Sheriff’s personnel and Malibu VOP continue traffic safety conversation after PCH Taskforce meeting
After the unforeseeable PCH Taskforce meeting on Tuesday morning last week, the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station held a Coffee with a Deputy at Malibu Country Mart to answer residents’ concerns on traffic safety on Pacific Coast Highway.
Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff deputies, Malibu Volunteers on Patrol (VOP), residents, and city officials went straight to the gathering to continue the conversation of what was discussed in the meeting earlier.
Capt. Jennifer Seetoo was one of the featured speakers, along with state officials and Caltrans representatives, and gave her intake on what happened at the meeting.
“What I heard that the residents said is that they want a written plan, accountability, and a check-off list from Caltrans; they want [the California Highway Patrol] back,” Seetoo said. “CHP was there and they want to partner with us and the Malibu/Lost Hills station welcomes CHP as our partners, but we’ve got to stop the speed.”
After the deaths of four Pepperdine students on Pacific Coast Highway on Oct. 17, Malibu residents demanded an immediate increase in law enforcement patrols looking for speeders on the dangerous highway and for Caltrans to make PCH safe.
But it has been since then that Seetoo has emphasized three main key points she has proposed to the community: education, enforcement, and engineering.
“It’s education, it’s parents, talking to their kids about the dangers of PCH, and the dangers of speeding, we’ve got to slow down PCH,” Seetoo said.
Malibu Public Safety Director Susan Dueñas said hiring CHP officers is taking shape with a short-term agreement, but the city is working on securing a longer-term permanent contract with CHP for a three-person task force. The item will be addressed during the City Council meeting next Monday.
“We heard what the community wanted, a plan, we even talked about a website that they can go to, to see the plan, to see it in action, that is what I believe that Caltrans said they will do, and now it’s up to elected officials holding them to that, and law enforcement stands ready to work with Caltrans,” Seetoo said. “This community is an amazing community, we need to work together to make change.”
Vivid Candi Creative founder and CEO Chris Wizner spoke during the meeting virtually in the morning and attended the Coffee with a Deputy, and said he didn’t feel like there was an action plan from Caltrans and said they gave no solid answers.
“There wasn’t any kind of sense of urgency or priority, there wasn’t any empathy on what had happened, so I really hope that the pressure on them really mounts to a point where they can’t ignore us,” Wizner said. “I don’t care what you say, I care what you do.”
Malibu VOP team leader Mark Russo was at the fatal incident when it occurred on Oct. 17 and said change also needs to come from home, and educating your kids about speeding and the dangers of PCH.
“Even with my kids at home, understand the highway you’re on, the speeds you’re driving, don’t be a driver that’s distracted, don’t be a driver that’s speeding,” Russo said. “I think our captain has been spot on, it’s three E’s, education, and that starts at home and at school; it’s enforcement, the Sheriff’s Department and CHP coming out here; and it’s really engineering, things have really have to change. Everyone that needs to be aware of — is aware, and I hope these changes come in a timely manner.”
Russo said it was refreshing to see officials present at the meeting earlier.
“All the stakeholders were there, so it was nice to see the agencies represented; they’re really going to be the agents for change and allow this to get reconfigured, bring the enforcement, with the Sheriff’s Department and also CHP, so everything they said was great; they just need to execute and get it done.”
The community later gathered for a vigil on PCH and Webb Way to place four white tires to honor Deslyn Williams, Niamh Rolston, Asha Weir, and Peyton Stewart.