE WOODS
Only in Malibu. Who would have ever thought that a City Planning Commission meeting could provide the best theater in town. The stage was set as the Planning Commission reconvened, but failed for a second time to vote on the City’s back up alternative, the Formula Retail Ordinance, that could replace Measure R if it fails in the appeals process. April 4th’s theatrical ensemble opened with a second take on the previous attempt to vote on the Formula Retail Ordinance, once again, with a skeleton crew (a minimum of three commissioners is required to meet a quorum), yet it reached the same outcome as the previous hearing – this time with Commissioner David Brotman making the dramatic exit. Vice Commissioner John Mazza justified walking out of the March 25th meeting stating that Agenda 4c was important and should be attended by a full 5 member commission, however, at the next meeting, Jeff Jennings was absent for a second time and Roohi Stack’s chair was also mysteriously empty. Commissioner Mikke Pierson returned from vacation to join Commissioners Mazza and Brotman at the April 4th meeting. Now, the political majority of the commission is weighing in favor of the two commissioners who tend to lean towards Malibu’s Vision and Mission Statement and slow growth, versus the last meeting’s commission that leaned in the favor of commercial development. City Attorney Christi Hogin told reporters recently that it takes at least three members to constitute a quorum of the Malibu Planning Commission, “The purpose of a quorum is to set the minimum number of members necessary to conduct business. It is an important factor because it establishes when Malibu residents have the benefit of a properly convened Planning Commission.” Mazza did not have the 5 member commission he said he wanted but decided to proceed and move on anyway despite the protest by David Brotman, who threatened to walk out if the Formula Retail Ordinance came to a vote. Commissioner Mikke Pierson seconded the motion made by Mazza to put Agenda 4c to the end of the meeting after other city business was conducted. A full hearing, including a staff report, public comment and commission discussion regarding the proposed formula retail ordinance went on without much drama, but then the meeting radiated with some pent up emotion before Mazza was to put the matter to a vote instead of continuing at a later date with a full commission. The meeting started (and ended) with some unforgettable performances. Brotman, led the way, reminding Mazza; “It was requested by many people that we have a full commission present.” He continued, “I’m confused, John. You made a grandstand play, saying this was such an important item that it needed the full commission here, I guess it’s the full commission that you need and define, is that it?” Unfazed, Mazza replied “As usual, I totally disagree with you, and you do not have to read into what I do or why I do it. I’m voting with Mr. Pierson’s motion because we gave it a shot to get a full planning commission meeting and we need to move on.” Mazza calmly replied to Brotman “You can grandstand if you want, go ahead.” Brotman with a scowl retorted, “ You are a piece of work.” “I’m a piece of work? I admit it.” Mazza replied as a few uncontrolled chuckles reverberated through the audience, clearly entertained. Mazza was not the only recipient of Brotman’s attacks. His lack of respect and decorum pushed Commissioner Pierson close to a breaking point as well. Later during the public comments, Lloyd Ahern, unhappy with Mazza’s stance stated on public record, “John, you never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity,” Looking directly at Mazza, Ahern continued, “Mr. Brotman gave you a chance not to be a hypocrite and you blew it.” Poised and calm Mazza answered, “So noted.” Brotman goes on to request, “Before the vote, I need to comment a little bit about what I’m voting on and the process and the unfortunate nature of where we are.” Brotman continues “ I believe, Mazza, you referred to a limited number of commissioners as a ‘rump commission.’ The exact quote was ... ” Mazza quickly jumped in, “I’m going to have to shut off your talk because it has nothing to do with this hearing,” Mazza said. Collecting his papers, Brotman attempted to leave meeting, with Mazza acting quickly and calling for a vote just as Brotman walked away from his empty chair. Brotman proclaimed; “I’m going to excuse myself,” “Well, you can’t,” Mazza said and continued, “May we have a vote?” Brotman quickly went for the exit “I’m not here. I am gone.” He said.Mazza handed in his vote and said, “I vote yes” with Pierson adding another ‘yes’ vote for the record.
“YOU’RE A PIECE OF WORK”
- PLANNING COMMISSIONER DAVID BROTMAN TO COMMISSIONER JOHN MAZZA “If he’s not in the building, he abstains”, Mazza said before Brotman bolted through the double doors. Brotman, still in the building shouted “I do not abstain!” Meeting over? Was there a vote or not? The audience and staff are confused, but wait - the drama is not over. Brotman re-enters the room, clearly upset and shouting questions across the room to City Attorney Christi Hogin. Hogin and Brotman leave the meeting together and walk past a reporter with a camera held in clear view, “I think you’re being filmed.” Hogin says to Brotman. Brotman, appearing to be unaffected by the attention issues no response as they exit the stage left. The saga continues…
LOCAL
SEA CHANGE Sea World’s breeding program finally comes to a halt. AB-2305 (previously AB 2140) was signed at the state Capitol this month with the support of Assemblyman Richard Bloom, Dr. Naomi Rose and Ret. Orca trainer John Hargrove. No more artificial ejaculation or selling of sperm. No shipping Orcas to China, Russia or the Emirates. SeaWorld’s decision to stop breeding killer whales was admittedly difficult, but today they showed their commitment to follow through by not fighting the proposed legislation in California to ban orca breeding in captivity. This is a huge and historical win!
The fight to preserve Malibu continues on, with residents in the lead – just as we have been for decades.
Lifelong Malibu resident, Kirby Kotler, his wife Honore and two daughters Ava and Kirra will be hosting “Empty the Tanks 2016“ which will be held on Saturday, May 7th. Time will and place are currently being determined and we will provide updated information on thelocalmalibu.com and The Local Malibu social media platforms as we get closer to the event.
Despite the City of Malibu’s failure thus far to do its duty, Measure R will not go down without a fight. The court just ruled that if the city won’t defend its own law, the people of Malibu can through “intervention.”
In 2013, Kirra Kotler protested a school trip after seeing the movie “Black Fish” which documented the effects of Orcas in captivity. Her efforts gained national attention along with many other activists, inpiring environmental agencies to take action and subsequently leading to the groundbreaking decision to halt all future breeding.
The city defended Measure R in trial court and lost, and has so far failed to commit to an appeal. We are disappointed that the city is ignoring its clear obligation to defend Measure R, which became a City of Malibu law after it was passed by more than 60% of the voters.
Retired Orca trainer John Hargrove will be the special Guest of Honor at Empty The Tanks 2016. Looking forward to seeing the community come out and support the Orcas!
Malibu residents must have a voice in the future of their city. So in the next few days, Malibu residents will file the necessary paperwork to officially appeal the trial court’s decision as intervenors and to ask the Court of Appeal to stay the trial court’s order so that Measure R remains in effect while the appeal is pending. Unless a stay is granted, construction of the specific projects that mobilized people behind Measure R could begin immediately. But neither an appeal nor a stay interferes with our City Council’s duty. We ask again that our Councilmembers keep their promises and immediately pass a strong formula ordinance that mirrors Measure R to ensure that there is no lapse in protections. We thank all of you for your support and will keep you posted along the way.
Kirby, Honore, Ava, Kirra & the Orcas!
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LOCAL Trial Scheduled for May 17 National Issues Play: Harvard researchers estimate that PCBs are in 13,000-26,000 American schools, exposing up to 20 million students daily. Federal legislation was recently introduced, H.R.2576, to amend the Federal Toxic Substances Control Act in a manner that The New York Times reports may shield PCB manufacturer Monsanto from PCB liability. LOS ANGELES – U.S. District Court Judge Percy Anderson on Monday rejected the Santa Monica-Malibu School District’s latest attempt to prevent a trial over its failure to protect public school students and teachers from cancer-causing chemicals known as PCBs. Judge Anderson denied the school district’s motion for summary judgment despite its cynical strategy of restricting PCB testing to bolster its defense against a federal Citizen Suit that seeks a court order compelling the removal of hazardous PCBs from Malibu public schools. The suit seeks no monetary damages. Trial is scheduled for May 17, 2016 in Los Angeles. The school district has taken the preposterous position that there is no evidence that PCBs exist on its campuses outside of precise areas that have already tested positive, and it has refused testing of any other areas -- even of adjacent classrooms built at the same time; even of adjacent windows or doors installed at the same time. PCBs were commonly used in construction materials including window and door caulking until PCBs were completely banned by Congress.
COURT REJECTS SCHOOL DISTRICT’S ATTEMPT TO END SUIT OVER TOXIC MALIBU SCHOOLS Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s Cynical Strategy to Stop Testing for Cancer-Causing PCBs Fails to Persuade Judge to Dismiss Lawsuit Through Summary Judgment
The school district argues that rather than investigate or remove similar caulk to that which tested above legal limits, its application of so-called “Best Management Practices” (essentially wiping surfaces with wet rags) is sufficient, despite it being a violation of Federal law – a law created because Congress determined that PCBs are an unacceptable risk to human health. Judge Anderson wrote in his ruling: “[T]he District’s own testing has shown PCBs in excess of 50 ppm [parts-per-million] in multiple rooms in six different buildings on the Malibu Campus, 70% of the rooms tested by the District contained PCBs in excess of 50 ppm, 28 out of 32 samples taken by the district contained PCBs above 50 ppm, with most above 100,000 ppm, many of the buildings on the Malibu Campus were built prior to 1979, and caulk and other materials containing PCBs were used in schools built from the 1950s through the 1970s.” The court also found evidence, from affidavits from custodians, that the school district was not even implementing the promised “Best Management Practices” supposedly designed to reduce levels of toxic exposure in classrooms. Judge Anderson concluded: “In reviewing the admissible evidence, and drawing reasonable inferences from that evidence, the Court concludes that triable issues of fact exist concerning the continued ‘use’ of PCBs at the Malibu Campus despite the remediation work performed to date by the District. The Court additionally concludes that evidence suggesting that the District has failed to implement and consistently employ BMPs as contemplated by the EPA’s approvals calls into question the amount of deference the Court should give to the District’s purported compliance with the EPA’s guidelines and approvals. For all of the foregoing reasons, the Court denies Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment.” The Citizen Suit, to enforce Federal law, was brought by America Unites for Kids, on behalf of parents, and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), representing teachers. “We are ready to go to trial as the evidence, sworn testimony and scientific research will reveal the truth -- that Malibu public school classrooms are laden with illegal levels of cancer-causing chemicals that must be removed,” said Jennifer deNicola, a Malibu High School parent who heads America Unites for Kids. “It is incomprehensible that in the past two years the district has spent $10 million to mislead parents and the court about the existence of PCBs rather than be honest and work with the parents to remove PCBs and make our public schools safe.” “We hope this ruling convinces the district to end its scorched earth legal approach and embrace a solution which puts the health of students, teachers and staff in the forefront,” stated PEER Senior Counsel Paula Dinerstein, noting that the overwhelming percentage of the district’s own test results show illegal levels of PCBs. “The district’s legal bills already dwarf what it would have cost to clean up all three campuses – and we haven’t even gone to trial yet.” The Citizen’s Suit was filed after the school district refused to remove toxic PCBs at an estimated cost of $750,000 to $1.5 million. The district’s legal bills to fight removal and the Citizen’s Suit have now hit at least $3.38 million. When consultants and other PCB related costs are factored in, the tab exceeds $10 million. Parents and teachers are concerned that PCB exposure in the Malibu schools may be behind at least 30 cases of thyroid cancer, thyroid disease and melanoma. The World Health Organization has determined that PCBs are human carcinogens because of scientific research connecting them to melanoma, breast cancer, and thyroid cancer. PCBs have been linked to a variety of other cancers and illnesses, as well as lower IQ, behavioral problems and developmental issues. PCBs were commonly used in construction materials until they were banned Congress in 1976. PCBs were found in Malibu Schools more than two and a half years ago when the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District tested window caulking after three teachers were diagnosed with thyroid cancer within months of one another. Then, in 2015, the school district tested 24 areas at Malibu High School and Juan Cabrillo Elementary School for PCBs. All 24 tested positive. The results from one classroom tested at 570,000 parts-per-million (ppm), 11,000 times the legal limit, which is the highest PCB level ever recorded in an American school. This dramatically exceeds the allowable U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) threshold of 50 ppm. Despite this evidence, instead of conducting more testing to determine the extent of PCB contamination at the school and removing it all, the district halted testing. Experts have stated that upon finding results such as the district has found, the logical course of action would be to either continue testing to determine the nature and extent of the contamination, or simply assume that all like materials in the schools are contaminated. Shockingly, the district refused any additional testing or removal, following a legal strategy of “don’t ask, don’t tell” wherein they do not recognize the potential for toxicity outside of the specific spot tested. Experts also say the only way to eliminate the risk to students and teachers is to remove toxic PCBs, and Federal law requires removal. “What’s happening in Flint is happening here – kids are being poisoned because our government is ignoring and covering up the facts and simply not doing its job. They are wasting millions of tax dollars that should be spent on books and teachers, and not on lawyers to cover up PCB contamination. These are kids, our nation’s greatest asset and our future leaders, and they are putting their health, intelligence and development at risk. It’s a national tragedy that is affecting the kids in Malibu and 20 million kids across the nation. This malfeasance in government must stop and our elected officials need to stand up for America’s children now, before it’s too late,” deNicola said.
ABOVE: Screen shots of the NY TIMES article.
Dear Editor, The SMMUSD school district’s claim that they are not in PCB violations was categorically rejected by a Federal Judge. Speaking out and showing the Judge declarations of fact made a difference & will save lives. Kudos to Jennifer DeNicola and America Unites, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, and the teachers, custodians, parents, and alumni who had the courage to say president Laurie Lieberman and the school board she controls are wrong and superintendent Sandra Lyon and her SMMUSD administrators are lying. It made a difference when the Judge saw the declaration of facts from person after person, teachers, custodians, parents, alumni...standing up for the truth in the face of threats they’d be fired or the District Attorney would charge them with a felony. Laurie Lieberman and Sandra Lyon’s actions are those of bullies and thieves not people who care about kids, teachers, and communities. Malibu needs and deserves good schools run by good people. This is a significant win for health and safety and for Malibu taxpayers. I urge the public to contact SMMUSD school board members and demand accountability for wasting public money on crony lawyers and phony charges while kids and teachers get sick. $10 million of public money was given by SMMUSD to lawyers, $3.38 million to the Pillsbury Law Firm alone and there has not even been a trial yet. Ten million dollars that could have been spent to fix schools instead is wasted by SMMUSD fighting parents and teachers in a lawsuit that doesn’t even ask for monetary compensation. Just that a school board fix sick schools. Cindy Vandor
LOCAL
SANTA MONICA COLLEGE GETS PASSING GRADE BY STEVE WOODS
The proposed satellite Malibu campus for Santa Monica College (SMC) and a conjoined Malibu Sheriff sub station narrowly squeaked through a Variance vote by City Council even though some claimed the building design cheated on city building ordinances. Three “Yes” votes by council members Lou La Monte, John Sibert and Mayor Laura Rosenthal, a “No” vote by Joan House and Skylar Peak choosing to abstain was followed by a contingent of supporters praising the educational opportunities that the college will provide Malibu students and encouraged the council to approve the floor area ratio (FAR) from 0.15 to 0.20 for the significant public benefits. There was also a class of residents and speakers from Malibu Township and Malibu Slow Growth Coalition who were not opposed to the Sheriff Sub Station or the opportunities of a satellite college but were critical of the building designs not conforming with the city ordinances with the height of the building being one of their biggest concerns. There are no buildings in the Institutional Zone or in the vicinity that are 38 feet 10 inches in height which sets a precedent for all properties and future proposals in the zone to be this height when the actual height limit is 18 feet. Malibu resident Pat Healy explained that the maximum allowable height is 18 feet measured from finished or natural grade whichever is lower. Since the site is in a floodplain, it has been elevated 3 feet above natural grade so if the college were to meet the code the proposed college should only be 15 feet in height at finished grade and with site plan review it could go up to 25 feet at finished grade. Other buildings in the Civic Center complex range from approximately 15 to 26 feet tall. Like the Whole Foods project with its controversial “vertical green walls”, there is a 25% landscaping requirement that did not meet certain percentage of the required 25% landscaping that ended up being counted on a roof . This is not allowed since it is counting the same lot area twice. First for a portion of the building, and secondly for a portion of the landscaping.
Located in the Malibu Civic Center near the library, the college will house 210 students in five classrooms, plus a computer lab, offices, an LA County Sheriff substation, and a community room that can multitask as an Emergency Operations Center.
Renderings of the $25-million, 27,500-square-foot Santa Monica College Malibu Center show a modern, curvy two-story structure, designed by LA-based Quatro Design Group.
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LOCAL
Aerial views of the proposed project sight for the Santa Monica College Malibu Campus. Further, according to the Whole foods report the chosen landscaping for the Civic Center is sycamore trees which are not included in the landscaping plan. The college has non native drought tolerant plants in the form of multiple highly flammable date palms. Since the college touts its relationship to the proximity to Legacy Park and since date palms are highly flammable it would be preferable if sycamores were substituted. Most importantly, Healy added that the Planning Commission erred in approving the project that does not conform to city ordinances nor Malibu’s quest to retain it’s rural character as stated in the Vision and Mission statement. A representative from Malibu township Council read a letter by its president who asked “Why are you granting the college these significant variances? We know the college knew the Malibu Building Code when they started to design this building. Why did they decide to ignore them and why do you feel an exception to the rules is acceptable? Mayor Rosenthal and Council member John Sibert, you are the Malibu representatives to the Santa Monica College Joint Powers Authority. Did you tell the college to abide to our building codes or did you tell them to ignore them? With the above being done we are setting a precedent that will be exploited by future development in the Civic Center. We should not let this happen.” Skylar Peak was clearly not happy that he was put in a position to vote on such a beneficial project to the community that exceeds City ordinance limits and asked the Architect to step forward and explain why he designed a building knowing quite well what Malibu’s building limits were. He elaborated on ideal ceiling heights, lighting and ventilation floor widths and roof designs. Peak gave thanks for the explanation but added that he was worried about what would happen if Coastal Approval is denied. With the City Council’s approval, the project will now move on to be reviewed by Coastal Commission. The new campus will be located on the three acres of a nine-acre parcel owned by LA County across the street from Legacy Park. An abandoned 16,603 square-foot sheriff’s station building is currently on that site that has not been used since the early nineties when the sheriff’s station moved to the Lost Hills location. A new five-classroom and lab, a community room that will double as an emergency operations center and interpretive center will be built. While the former Los Angeles County Superior Court building and recently remodeled public library will not be affected the Sheriff Station will be demolished Construction will be funded by Measure S, which was approved by Santa Monica and Malibu voters in 2004 to fund SMC facilities project, which was allotted $25 million. The campus is expected to provide college-level classes, including adult Emeritus College classes.
CITY COUNCIL MAKES THE MOVE
The long anticipated mystery of who would replace retiring Jim Thorsen, Malibu’s longest serving Manager was announced. After the city searched high and low among 70 applicants, some as far away as the east coast, they finally whittled down the selection to the person who happened to be sitting in the City Managers seat, assistant City Manager Reva Feldman! When it was announced that the city approved of her in a unanimous vote the council crowd applauded but know one cheered or clapped louder than Don Schmitz, a local developer who seemed as ecstatic as a football fan whose home team just made the winning touchdown in the final minutes of a super bowl game. Reva who has also worked with the city for 11 years was welcomed and congratulated by most of everyone in the room.
IN ADDITION KBU 97.5 IS REPORTING:
KBU News was initially told by the city’s official spokesman yesterday that City Hall would not release the data ... until it was officially put in an agenda. That triggered emails back and forth... escalating to the city attorney. Christi Hogin released the contract terms to K B U news late yesterday. Feldman has accepted a three-year contract that pays 215 thousand dollars the first year, 400 dollars a month for a car and six percent deferred compensation. Add in the customary insurance, vacation and sick pay and her benefits will approach 300 thousand dollars a year by our informed estimate. If a future city council decides to go with someone else, Feldman will get six months salary to leave. Feldman’s base pay in 2013 was $171,000. In 2013, Jim Thorsen was paid $202,000 dollars a year. And as we said ..... Feldman will make $215,000.
DIFFERING SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT...
THE CITY OBSERVED BY SAM HALL KAPLAN
Despite the cliché of pundits, not all politics are local, so screams the trumped up present day political coverage. But in neophyte communities such as my misanthropic Malibu with its entitled population, local politics persist as the stuff of daily drama, with the center stage the embattled Civic Center, The city’s center is a fractured mess, as I describe it in my latest commentary heard on 97.5 KBU and radiomalibu.net. It is more scattered than centered, more commercial than civic, more tourist serving than local friendly, more commonplace than colorful, and besides, driving there is a drag, the circulation sucks and the parking a pain. Unlike other sister seacoast enclaves, such as Laguna Beach or Del Mar, Malibu’s Civic Center is neither quaint nor attractive, not for promenading, or for meeting friends. I would not call it particularly neighborly. For that the Point Dume or Trancas shopping centers are much more disposed to be serendipitous, even stretches of our accessible beaches, thank you Coastal Commission, no thank you our key Nazis. The Zuma walk, Bluff’s Park or the indiscriminate Trancas Canyon dog park are friendlier. So it was that after too many years in planning and politics, I welcomed a Santa Monica College satellite campus to the forlorn and much too retail ravaged misnamed civic center. Finally, this week the City Council stumbled forward to barely approve the project by a 3 to 1 vote. Of course, it wouldn’t have been just another city council hearing without some heartfelt objections to the project And most likely I would’ve been sympathetic if the objections were directed at yet another commercial conceit, especially pricey and tourist oriented. But clearly the college proposal with a new sheriff’s station and communication tower attached would be a community benefit, and as much as I take exception to the council notorious tendency of granting variances, in this instance it was justified. A better, more green, and user friendly building will result . The respected architecture firm of Quatro Design of which I am familiar deserves our thanks for persevering. Not many firms would have in the face of the maelstrom that Malibu’s politics. Ah, local politics, you have to love it. It is our theatre. If anything, I hope that the campus, with its parade of students and promised community outreach to all ages and interests, will generate a sense of place for the civic center, based on public service rather than crass commercialism.
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LOCAL On April 6th, County Water District 29 was to hold it’s one and only public outreach meeting at Malibu City Hall to inform the community stakeholders of its massive $300 million dollar water system improvements for Malibu’s residential needs, as well as increasing fire suppression requirements. In years past, county officials have told residents in District 29 that local water lines do not have enough water to put out even one structure fire but that has been proven not to be true. What is true, which local developers like to point out, is that Malibu does not always have enough water to protect all houses during intense brush fires. County Water District officials were shocked to receive emails and letters from a large number of concerned local residents from Topanga and Malibu, some of which showed up at City Hall to ask questions and voice concerns about the counties lack of communication to notify the public of their plans. It was obvious that many residents who showed up were upset and suspicious at the lack of notification over implementing $300 million dollar water improvements project, which could encourage more development in the Santa Monica Mountains. This meeting was supposed to be an unveiling of the County’s Draft PIER water improvement plans with a question and answer forum that was quickly cancelled at the onset of the meeting because of the public outpouring of resistance, but officials took notes hosting public comments. Most Malibu residents receive their water via County Water District 29 and may face skyrocketing rate increases with the County’s plans to repair and replace Malibu and Topanga’s aging water system. Hardly a week goes by that Malibu commuters are not impacted by water main repairs somewhere along PCH. Much of our aging water infrastructure was installed over 50 years ago with 4” pipes that are now considered undersized for our current water needs as a result of population increases since the 40’s and 50’s.
A
FLUID
SITUATION
BY STEVE WOODS
Kim Lamorie, President of Las Virgenes Homeowners Federation Inc., got wind of the county’s planned meeting and immediately alerted District 29 residents to attend the meeting at City Hall. Lamorie, who has closely worked with the County of Los Angeles in protecting the Santa Monica Mountains sent out the letter of her concerns below. Delegates and Friends of the Santa Monica Mountains! Here we go again... Expediter Don Schmitz is back in the spotlight, championing yet another serious challenge to the Santa Monica Mountains. It’s a clever effort (one we’ve seen before) to usurp our land-use policies and laws, and build out every vacant parcel in Waterworks District 29. But, in actuality, it creates significantly more fire danger for our resources, residents and fire fighters. On Wednesday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m. at Malibu City Hall, Los Angeles County’s Waterworks District 29 is conducting a question and answer meeting on their Draft PEIR, the next step in their environmental review process for their Master Plan. What Master Plan you may be asking? Good question! Emerging again under the guise of “fire protection”, Waterworks 29’s Master Plan, is a proposal to not only upgrade infrastructure, increase water flow, and build new water tanks; but, provide water via new pipelines for NEW development in extremely remote and even more fire prone areas of sensitive, inaccessible habitat, and in steep canyons and on ridgelines. This creates even greater fire risks and also endangers our rural mountain communities and never mind that the burden of building their own infrastructure (and rightly so) has always been the responsibility of the developer. And who is slated to pay for this orchestrated windfall for developers? The ratepayers of course, the residents of District 29, a project estimated to cost well over $300 million dollars! Further, the Master Plan makes very aggressive growth assumptions for build-out, likely enabling rampant development in the heart of our pristine natural and coastal resources, in our Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu Local Coastal Programs (LCP’s) and in the North Area Plan (NAP). We adamantly oppose such measures. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works did virtually zero public outreach in our communities. We had no notice of the scoping meeting held in 2014; nor were we notified of the draft PEIR’s release. On Friday, we asked for and received an extension from 45 to 120 days for the Draft PEIR comments and we’ve requested actual community stakeholder meetings! Please attend Wednesday’s meeting in Malibu and express your outrage and opposition to this plan. You bet there is a concerted, well organized force rallying for it. Sincerely, Kim Lamorie President, Las Virgenes Homeowners Federation, Inc. Malibu resident Paul Grisanti, a local realtor and one of the volunteers who has been working on the water project improvement issue for years, was the first and only speaker who did not question county’s plan and was upset to hear suggestions that the replacement water pipe plan is designed to serve vacant land and developers in the Santa Monica Mountains. When Grisanti pointed out that not one foot of pipeline for the project in Malibu would go beyond existing houses. Many in the audience sneered and heckled him. Of the many speakers, Susan Nissman, a Topanga resident and a longtime aid to Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky spoke of her concerns as well as. Sara Wan, who has worked extensively on matters affecting the coast of California, both as a member of the Coastal Commission, State Coastal Conservancy and Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and as a coastal activist, voiced her concerns to the water district officials. Malibu resident Rick Mullen, a retired Colonel in the Marines and LA County fireman, spoke eloquently and thanked county officials for addressing Malibu resident needs, but warned about being “seduced” by developers who would like to exploit the increases in water mains on the backs of ratepayers. Malibu resident Cindy Vandor was not shy about criticizing county’s process and motives and also received an applause from the crowd. Waterworks officials who were going to unveil their draft PIER at the meeting told the audience that they would come back after reviewing public comments and meet with community stakeholders to show that the project is designed only to replace a failing and unsafe water system. So one has to wonder if the reason the county did not showcase it’s plans to the unsuspectingly large crowd was due to language in the draft PIER that may have led some to question if it’s designs could encourage development in remote vacant land in the Santa Monica mountains. Maybe the large community turnout at the meeting enlightened county officials that they cannot sneak anything by the protective residents in Malibu.
ORTHOPEDIC SHOES. SADDLE. LEATHER JACKETS. TACK. WETSUITS. LUGGAGE. RIDING BOOTS. PURSES. COWBOY BOOTS. DYE.
L E V O N 3882 CROSS CREEK RD. MALIBU, CA. 90265 3 1 0 . 4 5 6 . 2 7 9 5
LOCAL THE
KING AND QUEEN
A CONVERSATION WITH BOOK AUTHOR DAVID K RANDALL
OF
BY BEN MARCUS
MALIBU
Originally from Riverside but now living out east and working for Reuters, David K Randall has written the book that someone needed to write. The book I should have written, but he wrote it. The King and Queen of Malibu: The True Story of the Battle for Paradise details the lives of Frederick and May Rindge - their very different upbringings, how they met, their courtship, how they came to own the Malibu Rancho, the death of Frederick Rindge and May Rindges’ long battle to keep Malibu private. This material has been covered in bits and pieces elsewhere, but Wallace has gone deep into archives on both coasts to detail this saga as it has never been detailed before. BM: First of all congratulations. I read your book in a day, that was cool. All my friends were emailing me: “Dude, this guy wrote your book!” Because everyone knows I like Malibu history. But you did a good job. It was illuminating and I probably know Malibu history better than just about anyone. Hopefully the book sells and hopefully you get a movie deal. Where have you been on your book tour? DKR: It was all last week (March 14 to 20). I started off last Sunday I spoke at the former Rindge Mansion on west Adams. And then by the end of the week I spoke up at Healdsburg which is just 20 miles from Preston. BM: Which is where Frederick and May Rindge met. A healing place in northern California. How many people showed up for your book tour? DKR: It was a pretty good turnout. There was 20 or 25 people at each one, minimum. And then for the Pepperdine talk there was probably 75 to 100. BM: Oh that’s good. DKR: It was nice. And I gave a talk at the Point Dume Club to Rindge and Adamson family members and to Adamson House docents. BM: I did that a few years ago and I made them mad. DKR: Really? BM: Well a lot of their dates were wrong. They had some stuff wrong. I corrected them and it got a little feisty but that was fine. I like arguing history. How did you come across this story? You are from Riverside originally and you used to surf Malibu? DKR: Actually I never surfed Malibu because I was never good enough. So I grew up surfing mostly Orange County and down in San Diego. I drove up and down PCH all the time and had friends at Pepperdine. It wasn’t until I came out here (to New York) and I was basically homesick after a blizzard, I thought “There’s got to be a good book on PCH.” And I never really found one so then I started thinking, “Maybe I could look into…” so I started reading old issues of the LA Times and found stories about this woman who owned all of Malibu and people were trying to kill her and it just seemed like this alternative history and it was fascinating. So I kind of went from there. BM: Do you live in New York now? DKR: I lived in Brooklyn for about 10 or 11 years and then in the last year we moved to Montclair, New Jersey. I don’t know if you know the east coast, but it’s only like 10 miles outside of New York City. And into New Jersey basically because we had the second kid. BM: Two years ago I did a book signing at the Patagonia store in the Bowery. We went out to Montauk and I was surprised by how nice it is out there. I knew the rich and the famous were in the Hamptons and all that - but under it all, the east end of Long Island is nature-blessed, kind of like Malibu. DKR: Every time I get homesick I go out to Montauk because I can kind of imagine I’m in California. BM: It has a California look and feel, doesn’t it? DKR: Yeah there’s bluffs there and a good break and everything else. So many other beaches here are so terrible. It took a while to get adjusted to New York, but now it’s kinda like… in my blood. BM: I know people who love it. I don’t even like LA, and New York is three times more dense than Los Angeles, so…. DKR: Yeah, the hardest thing about LA is the driving is really hard. One thing I really like here is I can take a train to work and back. I can still be a functional person with reading or something, I don’t have to waste all that time. BM: My dad was born in 1930 and I’ve interviewed a lot of famous surfers who were born around then, and they say it’s a shame, because the Los Angeles you see now is not the “real” Los Angeles - that was through the 1940s, after World War II and into the 1950s. DKR: My dad moved out to LA in the 70s from Kansas. He has these stories of driving all of Mulholland from the mountains to the sea. Malibu has some of that still, but so much of LA... every time I go back it seems like they’ve filled in every little place left. BM: The population of LA County increases 100,000 people a year. Hard to believe. DKR: That’s crazy. At the Pepperdine talk I met a bunch of people who grew up in Malibu in the 50s and 60s, and they really do love the history. They think so much of it and they want to preserve it because it’s under attack from development - which it is.
LOCAL “...AN ARTICLE IN THE LA TIMES WHICH ESTIMATED THE VALUE OF THE RANCHO MALIBU AT $100 MILLION - AND THOSE ARE 1928 DOLLARS - THE EQUIVALENT OF $1.2 BILLION IN MODERN MONEY.” - BEN MARCUS
Paradise Cove beach, circa 1890, around the time the Rindges bought the whole shebang from the Kellers. Photo: Seaver Center.
The Rindge cattle brand. It takes a certain confidence in the security and sanctity of your property to use a simple triangle.
BM: How long did this book take you from start to stop?
Rhoda May Knight Rindge (1864 - 1941), after the death of her husband. Sweet and soft on the outside. Tough as nails on the inside.
DKR: Probably seven or eight years, total. I discovered it, and then it lay fallow for a little bit and then around 2008 or so, that’s when I started looking back into it again. I connected with Grant Adamson and I started talking with him and it was kind of convincing the family to open up stuff for me - their private archives. And at the same time look and see what else was there. I found the transcripts from the California Supreme Court case were in the Huntington Library. BM: We’ve had our eyeballs buried in the same material. I went to the Huntington when there was a huge fire in Pasadena - looked like a bomb had gone off. DKR: Yeah and then there’s the Frederick Hastings Rindge collection at Cambridge, Massachusetts. BM: That would have been good. How much was in there? DKR: That had his diaries from when he went to Florida, Colorado, New Mexico. They had stuff from some of his early businesses. They had some hand-written letters from him. Then I found stuff up in Healdsburg, the letters from May Rindge to Madame Preston. BM: That’s great. DKR: So it’s kinda like I hopscotched all around. BM: What I looked into a lot was the LA Times archive. DKR: Yeah, that too. BM: It’s surprising how good the LA Times was in the 1890s, you know? DKR: It was good and bad. You could see that it was obviously slanted against May Rindge though. BM: Well that was one very wealthy woman who owned a huge chunk of Los Angeles County. Like one woman owning all of Palos Verdes or something. DKR: There was one story in the LA Times where the homesteaders had their cars in a barricade and she’s coming down and obviously they’re trying to kill her. But the label of the story was just “Melodrama.” Melodrama? They’re trying to murder somebody. BM: Were they really trying to kill her, you think? DKR: I’m sure they were. Everybody carried guns back then. They didn’t say that in the story, but every homesteader... If you read the transcripts at the Huntington, that’s how they lived. They were settlers. You always carried a gun with you. And she always carried a gun on her hip, too. She had every incentive to.. BM: In one of the stories I wrote, I describe Malibu as being like a little bubble of the Wild West, clinging to the edge of the continent in the early 1900s: Train battles, cattle rustlers, range war, people pulling guns. Cool stuff. DKR: That’s a good way to describe everything. BM: I found one mistake. The train that Frederick Rindge took with his parents when he was a boy? It wasn’t the first transcontinental train, but it was the first transcontinental charter. DKR: I didn’t realize that. I’ll make a list of the things they need to correct for the paperback. BM: It was the Boston Board of Trade Trans-Continental Excursion. It was 1870. They had Pullman cars custom made. One passenger published a newspaper on the whole trip. It was a big deal DKR: Oh cool.
LOCAL BM: Imagine Frederick Rindge taking a train trip through the wild west at 12 years old. It would have blown his mind, passing through the wild west on a train. DKR: Here’s this little boy, who is always sick. His siblings have all passed away all around him, and he’s trapped in this mansion, surrounded by their absence, and he grew up wanting to be a cowboy and eventually he gets to do it. Not only does he do that, but he finds one of the most beautiful places in the world and he owns all of it. That’s a pretty great life. BM: I also like what you said - and there’s a whole ‘nother line of thinking - of what would have happened if Mr. Rindge had stayed alive. He would have handled it differently I think. DKR: He would have developed it. BM: Mrs. Rindge was stubborn. She was too stubborn. How would Mr. Rindge have dealt with all the pressure to build a road and develop it? I think it would have been different. DKR: It was crazy. On the book tour I gave a talk to La Jolla and there was a 90-something year old woman there and she said she remembers May Rindge when she was a little kid. Her father was one of the bond salesmen that Rindge used. He drove the woman as a little girl up to Malibu, and she said she saw May Rindge on the side of the road, wearing old, gray tattered clothes, and holding a rifle, and waiting for someone to step onto her land. It’s crazy though. I had heard all those stories but meeting someone who saw it with her own eyes, that was a different level. BM: Next level, bro. Sorry, surfer talk. It’s a movie, is what it is. I see Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs. Rindge. She dresses Victorian, she’s the right age. The story it’s closest to is Out of Africa. Very similar. Because it was the Depression that busted Baroness Blixen, It wasn’t a fire at her coffee plantation - although that fire is similar to the fire that destroyed Malibu Potteries. And it was the Depression that busted Mrs. Rindge. Similar stories. Two women against the elements. Mrs. Rindge wasn’t trained to take on an empire. Her husband went to school with Teddy Roosevelt and had been trained from birth how to run a business. Mrs. Rindge was a schoolteacher. But she was tough. DKR: I always think of Mrs. Rindge at the funeral of Frederick Rindge and all of the LA elite are there: Henry Huntington and the Clarks, and Chandler from the LA Times. And here’s this woman who is now sitting on [the equivalent of] $700 million. A fortune, not even including the real estate value. And they don’t know what to think of her. She doesn’t even have the right to vote, but she has more power than any of them. BM: The number I thought was pretty interesting was: Marc Daniels is the guy who designed Yosemite National Park. He was hired by Mrs. Ringe to develop a master plan for Malibu after she lost the Supreme Court case. In 1928, the LA Times estimated the value of the Rancho Malibu at $100 million - and those are 1928 dollars the equivalent of $1.2 billion in modern money. As Letterman used to say: A billion dollars here and a billion dollars there and pretty soon you’re talking real money. DKR: Yeah I didn’t include it because she never did anything with that master plan. Looking west from Point Dume along Westward Beach and off to the horizon, circa 1890. The Rindges owned it all, and much more.
The guarded gate at the east end of the Rancho Malibu. Mrs. Rindge posted cowboys with guns who would pull them on everyone from beachcombers to Federal Marshalls. She meant business. Photo: Ernest Marquez Collection.
BM: I also don’t understand how she could have gone broke with all that she owned. She had founding stock in a lot of fundamental Los Angeles companies: SoCal Edison, Union or Standard Oil, life insurance companies, a lot of land in the San Fernando Valley that would have been worth a fortune after Mulholland opened the sluices. When the 20s were Roaring, that had to be worth a fortune. DKR: When you read the bond prospectus from April 29, from when she floated those gold bonds, she was saying that it was the dividends from all her stock that was going to pay for it. She never would have to sell any of Malibu. But then obviously by October of 1929 the value was just so little, because all those companies cut their dividends. So when you’re counting on this money to provide cash flow that is no longer there, that is what killed them. They lived on the dividend income for so long. BM: She had to have been the equivalent of a billionaire many times over. How could she lose all that? DKR: Unocal 76, that’s Union Oil. That’s the modern… what that company has become. And Conservative Life Insurance is now Pacific Life. A lot of these companies that he founded are still around. You can still see the family tree. BM: You think Mr. Rindge would have gone bust in the Depression? I don’t think he would have. I think he was too smart and would have seen it coming. DKR: I think he would have developed Malibu beforehand. Or he would have kept a smaller portion of Malibu for himself. He would have done something. He was a capital R Romantic, but he was also a businessman so he knew what he was doing. BM: A very good businessman, too. I don’t think he ever lost a dime. DKR: If you read Happy Days in Southern California he’s talking about marinas and Malibu is going to be the American Riviera. BM: Which it is. It really is beautiful and I don’t consider Southern California beautiful, but Malibu is. Maybe because it runs east to west. There’s just something about Malibu. DKR: You have everything there. You have the mountains and the ocean so dramatically. There’s not really anything in between. BM: Hopefully you get a movie deal off of this because it’s a movie. It’s a good story. And everyone in Hollywood is sitting right on top of it, because they all live there. They know. They read about it. And no one has leapt on it.
LOCAL DKR: I could see an HBO series, like an American Downton Abbey almost. Or like a John Adams. BM: Yep. You would have to stretch it out. It’s a long story that covers more than 50 years. DKR: You would want to get into how violent Los Angeles was in 1850. But it would be hard to tell that in a two-hour block. BM: Los Angeles was violent in the middle 1800s. Los Angeles is where you went if you were too much of a fuckup even for the gold fields. If you were in Los Angeles at that time it was accepted you were a corrupt operator. Ever read Cadillac Desert? The book talks about that. DKR: There were also a lot of Confederate Generals who escaped and ended up in Los Angeles. BM: All kinds of riff raff, and riff raff makes for good TV. DKR: Yeah, as I was writing it I said to myself many times: I would just love to see this. BM: Yeah I would like to see Mrs. Rindge running around with a gun on her hip. DKR: It would be cool. BM: And Lawler coming up to the gate and one of the cowboys drawing a gun on a Federal Marshall. What are you, nuts? DKR: One thing I was always struck by was… If this had all happened on the east coast, everyone would know about it. But it happened in southern California around the Gold Rush time and afterwards, it’s just kind of forgotten. They just kind of erased it from history. It’s crazy to me that there’s nothing named after the Rindges in Malibu. You’d think there would at least be a Rindge Park, or something. BM: Nothing? That’s how Rindge was. He didn’t want things done in his name. He would donate money but stipulate that his name wouldn’t go on the building. DKR: He didn’t want stuff for Harvard. Or Cambridge. Because he was giving away his father’s fortune then, but…. BM: Funny thing is, Ridge Latin and Grammar is now the name of the school he endowed in Cambridge. It started as a technical school, but now it’s the only public school in Cambridge, or something. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon went there. Maybe they should make this movie. They’ve got the chops. They’ve got the clout. DKR: He put his name on a building in downtown LA. I think enough time has passed that… even if Frederick Rindge didn’t want that, you could still honor him that way. There’s Adamson House obviously, but…. I think a May Rindge Park would make a lot of sense.
“IT’S CRAZY TO ME THAT THERE’S NOTHING NAMED AFTER THE RINDGES IN MALIBU. YOU’D THINK THERE WOULD AT LEAST BE A RINDGE PARK, OR SOMETHING.” - DAVID K. RANDALL
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COVER FEATURE
BATHED IN THE BLUES
MALIBU RESIDENT KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD HEADLINES THE MALIBU GUITAR FESTIVAL BY BEN MARCUS The Second Malibu Guitar Festival is going to rock Malibu from the canyons to the sea for four days, April 28 to May 1. Kenny Wayne Shepherd is headlining with his band, and he will be able to ride his bike from his home to the outdoor stage in Cross Creek - and also to the benefit at Casa Escobar on opening night. Who dat? You ask: Originally from down in Louisiana, the 39-year-old, self-taught blues guitarist married a lovely local lass and now lives somewhere hidden away and quiet in Malibu, with their three kids. Don’t know much about Kenny Wayne Shepherd? Read on. (KWS called correspondent Ben Marcus at 10:45 PST on Tuesday, April 5.) BM: Aloha. KWS: How ya’ doin’? BM: I’m fine. I’m in Hawaii. It could be worse. KWS: I hear ya, man. What are you doing in Hawaii? BM: Writing books, living on a boat, eating shave ice, seeing sharks. But regarding your deal, I’ve been riding around on a fat tire bike, listening to Spotify: Cream, Jane’s Addiction, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, The Police and Nirvana. The Guitar Gods seems to be the theme. KWS: Sounds good.
SECOND MALIBU GUITAR FESTIVAL SET FOR APRIL 28 - MAY 1 Rockin’ good news! The Second Malibu Guitar Festival is swinging into town from April 28 to May 1: Four days of power chords and blues progressions, headlined by multi-platinumed Malibu resident Kenny Wayne Shepherd, double Grammy-winning Albert Lee, Santana/Clapton collaborator Robert Randolph, Richie Sambora and Orianthi and The Empty Hearts - an allstar supergroup featuring members of The Cars, Blondie. Chesterfield Kings and The Romantics. And a long list of solo artists and bands are coming to town, plugging in and cranking it so as to make the mountains tremble, and the whales to swim a little closer to see what all the ruckus is about. The music will benefit the brain of anyone who hears, but also Mending Kids, Boys & Girls Club of Malibu and Therasurf. For a complete schedule look to malibuguitarfestival.com.
BM: You know who’s good? Dave Navarro. Listen close and listen a lot and you come to the conclusion he’s a monster. Is Navarro on Mount Rushmore with Hendrix and Clapton and Page? I don’t know, but he has some serious chops that guy. KWS: Yeah yeah he is a great player. I know Dave well, and he’s an exceptional guitar player. BM: So if you were riding around Waikiki listening to Spotify, who would you be listening to? KWS: Aw man, well, for me I’m a blues guy. If I’m just trying to kick back and relax and get serene and everything, I listen to old school blues. That’s my first love. I’d be listening to Muddy Waters and BB King and stuff like that. BM: I’ll tell you who else - and this is an obvious statement - but Jimi Hendrix loved the blues. KWS: Oh absolutely man. BM: My big brother played trombone with Ray Charles for a bunch of years. My little brother played bass for Berkeley High when they had the best jazz program in the country. My dad played saxophone and clarinet and piano. My granny was the organ accompanist for the silent movies. I come from a musical family but I didn’t get any of it. Your family is musical I take it? KWS: Well actually not really. I’m the only musical guy in my family. You know my dad was on the radio. He was a disc jockey so I grew up around radio stations. And music, live concerts and things like that, but no one really played an instrument. BM: What about going back in your family? Because usually talents like yours are hereditary. Someone up the line was musical. KWS: Well my dad’s brother sang in a barbershop quartet, but that’s like totally…. BM: That’s not blues, no.
Kenny Wayne Sheperd
KWS: Electric blues and rock and roll. No like I said, dude, you know my dad was on the radio. He managed radio stations and he was a DJ and so he did rock radio, he did Top 40 radio, he did country radio and so I saw every band who came through town. The first concert he took me to was to see Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker when I was three years old. And I saw Stevie Ray Vaughn when I was seven years old and ZZ Top and Aerosmith and every top group who came through town, man, and so I was just absorbing all of that. BM: Sounds like you just got bathed in the blues when you were a kid and it made an impression. Wikipedia says you’re self-taught. You just picked up a guitar and started playing? KWS: Yeah I mean well, it took me a few years to get good enough. Before i could perform, but I was basically self-taught. I learned how to play by ear. It’s a tedious process because it’s one note at a time. I’d pick songs that I wanted to learn how to play and then piece them together one note at a time. BM: That’s a lot of alone time, isn’t it? That’s a lot of practice because I saw my brothers do it. KWS: Oh yeah man, yeah. That’s what I wanted to do. All my friends were doing whatever kids, do, right? I would sit at home in my bedroom or my living room playing guitar, because that’s what I liked to do. BM: Were you playing in bands in junior high and high school?
COVER FEATURE KWS: Well not in junior high. It took me a long time to find anyone who wanted to play the same kind of music as me. I eventually started hanging out with people who were much older than me. But I put my band together… I was onstage by the time I was 13. I had my own band by the time I was 16. BM: But you were playing during high school, right? It’s good fun to be a Guitar God in high school. KWS: Well I don’t know if I was considered a Guitar God in high school, but I was definitely having a good time. I mean that was awesome. BM: You grew up in Louisiana? KWS: I’m originally from Louisiana. I went all the way through school and my parents insisted that I graduate high school, because nobody knows if a career in the music business is really going to happen or not. So I graduated high school and then hit the road on my first tour - when my first album came out - I went to Europe and opened up for The Eagles when they first got back together on the Hell Freezes Over Tour. BM: Well that’s a good gig. I mean, holy cow. KWS: Yeah right? So I graduated high school and I hit the road and I’ve been doing this ever since, basically. BM: So you never went out with anyone else. You’ve been you from the start. KWS: Oh yeah, dude. I mean look: My first album came out in September of 1995 and it went gold like almost instantly and it actually went platinum and sold over a million copies. My second album did better than the first one, so I’ve had several platinum records and gold albums and stuff. I’ve been on the road with everybody from the Rolling Stones to Aerosmith to Bob Dylan and then last summer we were doing our second tour with Van Halen and Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, BB King, Buddy Guy - you name it. I’ve been able to play with just about every band and musical hero that I had when I was growing up. BM: So you never played as a side guy with other bands? Like Glen Campbell going out with the Beach Boys? KWS: No, I’ve always been a solo artist with my own band. I have another band right now, a side project with Steven Stills from Crosby, Stills and Nash, and this guy Barry Goldberg and the name of the band is called The Rides. Like automobiles, you know? We put out a record like two and a half years ago and did a tour and had a great time and we have a new album coming out, like May 6. BM: How much time are you on the road, in a year. Like six months? KWS: Last year I was basically on the road from the end of February until October. It just depends on if we have a new record coming out. It depends on what’s going on. We still tour a lot. BM: Chris Isaak was on Jonesy’s Jukebox the other day and he talks about being on the road and how he gets home and gets restless after a few days and he just likes to be on the road. Is that how you are? KWS: Naw that’s not me, man, because I have a family. My wife and me have a bunch of young kids. I love coming home and seeing my family but I love playing music as well. It’s just trying to strike the right balance between family life and my professional life. BM: You live around Malibu somewhere? KWS: Yeah. BM: Do you go to Malibu much? KWS: Oh yeah man. We live right inside Malibu Canyon. BM: What places do you like in Malibu? KWS: I’m not a surfer so that part of it doesn’t appeal to me, but I do like Broad Beach and I like Cross Creek, you know, to be able to take your kids down there. There’s the play area and the shopping area. It’s good for kids. Malibu is a beautiful place and a great community. BM: It is. KWS: My wife and I met in Malibu years ago and I’ve lived here now for 13 years. It’s kind of a tight-knit group of people who want to keep it somewhat exclusive. BM: What bugs me about Malibu is it doesn’t have much of a music scene. It could and it should. Just think of who lives in Malibu: Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Steve Jones is around, P!nk, Tommy Lee, Sting, Mike D, Anthony Kiedis, Brad Paisley, Rick Rubin. Miley Fricking Cyrus! And now Kenny Wayne Sheperd! What if all that talent came out of the woodwork and threw into this thing? The best music scene I’ve seen is karaoke night at Cafe Habana, where you’ve got Kid Rock and Gary Busey and John McEnroe and Tim Commerford taking the mic. KWS: Well I know. It has a little bit, like up there at the Malibu Inn, they still have people who come through there and play on a pretty regular basis. I know that place has changed ownership several times in the past 10 or 15 years, but I think they are trying to keep something live… the live music going. But that’s one of the things that’s great about this Malibu Guitar Festival. It’s trying to bring some live music to the area. This is the second year of the festival and we’re hoping it will continue to be an annual event. And it will give everybody something to look forward to as far as live music goes. You never know what something like this could spark. BM: On Jonesy’s Jukebox, Chris Isaak said he has played with the same guys for 30 years. Are you pretty much with the same bunch of guys?
COVER FEATURE KWS: The guy who sings most of the vocals in my band, Noah Hunt, we’ve been together for 19 years now. The drummer in my band used to play with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. His name is Chris Layton. He’s been with me…. He’s played on almost all my records since the very first one which would have been 20 years ago but he’s been in my live band for 10 years. The bass player is the most recent addition. His name is Tony Franklin and he played with a band called The Firm with Paul Rogers back in the day and a few other bands. He’s just been in the band for a few years. But for the most part, they are all long-term members. BM: How many shows are you doing at the Malibu Guitar Festival? KWS: We’re doing the outdoor show on the 30th which is a Saturday or a Sunday. But the night before they’re having an event. A big charity fundraiser thing and I’m going to do an appearance there and sit in with the house band. But with me and my band the big event for us is playing the outdoor part of the festival. We’ll probably do an hour and a half show, like we normally do. BM: Okay I have a special message from a musician named Jenny Archimede who lived with us in Malibu for awhile. She would go to the Village Recorder Studio and write and record. One night she came home and said: “Kenny Wayne Shepherd was in the next studio tonight!” and she went on and on about you and the guitar solos she heard through the walls. She’s looking forward to catching your act at the Malibu Guitar Festival. KWS: We hope to see everyone there.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST YEAR’S MALIBU GUITAR FESTIVAL
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LEFT: Kevin Costner on the cover of The Local posing exclusively for Malibu Guitar Festival. Clockwise: MGF founder Doug Deluca with Randy Jackson, Laurence Juber, Robby Krieger of The Doors, Randy Jackson protogees North of Nine, Kevin Costner onstage, Steve Ferrone, opening night in full swing at Casa Escobar, Duane Betts.
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FASHION
ISIS GOES VIRAL CHAPTER 3
BY DAVID STANSFIELD EDITED BY ALLEN WALDMAN
BEAUTY
3. ISLAMIC LAW
WELLNESS How can we best prepare for an emergency situation? Keeping a supply kit on hand can be a life saver. You’ve heard the “buzz” about essential oils and how they can help alleviate a myriad of common ailments such as headaches, colds, flu, allergies, joint-muscle pain, and infection. Are these oils as effective as over the counter products? Will they really help in an emergency? If you are curious it may be time for you to test them out! Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in plants. It’s the “immune system” of the plant and without it plants cannot survive. These essential plant oils are 50 to 70 times more potent than herbs. They are a great alternate option, powerfully potent… a few drops go a long way. Here are the top 10 essential oils recommended for storing in your emergency preparedness supplies. 1. Lavender
NATURAL FIRST AID-SURVIVAL KIT 10 EMERGENCY SUPPLIES BY DIANA NICHOLSON
Lavender can help sooth burns and cuts, lessen stress, relieve bug bites and sun burns, calm skin irritations, help you sleep and it is a powerful antihistamine. This is a top choice to keep on hand for everyday and in your emergency prep supply. I use it in my home and studio every day. 2. Lemon Because of its effective disinfectant, antiseptic and cleansing properties, Lemon is another top essential oil to keep in your storage. Try adding it to your water not only for taste but to help purify as well as flush out toxins from your body. It can help rid your body of intestinal parasites and dissolve petrochemicals. Lemon is quite effective for sore throats, colds and flu. 3. Peppermint I wouldn’t be without Peppermint in my home! It’s a great antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. It can be used to reduce nausea and calm digestive issues. It’s a common headache reliever and increases concentration and alertness. If you’ve got a stuffy nose or congestion, peppermint is a great resource for clearing those nasal passageways. 4. Oregano Another “must have” oil for your health cabinet is Oregano. It is quite effective against yeast and bacterial infections. I’ve used it for flu and cold symptom relief. It can be also be used to get rid of skin tags and warts and even as an effective GI cleanse. Oregano stimulates your immune system, supports your metabolism and is a natural antiviral; it is a great choice to keep on hand always, especially in an emergency situation. 5. Melaleuca Also referred to as Tea Tree oil, Melaleuca is another great immune system supporter. Perfect for first aid kits as it gives relief for bug bites and skin irritations. You can also use it for athletes’ foot (it is an anti-fungal agent), eczema, ear infections and Candida. The uses for Melaleuca are practically endless giving it a high recommendation from me to keep in your medical kits and cupboards. 6. Helichrysum This powerful essential oil is great for your body in so many ways. It is a natural topical analgesic powerfully anti-inflammatory. It can help stop bleeding, reduce scar tissue, and is regenerative. Use it to treat infections, viruses, broken bones, respiratory skin conditions and even to treat shock. Helichrysum is truly an amazing essential oil to have on hand. It is quite pricey but effective! I consider it an essential for emergency preparedness. 7. Clove Clove is a high antioxidant essential oil. It’s quite effective in relieving toothaches, mouth sores, nausea and constipation. It’s not just a natural antibiotic, but it has the biggest antioxidant value of any single ingredient. It’s also effective to treat headaches and even blood clots. I keep Clove oil handy for dental care in my emergency kit. 8. Frankincense You, no doubt, have heard of Frankincense. It is Biblicaly known as the internal oil of healing. What is so impressive about Frankincense is how it can be combined with other oils and truly enhances their effects. Some of the benefits of this oil is that it soothes hyperactivity & restlessness, helps give you clarity, effectively fights infections, lessons inflammation, promotes skin health, and relieves headaches. The gift of Frankincense is truly valuable and one to add to your emergency storage.
Pilates instructor Diana Nicholson trained under Master Teacher, Marie Jose Blom Lawrence at “Long Beach Dance and Conditioning” She is a certified “Health Coach” from “The Institute for Integrative Nutrition” and a graduate of the California Healing Arts College”, as well as Yoga Certified through UnityOneYoga. malibubeachpilates.com @malibubeachpilates
9. Basil The health benefits of basil essential oil include its ability to treat nausea, motion sickness, indigestion, constipation, respiratory problems, and diabetes. Basil oil is also a good source of Vitamin A, magnesium, potassium, iron, and calcium. Basil was widely used in ancient times in places like India for various medicinal purposes (Ayurvedic medicine). It was used to treat diarrhea, cough, mucous discharges, constipation, indigestion, and certain skin diseases. Basil essential oil is effective in providing relief from colds, influenza and associated fevers. Along with its function in relieving coughs, it can also be used to treat asthma, bronchitis, and sinus infections. Basil essential oil is an analgesic and provides relief from pain. That is why this essential oil is often used in the treatment of arthritis, wounds, injuries, burns, bruises, scars, sports injuries, surgical recovery, sprains, and headaches. 10. Blend- Protection On Guard Blend of Essential Oils includes: Clove, Wild Orange, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, and Cinnamon oils. This is a great natural way to support your immune system! I have used this blend with my family for years and we love it. It helps prevent colds and flues, sore throats and stops the growth of viruses and bacteria in their tracks. It supports the body in fighting airborne pathogens and in inhibiting MRSA plus other antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria. I consider this one of my essentials for keeping my family protected from sickness. The motto for both the Girl Scouts & Boy Scouts is “BE PREPARED.” These ESSENTIAL OILS can help you do just that! malibubeachpilates.com @malibubeachpilates
MALIBU’S ONLINE RESOURCE FOR HEALTHY LIVING malibuessentialwellness.com
LIFESTYLE
GRILLED CORN WITH QUESO FRESCO, CHILI + LIME
Malibu is definitely a year round BBQ community, but there is something about spring that tends to push it to full throttle. Here is simple SoCal favorite to put on the flame and get your grilling season going.
Serves 8 Ingredients 8 ears corn husked 1 cup mayonnaise homemade or favorite 1 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder 1 tbsp lime juice fresh 1 cup cheese cotija or queso fresco, crumbled 2 limes 2 cut into 8 wedges salt sea salt Instructions To make the sauce Combine the mayonnaise, chili powder and lime juice with a pint of sea salt. To grill the corn Heat grill to high. Grill the corn on the cobs for a three of four minutes, rotating as they grill, until the corn is cooked through and has grill marks. To assemble the corn: As soon as the corn comes off of the grill, brush each cob with the chili mayonnaise and top all sides with crumbled queso fresco. Serve alongside lime wedges
ROCK LOBSTER
When it comes to weekends by the sea - especially back east - the lobster roll reigns supreme.
Photo by Tim Horton
So, if you were contemplating a trip to the eastern seaboard to get your lobster roll fix, hold the phone! The Sunset Restaurant & Beach Bar has the west coast version of this simply delicious sandwich served up with french fries and a stunning ocean view. Want the ultimate experience? Come closer to to the end of the day and witness one of the most spectacular sunsets the west coast has to offer! SUNSET RESTAURANT & BEACH BAR 6800 Westward Beach Rd, Malibu, CA 90265 310-589-1007 thesunsetrestaurant.com instagram: @sunsetatmalibu
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LIFESTYLE
SOUL JOURNEY
MASTER SOULCYCLE INSTRUCTOR MB REGAN OPENS UP ABOUT HER SOUL MOTIVATION AND MALIBU
“BE YOU’RE OWN GURU”
What inspired you to move to LA from NYC? MB: THE WEATHER, the slower paced lifestyle and the challenge of building a new market for SoulCycle. I enjoy being out of my comfort zone and when SOUL was looking into opening on the West Coast I went for it and took my show on the road.
- MB REGAN
How is your life in LA different than it was in NYC? KALE, KALE, KALE! I traded in my Jackson Hole beef burgers for kale burgers. I’m almost a vegan now and NO, I haven’t done a juice cleanse. Maybe for my 5th year anniversary, I’ll give it a try. I still love to chew my food. I reconnected with my creative roots and revised an off Broadway show that I wrote and performed in NYC called The Dirty Girls, which I will direct this year in LA. Also I love the fact that I have more time to spend with my riders after class. I don’t have to rush to get on a subway or be limited by the weather. I can easily just sit outside the studio and hang with my riders post-class. I LOVEEEEEEE doing this, especially after my classes in Malibu. They are family to me. Ok, so do you miss anything about NYC? I miss EVERYTHING! Mainly my family, my friends and NYC riders. I look forward to my summer cameos in NYC. I miss the intensity, edge and realness of the people. What you see is what you get. No BS! Where do you find inspiration? When I see people being their authentic self. They fully embrace it with no apologies and couldn’t care less if anybody is looking. They are not doing it to impress or fit in or for validation but simply because it gives them joy. I see a lot of people trying to be something they are not. The outfit is perfectly planned and the script is memorized. It is so refreshing and inspiring to me when I see people who embrace their TRUE self.
“SO WE GOT IN AT 6 A.M. WITH CUTIE TAYLOR.”
What first brought you to SoulCycle anyway? It’s a long story, but ultimately [SoulCycle Co-Founder] Julie Rice scouted me. I had a big following in NYC — especially on the Upper East Side and in the Hamptons. SoulCycle was about to open its second location in Manhattan — East 83rd Street — and I happily came on board to join the SoulCycle team. Favorite thing to eat after class? It matters where I am. If I’m in Malibu, I love Sun Life Organic’s James Ashton shake without the bananas. When I’m in WEHO, I enjoy Earthbar’s Blueberry Bliss shake with no pineapple. What’s the best advice someone has ever given you? Do ordinary things in an extra ordinary way.
-JESSICA ALBA Original MLBU Bu Crew team member Taylor Shank get’s a shout out Jessica Alba’s Instagram ( and the Cosmo Mag website ) after Alba took Taylor’s 6 a.m. class in NYC. We’re hoping to get Taylor back full time at his home studio in Malibu in the near future! Follow Taylor on Instagram: @taylorcshank
And do you have a mantra that motivates you? Be your own guru. Catch classes with MB every Sunday at the MALIBU studio 3874 Cross Creek Rd, Malibu, CA 90265 310.973.7685
SOUL 2 SOUL This weekend marks 2 years of Soul in Malibu and pretty much my 2 years with Soul. Words can’t describe what this company, these riders, this staff, and this community has meant to me and what it has given me these past couple of years. I’m so grateful for everyone and everything that has gone into this place. I love this studio. I love this community. Thank you, Malibu -Tina Ray, Malibu studio manager
Malibu Soulcycle celebrated 2 years at the Malibu Country Mart.
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LIFESTYLE
THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION
BY CECE WOODS
A PROFOUND SPIRITUAL AWAKENING LEADS MALIBU LOCAL JOBI MANSON TO LAUNCH SEFARI, A SANCTUARY FOR CREATIVE EXPLORERS The summer of 2015 was not just any summer for Jobi Manson; it was a life changer. A ‘call to arms’ of sorts to travel and explore what she was most passionate about. Manson decided to head to Africa, a special place to her since childhood, returning few months later with a new life purpose and a vision for her sacred spot she calls Sefari, located at the Malibu Design Center. Sefari, a name that seems to exude a kind of mystical philosophy, was dreamed up by Manson combining her love for the ocean and african adventure. The name perfectly encapsulates her vision of capitalizing on the beauty of Malibu and our connection with nature - a place where the creative process can take center stage. Sefari’s retail area is filled with carefully curated, worldly and locally sourced goods to complete a seemingly idyllic and inspiring space. Motivated to help people realize their full ceative potential, Manson launched The CARVE Sessions, one of Sefari’s ‘creative activations’ for the community. The Carve Sessions is a monthly speaker series that features entrepreneurs who are in touch with their creativity and willing to share their journey and inspire others. A process she feels is vitally important as she realized on her African adventure last summer, and believes ‘in order to be creative, you need to be in a creative environment.’ Her mantra extends to the space she created for Sefari, a place that not only inspires her, but where she hopes others will come to be inspired as well. While Sefari mostly functions as a retail space for now, future plans include a creative co-working environment with an outdoor garden patio complete with a mobile coffee bar. Manson envisions Jobi Manson in Africa pursuing her passion for travel in the this to be a place where people can summer of 2015. come together, work independently or collaborate and be in a relaxed environment. Journalist and visionary Dan Eldon (also the son of philanthropist and Malibu local Kathy Eldon) was, and continues to be, an important part of Manson’s vision and creative development when designing the concept for Sefari. Eldon who was stoned to death in Mogadishu at the age of 22, coined the phrase “the journey is the destination” and Manson has manifested just that in the most inspiring way. SEFARI, 25001 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu.
Sefari, located in the Malibu Design Center, is a ‘sanctuary for creative explorers’.
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