More than 100,000 turn out to enjoy the holiday weekend’s pleasant weather. The local sheriff’s station received a grant enabling DUI saturation patrol in Malibu during the three-day weekend.
By Jonathan Frochtzwajg / Special to The Malibu Times
Malibu’s public beaches were inundated with hundreds of thousands of beachgoers over Memorial Day Weekend, the traditional start of the summer season.
Though Saturday and Sunday’s crowds were typical, Monday attracted 126,800 people, L.A. County Lifeguard Capt. Dan Atkins said. Atkins attributed the influx of beachgoers to the fact that Monday was “easily the nicest of all three days,” with a western breeze cooling off the coast.
The weekend was not, however, devoid of incidents. On Saturday afternoon, near Big Rock, three fishermen who had climbed out on precarious rocks to fish had to be rescued from the high tide by lifeguards.
On Sunday, lifeguards issued warnings to people riding WaveRunners in and out of the surf line at private beaches.
On Monday afternoon, lifeguards assisted a woman choking on a tortilla chip. Though obviously distressed, Atkins said the choking victim never lost consciousness.
Also on Monday, paramedics transported a seizure victim to Santa Monica Hospital and an infant who lost consciousness was transported by helicopter to UCLA Medical Center.
“Memorial Day is sort of a line in the sand for us,” Atkins said.
Around this time, he explained, the county steps up seasonal hiring and braces itself for the busy summer season.
As expected, roads leading to and around the beach were congested with traffic. On Monday, a SIG alert was issued for the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Kanan Road around 1 p.m. and for the duration of the afternoon. An accident involving two vehicles occurred at Pacific Coast Highway and Decker Canyon was reported around 6 p.m.
Lt. Debra Glafkides from the Lost Hills/Malibu Sheriff’s Station said a grant received by the Sheriff’s Department enabled the deployment of several additional deputies, at no cost to the city, for DUI saturation patrol in the City of Malibu throughout the three-day weekend. There were 70 stops, 13 field sobriety tests, 77 citations issued and two narcotic related arrests.
Glafkides said there were “heavy, heavy crowds,” during the weekend, especially on Monday, and that traffic tickets, citations for alcohol on the beach and illegal parking were issued, but no major events aside from the accident occurred.
The heavy crowds and traffic did cause the closure of Westward Beach Road on Monday, where deputies turned away nonresidents who wanted to access the beach there near Zuma.
Malibu resident Stephen Wolfson wrote a letter of complaint to the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Captain Tom Martin as well as to Sheriff Leroy Baca about being “entrapped” by deputies when he attempted to enter the Zuma Bay Villas complex off Westward Beach Road.
He and several other residents, Wolfson wrote, were ticketed for driving left of the double yellow line when they attempted to enter the complex.
Wolfson explained in his letter that deputies had blocked the left turn lane allowing access to the condo complex, and then drivers were motioned to cross the double yellow lines by deputies, and then were issued tickets. Lt. Glafkides said the incident was under investigation so she could not comment on the specifics of Wolfson’s complaint. She said deputies were blocking access to Westward Beach Road on Monday to nonresidents as is customary when the beach parking lot is full and road parking is unavailable. Glafkides said residents with ID were allowed to go through, or those visiting the Sunset Restaurant.