REAL ESTATE

paper maps to record their data for quality assurance. e Malibu count only covered areas within city limits. Unincorporated areas were counted by special teams assigned by LAHSA.

“ ey’re visual counts using our own judgment as to who looks homeless,” one volunteer said. “ ere are no conversations with people.” e federally mandated count provides data that helps various agencies plan for homeless services and housing needs in the communities; and helps the city track progress and adjust programs and policies, including Malibu’s Homelessness Strategic Plan.

Even though the count is conducted in January, LAHSA doesn’t normally release the results until the end of July. e number of unhoused counted in Malibu last year was 81.

Volunteer Terry Davis, also a member of the city’s Homeless Task Force, was part of the group assigned to survey the area from Las Flores Canyon up to the city up internal resources as well as incorporating outside help to create a force against burglars.

“We want to focus on these burglaries and create a quasi-task force, meaning we’ll use the cops teams when they’re available, using major crimes when they’re available, and I will look at my budget and will put deputies on overtime to go out and look for limits at Topanga Canyon. She said their group counted one individual plus 18 vehicles parked overnight along Paci c Coast Highway. ey didn’t see anyone in Tuna Canyon, although they did observe several abandoned encampments there.

Davis noted that there were noticeably fewer campers and RVs in eastern Malibu along PCH this year than there were last year, and guesses that the homeless count overall will be lower this year than it was last year.

“We think the rains ushed people out of their sleeping places,” she said. The LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to declare homelessness a local emergency on Jan. 10, following the lead of LA Mayor Karen Bass. It’s unknown yet exactly how the county declaration might help Malibu or play out in the city.

Newly elected County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, along with these burglars on the trails in the open space,” Seetoo said. She said the e ort to prevent burglaries is a multi-level collaboration that focuses not just on Malibu, but neighboring cities that are also being targeted. She said the department is working on creating and maintaining a network of communication between the sheri ’s department, outside law enforcement agencies, and homeowner association leaders to better target and prevent

Supervisor Kathryn Barger issued a joint statement saying “Many smaller cities in the county [like Malibu] are struggling to address homelessness, and in many cases … they rely on the county for funding and homelessness services. Without a coordinated e ort between cities and the county we will not be able to e ectively address homelessness.’’ e statement went on to explain that declaring an emergency will expedite the process of nding homes for the unhoused in a number of ways — accelerate hiring of additional staff, expedite procurement of critical items, allow a faster and more streamlined process for creation of housing, expand services, and open the door to additional resources from the state and federal governments.’’

In addition to proclaiming the emergency, the motion also directed county sta to speed up procurement and contracting for materials and burglaries.

Seetoo has enlisted the help from the sheri ’s Major Crimes Bureau to gather information on burglaries in Malibu and local cities like Calabasas, ousand Oaks and Woodland Hills to identify trends and create plans to patrol suspected burglary target areas.

“They’re hitting our sister areas as well, so we’re making sure we maintain relationships with our sister areas and sharing services, expedite the hiring of sta to direct the homeless to services and housing, accelerate the creation of more licensed shelter beds and temporary and permanent housing, and identify additional funding. e e ectiveness of these e orts will be evaluated in six months, with a decision in one year on whether to extend the emergency declaration. information as step one,” Seetoo said. e department plans to create more high visibility patrols in atrisk areas, as well as patrols through trailheads and open space areas.

Detectives for the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheri ’s Department have also partnered with detectives from both the Los Angeles Police Department and Ventura County Sheri ’s Department to continue to share information and connect dots between crimes in their areas.

Seeto has appointed Sgt. Steve Horton to lead the task force, and he will be responsible for working with detectives to create a strategy for patrolling areas at risk for burglaries.

According to Seetoo, many burglaries are considered openspace burglaries, meaning residential burglaries near trailheads or other large openspace areas.

The department will benefit from contributions from both the Los Angeles Sheri ’s Department Foundation and a resident donation in the form of motorbikes and electric mountain bikes that will allow them to send patrols out into trailheads as a preventative measure for burglaries.

In addition, to help from Major Crimes and partnering law enforcement agencies, the department has also welcomed communication from local homeowner association leaders to understand their concerns and help educate community members on how to best protect their homes and property.

“I’m personally hoping to speak to every single HOA, and I know it’ll take me years to do,” Seetoo said. “We’re not looking to just partner with other law enforcement agencies, but how we can partner with our community.”

She hopes this partnership can strengthen the influence of neighborhood watches and improve home security practices such as locking doors, utilizing cameras and motion lighting, and creating relationships between neighbors to watch each other’s homes in the event that a resident is out of town.

Although burglaries remain a concern, Seetoo reassured the community that burglaries are not on the rise and hopes this task force will help educate the community as well.

“Right now, the narrative in the community is that burglaries are like triple, that is actually not the case,” Seetoo said during the LVMCOG meeting on Jan 17.

“If you look over the last couple of years we’re just about where we were in 2017 and 2019. We are back in line.”

She said she believes that incorporating the community in a group e ort will be e ective in preventing burglaries.

“We’re educating the community, partnering with other police agencies, looking within our department and appointing our sergeant to lead the charge for Malibu/Lost Hills, and really working with HOA’s and the community to secure our communities,” Seetoo said.