One dead in Malibu Canyon crash
A Topanga woman died last Thursday morning after her vehicle plunged off Malibu Canyon Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The single-vehicle crash reported shortly before 10 a.m. occurred on Malibu Canyon between Francisco Ranch Road and Pacific Coast Highway, said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Kenneth Wallace.
The victim, identified as 46-year-old Jennifer King, was driving north on Malibu Canyon Road before losing control and veering off the road, said Wallace. Investigators are still investigating what caused the vehicle to lose control.
King’s vehicle fell about 300 feet and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
There were no other passengers involved in the crash.
This has been the second vehicle reported plunging off Malibu Canyon Rod in recent weeks.
City wins legal battle on overnight camping
A three-judge Court of Appeal panel on Thursday affirmed a lower court ruling that voided an agreement between the California Coastal Commission and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC) to allow overnight camping in Malibu, over the City of Malibu’s objections. “This decision is a very big deal because it puts a limit on the Commission’s ability to interfere with local planning decisions,” Mayor Laura Rosenthal said in a press release. “In this instance, the Commission overstepped its bounds and made planning decisions that are within the City’s jurisdiction. We are pleased that the Court has held the Coastal Commission to limits of its authority. This case was always about local control and Malibu will never stop defending its right to local control.”
The Coastal Commission and SMMC still have the option of filing a petition to the California Supreme Court challenging the decision. SMMC attorney Steve Kaufman told The Malibu Times Tuesday “it was too soon to make that decision” on whether to file the petition. If no petition is filed, the matter is closed. If a petition is filed, the state Supreme Court would make a decision whether to hear the petition or not.
Malibu photographer cleared of child molestation charges
Malibu artist and photographer Paul Rusconi has been cleared of rape charges stemming from photos he took last year of his twin daughters, according to a KTLA News report.
Rusconi was arrested in June 2011 after two extended family members claimed he had molested his children, said a Los Angeles County Sheriff spokesman. Unconvinced of the allegations, prosecutors decided to drop the charges of lewd acts upon a minor and possession of child pornography.
Rusconi told KTLA he believed the accusations might have been motivated because he is a gay single parent.
Rusconi is famous for his celebrity photography with past subjects including President Barack Obama and numerous other politicians, artists and musicians.
Reality show looking to focus on Malibu teens
A new reality show called “Our Summer” is looking to follow a group of Malibu teenagers as their summer unfolds. A casting call went out on Facebook last week looking for eight high school juniors and seniors who live in Malibu and plan to spend their summer by the beach. The idea for the show comes from the director of MTV’s “The Real World” and the executive producer of “The Hills” and “The City.”
Local church to host used book sale
A used book sale is taking place Sunday to benefit the combined youth group of St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church and Malibu Unite Methodist Church. The sale will feature a variety of reading material including cookbooks, autobiographies, text books, novels and children’s books, among others. The sale takes place at St. Aidan’s, 28211 Pacific Coast Highway from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Pool to close for repairs
The Malibu Community Pool will be closed from May 21 until June 18 to allow for the installation of a new filtration system. The pool is located at Malibu High School.
During the closure, the swim team will use the Pacific Palisades pool and the Pepperdine University pool on certain days. Youth water polo will do dry land workouts.
Registration for summer swim lessons can be processed at Malibu Bluffs Park or the City of Malibu Parks and Recreation Department office at City Hall.
The Malibu Community Pool is co-operated by the city and the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School district.
For more information, call 310.589.1933.
Lost driver found
A lost elderly driver from Malibu was found in Highland Park and reunited with his family Saturday. The 81-year-old driver left his home around 6 a.m. to get a cup of coffee. Los Angeles Police Department officers located the man at the intersection of North Figueroa Street and York Boulevard around 8 a.m.
The man’s family reportedly contacted the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, which located the man by tracking his cell phone and found he was in the Highland Park area. Sheriffs officials then notified the local station, which located the man and got him reunited with his family.
ABC picks up ‘Malibu Country’
Television network ABC unveiled its fall lineup in New York City last week, and it included Reba McEntire’s show “Malibu Country.”
The comedy stars McEntire as a woman who moves her mother, played by Lily Tomlin, and children to Malibu after her rock star husband cheats on her. Reportedly, McEntire’s character then attempts to revive her own singing career and protect her children from a “materialistic” Malibu.
The show, which is coproduced by McEntire, is scheduled to premier in November, taking the 8:30 p.m. Friday evening time slot.
The show started as a pilot and was then ordered as a series for the 2012-2013 primetime schedule.
Agoura Road lane closures end
The lane closures and restrictions on Agoura Road between Kanan and Cornell Roads have ended, as the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District’s pipeline project continues.
The lane restrictions took place to install the pipeline.
According to a press release, the new pipeline is part of the LVMWD’s multiyear “Backbone Improvement Project” that is intended to increase system capacity and reliability, especially at times of high water demand or when the supply from the Metropolitan District of Southern California is restricted or interrupted.