WESTWOOD—On March 4, the UCLA Police Department indicated that they are aware of a phone scam targeting members of the UCLA and UCLA Health community.

During these calls, the caller falsely claims to be UCLA Police Chief Craig Valenzuela and states there is an arrest warrant related to drug activity. The caller then demands money to prevent officers from responding to make an arrest.

Some calls may appear to come from UCPD’s phone number (310-825-1491) due to caller ID spoofing. These calls are a scam.

The UCLA Police Department will never call and demand money to resolve a warrant, avoid an arrest, or clear criminal charges.

Anyone who receives a suspicious call should:

🔹Do not provide money or personal information.
🔹Hang up immediately.
🔹Report the call to UCPD Dispatch at (310) 825-1491.

By Danny Jones

BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills announced on its Facebook page that North Cañon Drive at Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills is scheduled to reopen by the morning on Saturday, March 14.

The temporary closure was required to complete Section 2 of the Metro Purple (D) Line Extension as part of the Beverly Dr Station project.

North Cañon Drive at Wilshire Boulevard has been closed since September 2019. The project also included installation of a 20-foot sound wall to help reduce construction noise and vibration impacts.

Metro’s Beverly Dr Station in Beverly Hills is expected to open in spring 2027.

By Danny Jones

WEST HOLLYWOOD—On March 4, the city of West Hollywood released a statement on its Facebook page warning residents that access codes were exposed.

According to the statement, access codes were written inside residential buildings on both the walls and the doors, and the city is informing residents of the danger.  The West Hollywood City Council advises that the codes should be changed, and, in the future, this information should not be displayed in a public space.

No additional details have been released about the type of codes that were displayed, and the buildings where they were displayed.

By Daniel Diquinzio

MALIBU—On Saturday, March 7, the National Weather Service Station located in both Oxnard and Los Angeles issued a heat advisory for the Malibu coast for Sunday, March 8.

The heat advisory will go into effect at 10 a.m. on Sunday and it will be lifted at 6 p.m.

Two of the areas impacted by the heat advisory are the recreation centers that are located in the Santa Monica Mountains, which are located both east and west of the city.

By Daniel Diquinzio

TOPANGA CANYON—On Saturday, March 7, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Missing Persons Unit announced it is asking for the public’s help to locate a missing person, Hanna Mae Smith. She is a 26-year-old Caucasian female who was last seen on March 6, at 1:00 p.m., on the 1500 block of North Topanga Canyon Boulevard, in the city of Topanga.

Hanna is 5 feet and 7 inches tall and 120 pounds. She has brown hair and hazel eyes. She was last seen wearing a grey tank top, red plaid skirt, and black knee-high boots. Hanna has a mental health condition and requires medication.

Anyone with details about this incident is asked to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Missing Persons Unit at (323) 890-5500. To provide information anonymously call “Crime Stoppers” by dialing (800) 222-TIPS (8477), use your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google play or the Apple App Store or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.

By Danny Jones

HOLLYWOOD HILLS—On Saturday, March 7, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported blaze at a three-story property.

The fire was reported at 9:36 a.m. at 8522 W. Oak Court. The three-story, ascending hillside home was well involved and extending to additional exposed buildings. By 10:49 a.m., the LAFD reported that over 100 firefighters extinguished fire in the main home, an adjacent structure (exterior only) and surrounding vegetation in one hour and 13 minutes with no injuries reported.

Crews remained on scene for extended duration conducted overhaul on any hotspots and monitoring the area. No further details about the fire have been disclosed to the public.

By Danny Jones

SANTA MONICA—On Wednesday, March 4, at approximately 3:15 p.m., the Santa Monica Fire Department (SMFD) responded to a call of a fire at a parking garage located in the 2200 block of Colorado Avenue. Firefighters arriving at the scene discovered two Tesla Cybertrucks parked side-by-side, on fire in the rooftop parking area of the parking garage. Reports indicate that the parking garage is attached to Luxury Apartments by Bozzuto. The fire caused black smoke in the region. Driving conditions and visibility were altered due to the immense amount of smoke caused by the burning of the electric vehicles. The fire and circumstances surrounding the blaze are currently under investigation. Anyone with more details is asked to call the SMFD.

  By Sharon

MALIBU—On March 3, it was reported that the state of California is paying for security details for former Vice President Kamala Harris during her international book tour. Former Vice Presidents are provided Secret Service protection for the first six months after leaving office. Former President Biden made an exception for Harris, extending the security detail for a full year, ending July 2026. In August 2025, President Trump revoked Harris’s extended security protection beginning September 1, 2025. At the time, the Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol agreed to protect the former VP. Officers on patrol have to shadow Kamala Harris on her international book tour for her memoir, “107 Days.” California taxpayers are paying for Harris’s security to provide her with protection. Book tours are not free events at libraries and schools. Tickets are available now through Ticketmaster to see “A Conversation with Kamala Harris, on April 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Golden One Center in Sacramento. Standard admission is $88.70. Isle seating is $101.05. Some of the seats in the preferred sections cost $113.40, and the prices increase from there. Platinum seats are $259.60. According to the seating legend, one could pay over $350 per seat. In January 2026, former Vice President Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, added to their real estate portfolio. They purchased an $8.15 million mansion in Malibu’s Point Dume neighborhood. The 4,000-square-foot estate has panoramic ocean views, a pool, a jacuzzi, and a putting green. They still have their Brentwood mansion. Emhoff is an attorney. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Doug and Kamala’s combined net worth is $14 million.

  By Sharon

MALIBU—The California Transportation Department announced that from March 2 to March 8, there will be road closures on the Topanga Canyon Boulevard as repairs continue to fix the damage done by the Pacific Palisades Fire. During this period, there will also be closures on the Pacific Coast Highway.

According to the post on the city of Malibu Facebook page, the road closures will stretch from Grand View Drive to the Pacific Coast Highway on Topanga Canyon Boulevard.  In addition, on PCH, there will be closures stretching from Carbon Beach Terrace to Temescal Canyon Road.

There will be limits on the speed of traveling vehicles. The limit will be 35 miles per hour when traveling from Sunset Boulevard to Temescal Canyon Road, and vehicles will be restricted to 25 miles for those who need to commute between Carbon Beach Terrace and Sunset Boulevard.  There will be additional work being done in Malibu between Guernsey Ave and Trancas Canyon Road as well as between Big Rock Drive and Corral Canyon Bridge and Las Flores Canyon Road and from Sunset Boulevard and Las Flores Canyon Road.

One lane will be closed on the Pacific Coast Highway between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.  Workers will be doing trenching work close to Old Topanga Canyon Road, Topanga Canyon Boulevard will not be open between midnight and 5 a.m.

The status of the road closures can be monitored on the California Department of Transportation’s quick map website, which can be found at the following website https://quickmap.dot.ca.gov.

By Daniel Diquinzio

MALIBU—On Wednesday, March 4, the Malibu Public Safety Commission will hold its next meeting. As noted on the city of Malibu Public Safety Facebook page, the meeting will be held at Malibu City Hall. It will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in from 5 in the multipurpose room.

During the meeting, routine matters will be discussed. For more information visit the city of Malibu website at: https://malibucity.org/agendacenter. View the current and previous two years’ agendas and minutes for the City Council and all commissions, committees and boards.

By Daniel Diquinzio