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going well, and they have received solid applicants. Dueñas provided an update on the Tuna Canyon brush fire that occurred on Jan. 21 and said they are pursuing a summary of abatement.
“Bottom line, it’s being addressed as a nuisance site so we can have all the stuff that’s there removed,” Dueñas said.
D ueñas also provided an update on two major encampments, at Trancas Country Market and Surfrider Beach, which have been cleared.
“It took six trucks, 16 shopping carts were removed, so it’s a major accomplishment there,” Dueñas said. “Two big wins on clearing encampments recently, so that’s good news.”
Dueñas also addressed the the multi-agency earthquake exercise tenance agreements, and the only thing left is to get the thumbs up from City Council,” Lawrence said.
Acting Community Service Deputy Kristin Riesgo presented the guidelines, selection criteria, responsibilities, and maintenance for temporary public art.
The commission recently accepted a stained glass artwork by David Kramer.
While Malibu City Hall currently hosts its art exhibitions downstairs, the building will also be a temporary home to Kramer's surfboard piece. The art features four multicolor surfboards on a blue background. While the artwork is currently on loan and will be displayed for a year, Kramer hopes it goes beyond that.
The commission stated that they are looking to create an art library or create an archive of artwork of artists they feature. Lawrence said they could ask artists to leave an art piece behind after every show.
“One thing that we could, at least for art in City Hall, every time we do show, over a period of a couple of years of doing these art shows, we would have a full slate of art that would rotate through City Hall,” Lawrence said.
Commissioner Peter Jones liked Lawrence’s proposal of a rotating exhibition.
“It’s a great idea and it would work; it’s easy,” Jones said.
Chair Lotte Cherin said she will work with Riesgo to draft a policy for accepting donated artwork.
The Malibu Arts Commission recently organized a survey to gain community insight/interest in a Malibu Arts Center. The survey is a preliminary step for the commission to prepare a recommendation to City Council for further evaluation. This survey is not a final determination of whether the city will build a facility. The online survey was open through Jan. 31 and now closed.

Riesgo said the City received 413 responses in favor of an arts center in Malibu. The commission will review the information at the Feb. 28 regular meeting.
The commission also announced the annual 2023 Student Art Exhibit. Children in grades TK-5 were invited to submit their work for display at the Malibu City Gallery which will from through March 3. The exhibit provides a forum that fosters creativity among student artists, educators, and the Malibu Community.
fires, earthquake drill, and storm damage
the city held on Jan. 19, a few days before the 4.2 earthquake that occurred on Jan. 25, and said the earthquake was a “good drill.”
“What did happen is that I got a call from the county officer of emergency management at about 2:45 a.m. and they were advising me of the earthquake and said there were no tsunamis generated, and we needed to do damaging assessments and submit them that morning,” Dueñas said. “I think if it had been a much larger earthquake where there were issues in town, the Sheriff’s Department would have gotten reports on 911 calls.”
Luis Flores provided an update on the 2023 LA County Homeless Count and said the numbers will be announced during the summer.
Bradley Yocum contributed to the Tuna Canyon brush fire topic and said the fire department canvassed the area.
“As Bradley said, the evidence of the work that LA County Fire did up there was amazing, Bravo 69 being able to do that quick turnaround up there and drop water on it,” Frost said.
Frost addressed the Point Dume storm damage and asked if there was an update on the construction.
“They have reinstalled rocks the entire road and they brought in 10 times the amount of rocks they brought in last time,” Merrick said. “It was really disheartening to see the historic dunes just disappeared; when you come into the parking lot now, it’s just a drop off to the ocean basically — there’s no longer any dunes or vegetation.”
Public Works Director Rob DeBoux jumped on the Zoom call and said the city will be meeting with Beaches and Harbor on Feb. 16, to receive an update on the damage.
“We’re going to find out their plan and find out what they’re doing,” DuBoux said. “I should have more information, and after that meeting; I will be happy to share that.”
The commission discussed emergency preparedness and Spiegel asked if there’s more the city can do to prepare residents in case of a water shortage.
Spiegel asked if the city can bring more awareness about the seriousness of water shortage.
“Let’s all hope this doesn’t happen in our lifetime, but we are doing our best to get us prepared as we can for it,” Dueñas said.
Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Lieutenant Dustin Carr provided an update on the recent fires, car shows, encampments, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department substation.
“They’re not going to have any which is just on the other side of Malibu city limits. The other would prohibit carrying firearms on county property, including beaches, parks, and buildings — even with a concealed carry permit (law enforcement excepted).
The board will take a final vote on the motion, authored by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis, in two weeks. The Department of Regional Planning and Treasurer and Tax Collector will finalize the two ordinances and submit them to the board for approval.
“Here we are facing a gun violence epidemic that continues to devastate our communities,” Hahn said at the meeting. “Today, we’re taking steps forward in our fight against gun violence.”
The county director of regional planning is instructed to prepare an ordinance to implement zoning regulations requiring a 1,000-foot buffer zone between firearm dealers and sensitive areas (i.e. “child safety zones”), as well as a 1,000-foot buffer between firearms dealers.
The county treasurer and tax collector are instructed to prepare the final amendments to enhance the regulation of firearm and ammunition dealers in the unincorporated county, including requiring ammunition dealers to obtain an LA County business license; and restrict minors’ presence in gun and ammunition stores, with signage posted at the entrance.
Firearms dealers would also be required to maintain annual sales reports, fingerprint logs, and real-time inventory; and make them available to the Department of Treasurer and Tax Collector (TTC) and/or law enforcement upon request; install and maintain security cameras and make footage available to law enforcement immediately upon request; and provide sworn law enforcement from what I understand, but they are going to have unarmed campus safety there,” Carr said.
Speaker Ryan Embree asked Carr if there was an update from the body that was found last year at Trancas Country Market on March 29, 2022.
“That was turned over to the homicide bureau and we never heard what’s going on, and so when we heard about the body found in Malibu, [near Broad Beach on Feb. 1] are we going to wait a whole year and not get an answer?” Embree said. “We really do need a follow-up on this and figure out what’s going on for our own knowledge of what type of crimes do occur, or if it wasn’t a crime at all.” purchasers a letter regarding gun owner responsibilities and gun laws.
The next Public Safety Commission meeting is scheduled for March 1.
In the motion prepared by Solis and Hahn, they stated that “Gun violence continues to plague LA County communities, tearing families apart and spreading trauma that will last for generations. Most recently, the County experienced its deadliest mass shooting in history when a gunman opened fire at a dance studio in Monterey Park on January 21, 2023, killing eleven people and injuring nine more as they were dancing on the eve of Lunar New Year. This tragedy has shaken LA County residents and has reminded us of the ever-looming threat of gun violence in our daily lives. In the week following this tragedy, the state of California was rocked by three more mass shootings, including another one in LA County that took place in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of LA.
“Gun violence is a complex issue that will require a complex, multi-pronged solution. The County is currently expanding community-based violence prevention programs and access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment, all of which are important components of a strategy to prevent gun violence. Another component is to implement common sense gun regulations that will limit the number of dangerous guns on the streets and help keep our communities safe. While federal gun regulations remain tragically weak, the State of California has implemented a series of strong regulations that include robust background checks, limitations on military-grade weapons, and restrictions on who can carry a firearm on their person.”
Only nine people made public comments or sent letters to the county regarding the new regulations, with two in favor and seven against.
Just Dance dance-off competition that utilized a 9x26 foot LED screen that guided the father/ daughter teams in a series of popular dances.
Malibu Pacific Lead Pastor Andy VomSteeg said he was very happy with the event.
“It was a huge, huge success,” he said.
VomSteeg said the event creates an opportunity for families to bond through a fun, family-focused event, and allows for families to make unique memories.






“My favorite part is just seeing fathers getting to spend time with their daughters,” he said. “Spending time is the most important thing parents can do with their kids, and having daughters hear from their dad that they are beautiful is special.”
According to VomSteeg, the event takes several months of planning and preparation and utilizes the help of many volunteers from the church. This year’s event preparation began in November, and VomSteeg and Malibu Pacific each took to Instagram to thank the 60 volunteers who helped organize the event.

VomSteeg said the church does not host the event to make a profit for the church, but rather hosts it as a gift to the families of the community.
“It’s the church’s gift to our community because we care about the people in our community,” he said. “We love our community and a gift means no expectations in return, so we don’t expect anything in return — it’s truly a gift.”
VomSteeg said Malibu Pacific always welcomes the community and is committed to serving the community.


“Malibu Pacific Church cares about Malibu. We love you Malibu,” he said.



















