Producer hit by car on PCH in Malibu
Joan Hyler, a Hollywood movie producer and talent agent, was hit by a car while crossing Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu Friday night, according to the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. She was listed in critical condition at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Hyler, 62, had been crossing the highway just north of Rambla Pacifico from the ocean side of the highway to the mountainside when she was struck in the No. 2 northbound lane, said Sgt. Philip Brooks. She was hit by a 2001 BMW driven by Walter Filippini, 50, of Los Angeles. Filippini was not speeding and was not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol. He was not cited in the accident.
Hyler, the former president of Women in Film whose former clients include Madonna, Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan, was carrying a piece of paper with a friend’s address on it, Brooks said, which enabled Sheriff’s deputies to immediately contact acquaintances to inform them of the accident.
Hyler was scheduled to appear at the wedding of client and actress Portia de Rossi to Ellen Degeneres on Saturday, according to the Los Angeles Jewish Journal.
The Journal also stated that family and friends posted on the Web site of UCLA’s Care Pages that Hyler, who remains in intensive care, was responsive to doctor’s requests Sunday.
The talent agency, Endeavor, is hosting a blood drive for Hyler this Wednesday at UCLA Medical Center, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those interested in donating blood can call Sarah Adolphson at 310.248.3039.
FDA gives further information on mercury amalgam fillings
Peper Long, spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration, spoke to The Malibu Times this week about the recent changes posted on the federal government agency’s Web site regarding mercury amalgam fillings.
As the result of a settlement against the FDA by Moms Against Mercury, a grassroots activist organization, the FDA agreed to re-examine and re-classify mercury amalgam fillings last June and to drop its reassuring language on the fillings from its Web site. It now states, “Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses.”
The filling is known as a “pre=-amendment device,” meaning the material was created prior to a 1976 law governing classification and, until now, has not been subject to any FDA controls.
After a lengthy public commentary period (now closed) the FDA agreed to specify a rule that would classify mercury amalgams as a Class 2 device (out of a one to three classification, three being the highest risk), meaning it will be subject not only to general controls, but further regulation. This could mean requirements on labeling, production, inspection or contraindications.
“We will issue the final ruling in July of 2009, giving us time to examine all commentary,” Long said. “We get lots of commentary and we examine them all.”
The FDA is preparing a rule that would define mercury amalgams as a Class 2 device but, upon inspection, could classify it as a Class 3 device, indicating the highest risk category, Long said.
Meanwhile, as part of the settlement from the lawsuit, the FDA has provided further answers on its Web site at www.fda.gov/cdrh/consumer/amalgams.html.
Earlier this year, Norway, Sweden and Russia banned mercury amalgam fillings. Finland and Japan have imposed severe restrictions. The British Department of Health has issued statements saying mercury fillings pose no danger. A spokesperson said, “These fillings are a safe, durable and affordable cavity choice for dental patients that do not pose a health risk.”
Malibu High assistant principal picked to head Lincoln Middle
The Board of Education last week on Wednesday appointed Suzanne Webb as the new principal at Lincoln Middle School, an institution that has been in the spotlight since May when a longtime teacher was charged with molesting students. Webb had served as the assistant principal at Malibu High School for the past four years. Prior to that she was a math teacher at Lincoln for six years.
Former Lincoln principal Tristan Komlos was transferred from the school to John Muir Elementary School in June.
Judge rules against permit for Rambla Pacifico access road
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge last week tossed the emergency coastal development permit issued by the city for the construction of an access road to Rambla Pacifico. The judge determined the situation did not arise to an emergency. The city had cited the drought, the fire season and the thousands of statewide fires as evidence of an emergency.
A permit had been issued July 11 for the construction of a road to connect Rambla Pacifico to Pacific Coast Highway. A group calling itself the Vista Hidalgo Neighborhood Association got a judge four days later to issue a temporary restraining order against the permit. The opponents claim the new road, which would only be allowed for use by emergency vehicles, would destabilize the Rambla Pacifico landslide. There has not been an access road from Rambla Pacifico to the highway since a landslide in 1984 closed a portion of the road. Various legal disputes have prevented the road from being constructed since then.
Corral Fire suspects to appear in court
Eric Matthew Ullman and Dean Allen Lavorante, the two Culver City residents charged with causing the Corral Fire in November, are scheduled to appear in Van Nuys Superior Court on Thursday for their arraignment hearing. The arraignment has been delayed several times since the suspects were arrested in December. The city of Los Angeles residents also charged with causing the fire-Brian David Franks, Brian Alan Anderson and William Thomas Coppock-pleaded not guilty in December. They have a preliminary hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for a trial scheduled for Sept. 26 in Van Nuys.
PCH lane closures this week
The California Department of Transportation will close one lane of Pacific Coast Highway in alternating directions from Malibu to the McClure Tunnel on Thursday and Friday from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The work will involve pavement markings and striping. It is part of a $7 million, 11.6-mile paving project from Malibu Lagoon Bridge to the McClure Tunnel. The work includes the removal of existing concrete pavement and replacing it with rubberized asphalt concrete, which Caltrans officials say is more durable. The project is expected to be completed in the fall.
-Jonathan Friedman, Laura Tate and Melonie Magruder