MALIBU—The city of Malibu announced on its website on February 2 that it is currently hiring for a Building Inspector to support community safety, development & fire rebuild. The salary is: $93,384–$121,844.

This recruitment will remain Open Until Filled. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. This recruitment may close at any time, once a sufficiently strong candidate pool has been established.

As a Building Inspector, the candidate will conduct inspections of residential, commercial, and public buildings; ensure compliance with building codes and safety regulations; and play a key role in Malibu’s ongoing fire rebuild and community development efforts.

Candidates should have a strong technical knowledge, attention to detail, and a commitment to public service. This is a chance to make a meaningful impact, protecting the environment and quality of life of the community, while working in one of California’s most scenic coastal cities.

Education and Experience:

Any combination of training and experience which would provide the required knowledge, skills and abilities is qualifying.

Education:

Equivalent to completion of the twelfth (12th) grade, supplemented by specialized training in building inspection, construction management, engineering, or a closely related field.

Experience:

Two (2) years of increasingly responsible experience in building inspection, construction management, or a related field.

For more details and to apply visit: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/malibucity?

 

By Danny Jones

SANTA MONICA—On Monday, February 2, the city of Santa Monica posted on its Facebook page that it is accepting applications for several positions, including a current opening for a Senior Legal Analyst in the Criminal Unit within the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office.

The position offers a competitive salary and benefits and provides analytical and legal support for the Criminal Unit. This is a full-time two-year limited term position to collaborate with the Criminal Prosecution unit on its newly established SaMo Bridge program, addressing recidivism among homeless adults with justice system involvement.

Candidate should be a highly motivated self-starter with strong project management skills and experience administering government grant programs. Working knowledge in the areas of homeless services, criminal justice, law enforcement, and related fields is desired. Experience overseeing all financial aspects of grant administration, including budget management, financial analysis, invoicing and reimbursement processes is desired.

Requirements: The ideal candidate should be familiar with all Microsoft software including Excel, Power Point, SharePoint, and One Drive. Candidate should establish and maintain working relationships with City personnel, other government agencies, police departments, and the public.

Graduation from an accredited university with a bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent of three years’ experience in administrative services, legal services, law enforcement, homeless service, social work or public health; 3-5 years’ experience in these fields preferred. This position is part of the Public Attorney’s Legal Support Staff Union.

The hours of the position are 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on alternate Fridays. This is a 9/80 work schedule. Hybrid remote work schedule is currently available. Evening and weekend duties may be required to facilitate community meetings and events. A background check will be required prior to beginning employment.

Salary is dependent on grant funding and qualifications/experience. The annual salary is currently $107,616, step 1. The city also offers excellent benefits. Equal Opportunity Employer. See the CAO EEO Policy on the City Attorney’s Office website. Interested applicants should submit a cover letter, resume, and the names of three references.

These materials should be submitted in a single pdf document by email to: CAO.Opportunities@santamonica.gov with the subject line: “Application – Senior Legal Analyst Grant Position – Criminal Prosecution Unit”; closing date Wednesday, February 4, 2026, by 12 p.m. View the full job description and application details at www.santamonica.gov/CAO-Jobs.

BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills will be celebrating Kindness Week starting February 8-14. The public can help by participating in the Donation Drive on Sunday, February 8 from 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the Farmers’ Market.

How Your Donations Help:
@westsidefoodbank – Canned goods for those facing food insecurity.
@themidnightmission – Gently used clothes, blankets, towels, toiletries (toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, soap, feminine hygiene items).
@familiesunitingfamilies – Backpacks and all-ages toiletries (body wash, shampoo).

Every item, big or small, brings hope to someone who needs it. Let’s spread kindness, compassion, and positivity all week long.

Week of Activities:

Sunday, February 8
Beverly Hills Farmers’ Market Donation Drive 9300 Civic Center Drive | 8:00am – 12:30pm

Monday, February 9

Beverly Hills Active Adult Club Valentine’s Dance for Seniors
Roxbury Park Community Center | 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Please register by calling (310) 285-6840.

Tuesday, February 10

Kindness Pledge – Beverly Vista Middle School
Beverly Vista Middle School Students: Come speak on kindness during lunch and take the Kindness Pledge with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. (For students only)

Wednesday, February 11

Banner of Gratitude: Honoring Our First Responders
El Rodeo & Horace Mann Elementary Schools will contribute words of gratitude. (For students only)

Thursday, February 12

Kindness Pledge – Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School Students: Come speak on kindness during lunch and take the Kindness Pledge with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. (For students only)

Friday, February 13

Social Media Challenge Day
Share love. Share kindness. Share with the community, someone who has shown you unconditional love or strong friendship. Share things about yourself and how people can show YOU kindness. The public is encouraged to tag five friends and tag @CityofBevHills, too! #FriendshipFriday #BHKindness #KindnessCures

Saturday, February 14

Demonstrate Kindness
Thank you for spreading kindness and leading by example.

For more details visit: www.beverlyhills.org/KindnessWeek.

 

By Danny Jones

MALIBU—The city of Malibu posted on its Facebook page on January 29 that preliminary results are showing a decline in homelessness in the region.

Preliminary results from the 2026 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count show 44 people experiencing homelessness in Malibu (33 individuals and 11 vehicles), continuing a multi-year decline. The LAHSA-coordinated count was conducted January 22 by city staff, the Homeless Outreach Team, LAHSA, and volunteers. Since 2017, Malibu’s outreach and coordinated encampment response efforts have led to significant housing placements and declining counts.

Homeless Count by Year

2016: 161
2017: 178
2018: 155
2019: 154
2020: 239
2021: 157
2022: 81
2023: 71
2024: 69
2025: 46
2026: 44

Housing placements:

2021: 22
2022: 67
2023: 51
2024: 72
2025: 46

The city of Malibu cleared 44 encampments in both 2024 and 2025, providing advance notice, outreach services, and environmental cleanup. To learn more visit: www.malibucity.org/Homelessness.

 

By Danny Jones

SANTA MONICA—The city of Santa Monica posted on its Facebook page on Sunday, February 1 that it has expanded its Electric Fleet.

The city has added two electric rear loader trash trucks and its first fully electric street sweeper, marking another milestone in the transition to a cleaner, more efficient fleet. Electric vehicles now make up 26 percent of the city’s fleet.

These new additions operate with fully electric systems that eliminate emissions and reduce maintenance needs, supporting long term efficiency and cost savings.

 

By Danny Jones

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—On Friday, January 30, the Los Angeles Fire Department battled a structure fire located on 3704 N. Barham Blvd. The fire was reported at 4:07 p.m. at a large, three-story, center hall condo complex with heavy smoke showing from one unit on the 2nd floor.

By 4:30 p.m. firefighters extinguished it in 23 minutes with no injuries reported. The primary search of the fire unit is clear with no occupants located.

Firefighters conducted ventilation operation to clear out the smoke in the hallway and the unit above. The additionally requested resources are being released. No further details about the incident has been disclosed to the public.

 

By Danny Jones

SANTA MONICA—On January 29, WAYMO issued a press release about an incident where an autonomous vehicle stuck a child on January 23 at approximately 7:40 a.m. during parent drop off near Grant Elementary School which is located at 2368 Pearl St. According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), WAYMO voluntarily contacted the family of the child and is in full cooperation with authorities investigating the incident. WAYMO reported that the pedestrian came out from behind a large SUV and stepped out into the roadway directly into the path of the autonomous vehicle. The vehicle was traveling at a speed of approximately 17 MPH when it braked, reducing its speed down to 6 MPH when the child was hit. Following the accident, the child stood up immediately and walked to the sidewalk. WAYMO called 911. The vehicle stayed at the scene until police arrived and cleared it to leave. On its website, WAYMO claims that another vehicle with a human driver would not have been able to reduce its speed down to that low of a speed, and would have hit the person at 14 MPH. The Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) indicated the investigation will most likely result in an upgrade to autonomous vehicle’s ability to detect both school zones and hours of reduced speed zones. The child was not injured and was not on the sidewalk with the on-duty school crossing guard; the parent was nearby.   By Sharon

BEVERLY HILLS—On January 29, former CNN News Anchor, and host of the YouTube series, The Don Lemon Show was covering the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles when he was arrested and taken into custody by federal agents. He spent the night in jail pending his first court appearance on January 30. Reports indicate that on January 18, Lemon followed three Anti-ICE protesters into Cities Church in St. Paul, MN interrupting a two-hour church service. The protesters were targeting pastor, David Easterwood, over his work outside of the Church for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Three protesters: Nekima Levy Armstrong of Minneapolis, MN, Chauntyll Allen, of Minneapolis, MN, and former Army and Iraqi war veteran, William Kelly, aka, “DaWokeFarmer” on Tik Tok were arrested that day and booked into Sherburne County Jail. “I surrendered myself peacefully, deliberately, and with intention. I demanded dignity, humanity, and respect, not just for myself, but for every person who has ever been brutalized, silenced, or disappeared by unchecked government power. We stood in protest because families are being torn apart, communities terrorized, and constitutional rights trampled. And we will not be intimidated into silence,” said Levy Armstrong Lemon indicated that he was there “As an independent journalist, not as a protester.” Multiple reports indicate that there were members of the congregation that were not permitted to go get their children, and there were children who were scared and wanted their parents and were unable to get to them. Don did not intervene on behalf of those who were there to worship, as his crew filmed the protesters. On January 20, Monique Mullers, co-founder of Black Lives Matter (BLM) and other Twin Cities community activists gathered that the Hennepin County Government Center to demand that Pastor Easterwood step down as Pastor of Cities Church due to his full-time employment with ICE. Cities Church Pastor Jonathan Parnell gave thanks for the help of federal agents on his X social media page. “We are grateful that the Department of Justice acted swiftly to protect Cities Church so we can continue to faithfully live out the church’s mission to worship Jesus and make him known.” An additional statement was made by North Legal attorneys Renee Carlson and Doug Wardlaw. “The freedom to worship God without fear of violence and intimidation is a fundamental right that defines who we are as Americans. True North Legal and Cities Church are grateful that the Department of Justice is committed to upholding that freedom and is holding the agitators who invaded the church, accountable.” On January 23, a Minneapolis Federal Judge freed the three protestors due to indicating that the arresting officers didn’t meet Minnesota’s burden of proof needed to warrant detention.   By Sharon

STUDIO CITY—On Tuesday, January 27, at approximately 4:30 a.m. Los Angeles Police Department responded to a call of shots fired in the 11600 block of Laurel Crest Drive. The responding officers reported that the homeowners were woken up by the sound of intruders. One of the homeowners opened fire hitting one of the two intruders in the upper torso. The suspects fled the scene. The home was reportedly located on the top of a hill. Two male suspects in gray hooded sweatshirts were seen speeding away from the residence in a black Chevy Traverse SUV. Police reports indicate that a person identified only as a 16-year-old boy with gunshot wounds was dropped off at an area hospital. Reports indicate that the patient drives a black Chevy Traverse SUV. The patient was listed in stable condition. There were no other reported injuries. Neighbors across the street were woken up by the noise of the vehicle and were able to verify the make and model of the car to police. Anyone living on or in the vicinity of Laurel Crest Drive, Laurel Canyon Drive, and Ventura that may have information or video footage of the vehicle is asked to call LAPD North Hollywood Police Station at (818) 754-8300.   By Sharon

BEVERLY HILLS—On January 28, at approximately 5:45 p.m., the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) South Bureau responded to a call of a fire in the alley at 1075 S. Fairfax Avenue in Mid-Wilshire. According to the LAFD, firefighters arrived at the scene discovered that the fire spread to the next commercial building, which was a 7-Eleven convenience store. LAFD Arson and the Department of Transportation (DOT) were at the scene. Multiple LAFD units responded to assist. The fire was extinguished within 14 minutes. One patient was found in the alley and was pronounced dead at the scene. The name of the deceased and the cause of the fire have not been released. There were no reported injuries.   By Sharon