Surfer dies at County Line
Desiree Razo (also known as Desiree Zondag), a 36-year-old surfer out of the Venice area of Los Angeles, died on Thursday, Sept. 10, while surfing at County Line. Razo was initially reported drowned at the beach when Ventura County Fire was called to the scene, but according to fire personnel, she was found to have suffered trauma from a surfboard.
Man dies after driving over side of Piuma Road
A 22-year-old man was pronounced dead on Sunday, Feb. 15, after driving his Porsche over the side of Piuma Road. Emergency responders were called to the scene, which is located about three miles east of Malibu Canyon Road, at 11 a.m. Members of the Malibu Search and Rescue Team reported that rescuers found the vehicle resting several hundred feet below the road.
Woman dies in four-car collision on PCH
Kim Howe, a 69-year-old Calabasas woman died in a four-vehicle collision that involved Bruce Jenner and completely shut down a portion of PCH for almost 10 hours on Saturday, Feb. 7. According to reports, a chain-reaction accident pushed the Lexus she was driving into oncoming traffic, where she was struck by an oncoming Hummer near Corral Canyon Road.
Malibu-based athlete Johnny Strange dies
A well-known social activist and adventurer Johnny Strange died at the age of 23 on Oct. 1 while BASE jumping in a wingsuit in the Swiss Alps. FOX News reported that Strange crashed shortly after jumping from Mount Gitschen in central Switzerland at noon. At the age of 17, Strange gained international fame for being the youngest person to climb the “seven summits” — the tallest peak on each of the seven continents.
Fire extinguished on Malibu Canyon Road
On June 22, Malibu Canyon Road was closed from Piuma Road to Pacific Coast Highway due to a brush fire. Over 180 Los Angeles County Fire Department personnel were on the scene to battle the fire, which spread to two acres of light to heavy brush. The fire was sparked by a car that fell 500 feet down the canyon with one passenger in the vehicle who died at the scene.
Guest column: An open letter to the students of Pepperdine
Donna Tatem shared an open letter to the students of Pepperdine one year after the suicide of her son, Richard. In her letter, Tatem encourages students who may be struggling to reach out for help, as well as for others to pay attention to students who may be having a hard time.
City of Malibu sues state, demands Passages Rehab shut down
The City of Malibu headed to court again, this time fighting back against California regulators whom they say turned a “blind eye” to Passages Malibu, a rehab center the city claims is operating against state law. The conflict between Passages and the City of Malibu has been ongoing since 2006, with the city most recently issuing a violation to the facility in February of 2014. Malibu officials and residents feel the facility is operating outside of the law and disrupting the calm of Sycamore Canyon, since its many buildings are all under the same direction and, according to the city, operate as one large hospital-like complex.
PCH closed again at Mugu Rock in Ventura County
Pacific Coast Highway closed in both directions at Mugu Rock in Ventura County due to a major mudslide. This closure came less than 48 hours after the roadway reopened following a 77-day closure due to mudslides and other weather issues in the months of December 2014 and January 2015. The highway reopened at 11:45 a.m.
Measure W soundly defeated
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, the battle over Measure W came to an end, with a 57.31 percent of Malibu voters saying “no.” A total of 8,934 Malibu residents were registered to vote in the November election, and 2,748 registered voters made it to the polls or turned in a vote by mail ballot. Measure W was the first measure to be voted on after Measure R passed in Malibu in November 2014.
Eastbound PCH closed due to fatal accident
Both eastbound lanes of Pacific Coast Highway east of the Malibu Pier were closed Thursday morning, Oct. 22, due to a fatal accident that occurred at 6:20 a.m. The accident involved a vehicle that struck a pedestrian. The pedestrian, an adult male, was pronounced dead on scene. The driver of the vehicle, its only passenger, was uninjured and stayed on scene. Lanes reopened around 10:30 a.m.