Malibu Surfside News

6 | August 6, 2020 | MALIBU SURFSIDE NEWS NEWS
malibusurfsidenews.com
POLICE REPORTS
A baby stroller is not a safe-deposit box
MICHELE WILLER-ALLRED,
Staff Reporter
July 29
• A $400 jackhammer, a $300
fan, a $200 weedwacker and
a $200 vacuum were among
the items stolen from a residence
on Blue Dane Lane.
The alleged victim stated
that around noon, he noticed
his tools were missing from
inside the residence. Security
camera footage showed an
unknown male enter through
an opening above the front
door and exit with the stolen
items
• A burglary was reported at
a residence on Pacific Coast
Highway. At about 4 a.m., a
resident said she was sleeping
upstairs and heard movement
downstairs. Looking
out a window, she saw a
black vehicle parked next to
the house. When she went
downstairs, she saw a male
run from the side of the house
to the vehicle, which sped
off. The resident found the
laundry room ransacked and
a knife on the floor, but does
not believe anything was
taken. The resident was able
to get a photo of the suspect’s
vehicle, and the knife was
booked as evidence.
• Sheriff’s deputies arrived at
an audible alarm call at 4 a.m.
at Lululemon, 3880 Cross
Creek Road, and noticed the
side door was slightly open
and the window next to the
door was smashed. They believe
that the unknown suspects
were inside the store between
July 28-29 and exited
through the side door.
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July 28
• A $5,000 Cartier diamond
ring and a $1,000 Michael
Kors purse were among the
items reportedly stolen from
a vehicle at trailhead parking
on Solstice Canyon Road.
The alleged victim stated
she went hiking at about 5
p.m. and when she returned
at 6:15 p.m., her purse was
missing from her friend’s car,
which she believes was left
unlocked.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The Malibu
Surfside News police reports
are compiled from official records
on file at the Los Angeles
County Sheriff’s Department
Malibu/Lost Hills Station.
Anyone listed in these reports
is considered innocent until
proven guilty in a court of law.
MALIBUSURFSIDENEWS.COM/FREE-TRIAL
Info kiosks, sirens part of Malibu’s
emergency preparedness plan
The Woolsey Fire
fresh on their
minds, officials
putting safety first
SCOTT STEEPLETON, Editor
Magnetic vehicle placards, emergency lights and handheld
loudspeakers like those used in a drill shown here are among
the gear Malibu city officials can use to share information with
residents when the power goes out and phone infrastructure
is damaged in a disaster. SUBMITTED PHOTO/CITY OF MALIBU
A $60,000 study on a system
of neighborhood outdoor
warning sirens was set
to get a first airing before
the Malibu Public Safety
Commission on Aug. 5.
City officials call the
study “the first step in moving
forward with an outdoor
emergency siren system.”
According to information
provided by the city, an
outdoor warning system —
similar to air raid sirens of
days gone by — is intended
to improve emergency
communications during disasters
such as wildfires or
floods when cellphone and
traditional phones may not
be working. This could be a
result of power being out or
damage to telecommunications
infrastructure.
Mayor Mikke Pierson
cited the 2018 Woolsey Fire
as one such emergency.
“The size and ferocity of
the Woolsey Fire and other
California mega-wildfires
was a game-changer, and
we are working to address
the vulnerabilities that they
revealed,” he said.
Malibu’s proposed system
is part of the city’s
disaster preparedness efforts;
specifically, part of
the Zero Power Plan “to
increase emergency communication
capabilities
during widespread power
and phone service outages
that may occur during high
wind, disasters” or when
Southern California Edison
shuts off the power for public
safety reasons.
City officials note the
Woolsey Fire damaged cellphone,
landline, electricity
and internet infrastructure,
“creating a virtual communications
blackout in the
entire city of Malibu.”
This increased the danger
of the fire, and hindered
emergency communications
and evacuations.
The city responded by
developing the Zero Power
Plan, which includes the
proposed siren system,
along with emergency supplies
and information stations
“that can be set up
along the 21-mile length of
the city at gathering places
such as shopping centers.”
These stations would be
staffed by volunteers with
the Community Emergency
Response Team and would
feature kiosks or “sandwich
boards” with printed emergency
information that can
be updated as needed.
This way, even if their
phones don’t work, residents
can keep up with
emergency information.
During the Thomas Fire in
late 2017 and the subsequent
flooding in January 2018,
emergency personnel in
parts of Ventura County and
in unincorporated Montecito,
in Santa Barbara County,
used similar means to provide
daily fire maps, evacuation
zone updates, sandbag
distribution centers and other
helpful information.
The city of Malibu has
also purchased megaphones,
flashing light bars
and emergency vehicle ID
placards so that city staff
and volunteers can pitch in
when power and communications
go out.
Several drills have already
been conducted.
The siren sound study included
analysis “to examine
the feasibility of the project,
analyze the effectiveness of
different system types, and
consider potential locations
and the number of outdoor
sirens needed,” according
to spokesperson Matt Myerhoff.
Calistoga, Sonoma and
Mill Valley are reportedly
among cities pursuing a siren
system after the deadly
wildfires in Northern California.
Officials here hope the
federal government will
provide a grant to help offset
the cost of the system.