Malibu City

It is a special week of celebration for Malibu, California for its 20th anniversary as an incorporated city.  Truly remarkable that Malibu maintains its rural standings — the clean ocean air, healthy natural foods, hiking, beach sports, horse back riding, fishing sports, relaxed lifestyle, etc.  What are you waiting for?
In the midst of all the high tech hustle and bustle, it is a relief that one can come and refresh their inner beings and come to a sense of “the why we exist” state.  Malibu has all the modern conveniences — the television- Verizon FIOS [super fast internet connection], most areas has water, electricity, phones, gas, internet and high technology available. 

If one chooses a rest from high technology - Malibu offers a refuge to the tired soul.  It is a perfect place to rest with no television or radio [it is still available but some people prefer to just enjoy conversation and scenery] – where people enjoy reading from hardcover books or paperbacks [fast becoming a thing of the past] and they enjoy doing things together [annual Chili-fest, annual Easter egg hunt for children, summer open air movies at Bluff Park]. Neighbors who care about each other — sometimes giving that helping hand whether it is a cup of sugar, couple eggs or that ride to go somewhere close by.  This is not the country — but close enough and still go into the city within 20 minutes for shopping, movies, etc. 

The Malibu Patch wrote an excellent article about the how and why this wonderful City came about – a link is provided so just click on the link titled “Malibu remains a Rural City”.  Malibu remains a highly solvent city, excellent public school system, clean air and natural resources, land – ocean to enjoy, plus upscale markets and stores to supply anything you wish.  Moreover -Malibu is close to Santa Monica, Calabasas and Westlake Village — what more can one want?

If you are interested in leasing,  purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Calabasas or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 her online contact form on her website.

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Judy Kunisaki – CA DRE license 00963582

This great video from the Official Guide to Los Angeles’ YouTube channel – “yourlosangeles” shows some awesome shots of driving through Malibu, as the guide makes his way to Malibu’s wine country!

He visits Malibu Family Wines who claim to offer “Southern California in a bottle” – the vinters own a 1,000 acre ranch and create a fantastic bottle of wine. – Malibu Family Wines are located at 32111 Mulholland Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265.

Not located in beautiful Malibu? Well, you can order their wine online!

Or, of course consider relocating to the city? After all, who would not want to live in Malibu, with its beautiful ocean, the Santa Monica mountains, stunning properties as well as that great climate.

So next time you are sitting back enjoying a glass of wine from Malibu, think about relocating to one of the most beautiful locations in the world.

If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

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Judy Kunisaki – CA DRE license 00963582

Beach access can be a contentious issue – particularly if you have a property on a beach. In an area like Malibu there are alot of homes on the beach or with beach access.

Right now there is a debate that has been sparked over access to Lechuza Beach in Malibu.

There has been an inpasse for 8 years between a state agency and a homeowners association over a public access enhancement project proposed for a state owned section of Lechuza Beach. However, in a new twist it may occur that the Coastal Commission may step in.

The battle is to do with residents wanting to restrict access and the new project, proposed by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, which comprises several additions intended to improve public access to Lechuza Beach through three gates, which are located at the entrances of East Sea Level and West Sea Level drives, and across the street from Bunny Lane off Broad Beach Road. The Malibu-Encinal Homeowners Association owns the first two gates, while the latter gate is the property of the MRCA.

However, despite ownership of the land, the Malibu-Encinal Homeowners Association says the state agency is not legally entitled to do so because the project interferes with easement rights. Project aside, the homeowners association states that it has voluntarily provided public access to Lechuza Beach for years.

Keep checking back and we will update you on the progress of this project…

If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

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Judy Kunisaki – CA DRE license 00963582

Well, 2010 looks like many changes are ahead for Malibu and southern California.

With the real estate market turning around, lawmakers have been busy making improvements to codes and tidying up general legislation to ensure better control over the real estate industry – but the changes are not just there!

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed 696 bills into law last year, 73% of the legislation that reached his desk. Some have already taken effect and others are coming soon.

Of course, much of lawmakers’ time in 2009 was spent dealing with budget issues but there were some great pieces of legislation to come out of the year, including a conservation mandate that will not take effect until next month. It requires city water retailers to develop plans by next year that would reduce urban water consumption by 10% by 2015 and by 20% a decade later.

Laws which pertain particularly to real estate include a new regulation change for the mortgage business – creating a new offense, “mortgage fraud,” punishable by up to a year in prison. Such crimes are defined as those in which someone makes “any misstatement, misrepresentation or omission during the mortgage lending process with the intention that it be relied on by a mortgage lender, borrower, or any other party to the mortgage lending process.”

Also with regards to fire safety there is a new regulation on fire prevention requiring government officials to improve guidelines for protecting property from wildfires, including larger brush-clearance zones and better access roads in regions vulnerable to such fires.

Something also dear to Malibu is a new regulation for Papparazzi which allows celebrities and others to sue for up to $50,000 when someone takes and sells their pictures without permission while they are engaging in “personal or familial activity,” such as taking their children to school.

Don’t forget of course on a Federal level we have the federal tax credits ending in several weeks time and more FHA changes coming!

If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

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Judy Kunisaki – CA DRE license 00963582

It has been years since Malibu has had a farmers market and after a four year break, the Cornucopia Foundation will once again operate farmers’ market in Malibu!

 Farmers markets are a great way for residents to shop local and learn more about the food they buy. It also gives you the chance to take a break from the usual grocery store run!

In a location like Malibu with a great year round climate, it is no wonder that the idea is popular!

After winning the rights over a rival firm, Cornucopia must also receive approval from the Los Angeles County, which owns the Civic Center parking lot property where the market will take place. They will submit an application to the county once they receive final permitting from the city. The proposal is for the market to take place on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. City law requires that “a minimum of 65 percent of the total linear frontage of vendor booths shall contain produce sold by [county-] certified farmers.”

This is such great news for the city and its residents! We will write more on the market when it is up and running.

If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

Subscribe to our blog using our RSS feed. (Click here!)

Judy Kunisaki – CA DRE license 00963582

What a great weekend!

Labor Day weekend traditionally signifies the end of the summer season. In Malibu the sunshine never ends!  As with any holiday weekend tourists and locals alike take advantage of the balmy weather to hit the beaches in the area.

As reported by the Malibu Times, an estimated half a million people visited Malibu’s beaches Labor Day weekend  as sweltering temperatures brought in the crowds. City beaches during the three-day weekend also reported 58 rescues and 116  people who received first aid assistance. There were also around 18,000 who attended the previuosly reported Annual Chili Cook Off!

For the season as a whole, since the beginning of July, more than 6,780,000 people have visited Malibu beaches, 1,583 of whom received first aid treatment and 1,186 of whom were rescued.

Of course rather than making a drive to the beach every holiday you could choose to live in Malibu and have access to the beach all year round!

If you are interested in purchasing a property or selling a property in Malibu, Pacific Palisades or the surrounding Beverly Hills/southern California area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional real estate advice in the Westside Los Angeles area, on 310-317-8396 or via her online contact form on her website.

Subscribe to our blog using our RSS feed. (Click here!)

Judy Kunisaki – CA DRE license 00963582

Malibu City Council voted to delay the wastewater treatment facility until the Lumber Yard Mall opens. This comes after numerous internal discussions between the council and the regional water management district and it appears that the relationship has broken down.

The Regional Board will vote next month on the possiblilty of terminating the 2004 agreement on waste water permitting which would mean that all waste water methods would require a permit from the water board. Including residentil septic tanks. This is of course a concern to Malibu Residents.

The Lumber Yard Mall’s waste water usage would currently fall under the required level for the board to have a say and so would come under the city’s remit. The longer the project takes the more strained the relationship between the city and the regional board becomes.

If you are interested in purchasing a home in Malibu or the surrounding Westside area then please contact Judy Kunisaki for professional Real Estate advice. You can contact her office on 310-317-8396 or by emailing judy@judysellswestside.com

On the 7th Anniversary of the September 11th tragedies which had a profound effect on our nation, Pepperdine University commemorates, what has become “Patriot’s Day” by holding several events to honor those who lost their lives that fateful day.

The main event is the display of 3,000 US Flags on the Alumni Park, the huge lawn overlooking the Pacific Ocean along Malibu Canyon Road, with each flag representing an innocent American life lost in the attacks. This moving display acts as a reminder of what we all lost on that horrific day. The flags will remain on display until September 18th. There was a prayer service at 11.30 am in the appropriately names Heroes Garden. The garden is a sanctuary perfectly positioned as a memoriam of September 11th.

No matter where you are, we hope that you and your family were safe and that you had time to reflect on those events just seven years ago. What is for sure is that the flag display at Pepperdine, is a poignant reminder of how many lives were lost and is shown in a stunning visual dance of the flags fluttering in the wind.

If you are looking for a property in Malibu or the surrounding Westside area then please contact Judy Kunisaki and her team in Malibu for professional Real Estate advice. You can call her on  310-317-8396  or visit Judy’s website: www.judysellswestside.com

The long running Legacy Park project  in Malibu may receive $2.5 million of funding from the the Santa Monica College’s Measure S Fund as the city meets with the state to talk up the projects benefitsand start securing further funding in a meeting next week.

The Santa Monica College District Staff is recommending that the city receive the funding and that the project move forward. The money from the Measure S Fund is designed as a bond to be used to benefit the residents of Malibu.

The Legacy Park project itself is the development of 20 acres of land of city owned property along the Pacfic Coast Highway. 

If you are considering purchasing a property in Malibu or the surrounding Westside area then please contact Judy Kunisaki on 310-317-8396 or visit her website where there is a complimentary MLS Search.

Its back! Its that time of year again (already?) The 37th Annual Malibu Art’s Festival is on its way in about three weeks time. Tickets are already on sale for the event which is being held in the Civic Center parking lot on July 26th and July 27th 2008.

Building on last years successful event this year it is expected that there will be 200 exhibitors.The annual event is always successful and is run by the Malibu Chamber of Commerce.

This year is sure to feature some great work as Malibu is home to many artists and is a cultural hub for southern California.

If you are interested in purchasing a property in Malibu or the surrounding Westside Los Angeles area then please contact Judy Kunisaki on 310-317-8396.

Click here to search the Malibu MLS for your perfect property