Car flies off PCH, DUI suspected
A car carrying three people plunged into a ravine off the side of Pacific Coast Highway Saturday night in Malibu, injuring all three occupants, Malibu/Lost Hills Traffic Sgt. Phil Brooks confirmed. The accident occurred at about 9 p.m. about a half mile north of John Tyler Drive on PCH.
All three passengers-driver Diego Caldeza, 21, Sophia Aguilar, 20, and Karen Aguilar, 17-were transported to UCLA medical center. Calzada was arrested for driving while intoxicated, pending blood test results, and suffered lacerations to the face, knee and a broken back. The two women suffered lacerations to the face and complained of pain. All three occupants are from Los Angeles and none appeared to be wearing seat belts.
Brooks said the cause of the crash was the combination of impaired driving and speed. The car was traveling at around 75 miles per hour.
Law enforcement officers said the victims were fortunate that eye witnesses happened to be nearby. They were found quickly by emergency crews with assistance from the witnesses. Westbound PCH was closed at Malibu Canyon Road following the accident.
Our Lady of Malibu names new principal
Current interim principal of Our Lady of Malibu School Michael Smith will stay on as the permanent principal of the school, effective immediately, a release from the school states. Smith served as the interim principal during the past year, and proved “to be an excellent fit” for the school.
Smith has been working in education for 37 years. He initially retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District in 2009, but returned to education because he “missed being with students and teachers,” Smith has said.
During his brief time at Our Lady of Malibu, Smith has established a schoolwide assertive discipline plan, which assists the faculty in running organized classrooms and acquired the necessary funding to launch a foreign language program, which offers students the opportunity to study Spanish, French or Mandarin. Additionally, Smith secured the space that now serves as an art studio and he welcomed the Wildlife Learning Center to the campus as the first event in Our Lady of Malibu’s after-school enrichment program, which is open for free to all of the Malibu community.
“Mr. Smith has provided OLM with much needed consistency in academic planning, in discipline, and with his fantastic camaraderie with the parents, students and faculty,” parent Tammy Arlidge said. “We all feel very blessed to have him.”
City, sheriff’s dept. awarded safety grant
The California Office of Traffic Safety awarded the City of Malibu a $70,000 grant to fund a safety improvement plan conducted by the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, according to a press release from the city.
The sheriff’s station’s year-long program is intended to improve traffic safety on Pacific Coast Highway and local roads.
“The city is proud to work with the sheriff’s department on increasing our efforts to improve safety along PCH and on our city streets,” Malibu Mayor Laura Rosenthal said. “And this grant will help us achieve that goal. We will continue to do all we can to ensure that everyone who travels in or through Malibu makes it to their destination safely.”
The grant is intended to help with traffic safety issues and reduce the number of deaths occurring on Malibu’s roadways.
“The grant activities will specifically target motorcycle safety, DUI offenders, drivers with suspended or revoked licenses, and speeding,” the release states. “This will be done through the use of DUI/driver’s license checkpoints and special enforcement operations,”
DUI checkpoints are intended to be a significant component of the grant. Officers will receive drug impairment training to learn to identify impaired drivers.
Over the next year, Los Angeles County deputies will be conducting increased enforcement efforts, and extra officers will be on duty patroling areas where accidents commonly occur. Funding for the grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety is through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Construction begins on water main at MHS
Los Angeles County Waterworks District 29 has begun its work on a water main near Malibu High School, a press release from the City of Malibu states. The project will expand the water main and lines to allow a higher water capacity for the school and surrounding area.
The water main project is being conducted on Merritt Drive and Busch Drive and is expected to be completed in Spring 2012. Work hours will be Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with occasional lane closures. A minimum of one lane of traffic will be remain open between these hours and flagmen will provide traffic control.
Malibu goes ‘without a bag’
The City of Malibu, Heal the Bay, Malibu High School and other local organizations are sponsoring “A Day Without a Bag” Dec. 15 to promote the use of reusable bags instead of single-use plastic bags. The event coincides with the third anniversary of the city’s ban on the use of plastic shopping bags.
Free tote bags will be given away at Ralph’s in Malibu Colony Plaza, 23841 W. Malibu Rd.; Pavillions, 29211 Heathercliff Rd.; Pacific Coast Greens, 22601 Pacific Coast Highway; Banana Republic in Malibu Village Plaza, 3844 Cross Creek Rd.; and in the Cross Creek Road shopping district, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“The City’s ban on plastic bags sends a clear message that Malibu is serious about our quest to clean, preserve and protect our environment, especially our ocean and marine life,” Malibu Mayor Laura Rosenthal said. “This is our legacy to the children and future generations.”
For more information visit www.malibucity.org.