As of 8:51 a.m. Morning View has been cleared. All lanes of PCH are now open.

All lanes of PCH closed near Guernsey Ave and Morning View due to vehicle vs pedestrian collision. Traffic is being diverted through Morning View. Expect heavy traffic, use alternate route if possible. Unknown ETA at this time.

A Missed Opportunity for Road Safety

Mayor Doug Stewart has expressed his disappointment following Governor Gavin Newsom’s veto of Senate Bill 1509, the “NOT in California Act,” a proposed law aimed at combating excessive speeding on California’s highways, specifically the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). The bill, which sought to impose stricter penalties for repeat speeding offenses, was designed to improve road safety in Malibu and other coastal communities where high speeds have led to numerous fatalities.

In his statement, Mayor Stewart highlighted the critical need for legislation to address what he called “a dangerous and ongoing problem” on PCH. The mayor underscored the tragic loss of life Malibu has experienced over the past decade, including 61 deaths attributed to speeding on the highway. Just last year, the community was devastated by the deaths of four Pepperdine University students, an accident in which speeding was the primary cause.

“I am disappointed by the veto of Senate Bill 1509,” said Stewart. “This bill was designed to address a critical issue impacting the safety of Malibu’s residents and visitors: excessive speeding on the Pacific Coast Highway.”

Stewart acknowledged Governor Newsom’s concerns over the fiscal and administrative impacts of SB 1509, but he reiterated that the bill’s intent was to save lives. He pointed out that despite increased enforcement, including the addition of a dedicated task force from the California Highway Patrol (CHP) earlier this year, penalties for dangerous drivers must be strengthened to further deter reckless behavior on the roads.

“We have already seen a 36% reduction in injury collisions thanks to our combined efforts with CHP and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD), but enforcement alone is not enough,” said Stewart. “Stronger penalties for repeat offenders are critical to making our roads safer for everyone.”

In his veto message, Governor Newsom cited concerns about the bill’s limited deterrent effect and its potential to disrupt the Department of Motor Vehicles’ (DMV) ongoing IT modernization efforts. The governor emphasized the need for financial discipline in light of the state’s current budget and called for alternative measures that could address dangerous speeding without creating significant fiscal strain.

Newsom’s veto has left the door open for further discussions, and Mayor Stewart is hopeful the Legislature will find a solution that addresses both the governor’s concerns and the safety needs of Malibu’s residents and visitors.

“I urge the Legislature to work quickly to find an alternative that addresses the Governor’s concerns while still delivering on the core intent of SB 1509—to protect people from the dangers of excessive speeding,” Stewart said. “The people of Malibu, and the countless Californians who travel along our roads every day, deserve action to ensure their safety.”

The debate over SB 1509 marks a critical juncture in California’s ongoing efforts to improve road safety, particularly on highways like the PCH that are notorious for speeding and accidents. Both state and local leaders agree that more must be done to prevent future tragedies, but finding the right balance between enforcement, penalties, and administrative feasibility remains a challenge.

As Malibu continues to grapple with the impacts of speeding on its roads, Stewart and other local officials remain committed to pursuing measures that will protect the community and ensure that PCH becomes a safer route for all who travel it.

Mayor Doug Stewart’s full statement:

“I am disappointed by the veto of Senate Bill 1509, the “NOT in California Act.” This bill was designed to address a critical issue impacting the safety of Malibu’s residents and visitors: excessive speeding on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), a road that has seen far too many tragedies over the years.

While I understand Governor Newsom’s concerns about the administrative and fiscal impacts of the bill, the fact remains that speeding is the leading cause of fatal accidents on our roads. Over the past decade, Malibu has lost 61 lives on PCH due to speeding, and just last year, we suffered the devastating loss of four Pepperdine students in a tragic incident where speeding was the primary factor.

Malibu is fully committed to road safety and has embraced an “all of the above” approach to protecting lives on the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). This includes long-term infrastructure improvements, public education campaigns, and enhanced law enforcement. In January 2024, we brought the California Highway Patrol (CHP) back to Malibu with a dedicated task force, significantly increasing enforcement in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD). These efforts have already contributed to a 36% reduction in injury collisions. However, enforcement alone is not enough—stronger penalties for repeat offenders are critical to further deter dangerous driving behavior and make our roads safer for everyone.

I urge the Legislature to work quickly to find an alternative that addresses the Governor’s concerns while still delivering on the core intent of SB 1509—to protect people from the dangers of excessive speeding. The people of Malibu, and the countless Californians who travel along our roads every day, deserve action to ensure their safety.”

                  – Mayor Doug Stewart, City of Malibu

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Friends and fans gather for the opening of The ‘Derek Schimming Retrospective,’ celebrating the artists’ works

“We are grateful to the city of Malibu and the Malibu Art Commission for hosting this wonderful art exhibit at city hall celebrating the person and the art of our departed friend, Derek Schimming,” The Malibu Art Association posted on Sept. 14, announcing that a reception opening “Derek Schimming Retrospective” was well-attended and heartfelt.

It is, indeed, so painful to lose someone in the prime of their life, especially so unexpectedly — Schimming, 60, died in a car accident in May, the victim of a sudden heart attack. Authorities reported that Schimming’s vehicle veered into oncoming traffic near Paradise Cove and collided with another car. 

Schimming is remembered by friends and family for many qualities.

• Known for his big heart — tirelessly devoting much of his time to working with children with special needs by sharing his love of surfing therapeutically with them.
• Known for his love of family — he is survived by his lovely wife, Daneta, and daughters who, along with attendees, fondly remembered Schimming’s love of people and how he would engage in convivial conversation, making all he met feel welcome and important.  
• Known for his huge love of all things art — he tirelessly devoted his efforts to support the Malibu Art Association, his friend and co-member in the Malibu Art Association, Tim Horton, tearfully recalled, “Derek loved art and color — and he loved Malibu.”

They mingled amidst Schimming’s prolific oeuvre of works, works that exude his optimism for all things Malibu and his delightful affinity for all the precious things in our fleeting time on Earth that can only be characterized as the sensational simplicities in a life well lived in a small coastal community.

Malibu artist Katherine Kousi tearfully stood in front of one of Schimming’s beautiful works and shared, “Derek and I worked together for three years in my Malibu studio — he was a magical human being!”

Grieving as she continues to attempt to grapple with the still startling reality of Schimming’s sudden loss, Kousi recalled, “I was going to get us white paint for a project we were doing when his accident happened — his glasses, his nails — all remain in my studio. Half of my studio was his!”

Kousi stood quietly admiring Schimming’s works “Reflections,” perfectly juxtaposed with his work, “In My Father’sFootsteps,” as she herself reflected on Schimming uncanny attribute of exuding all that is positive in Malibu.

“Derek, like Tracy Park, was one of the people who believed in me, even as I was still an emerging artist,” she said.“We have an incredible art community in Malibu and it has given me the biggest support ever — you can’t beat that anywhere!”

There were so many poignant moments with Schimming, many attendees recalled.

“He showed up in Aspen during a snowstorm with just flip-flops on!” Kousi said, referring to Schimming traveling to help her during a commission she had secured in Colorado. 

“The painting ‘Cathedral’ was at the start of Derek’s painting career, and I actually have a video when he was painting that — he cried when he painted — he was so sweet!” Daneta Schimming said about her late husband. “Back then, he was trying to paint what his father did back in the ’60s and I said I want to see your stuff, Derek — and then, his work,’Cathedral’ was born.”  

As she stood carefully examining a series of small works by Schimming, renowned Malibu photographer Maureen Haldeman commented admiringly, “I’m blown away by the intimacy of his small series as they’re so personal and the reality comes through all of his works, even though they are abstracts.”

Schimming, Haldeman added, “leaves a beautiful legacy in his artworks and he was integral to the Malibu Art Association, which is also his legacy that will go on.”

The retrospective is available for viewing Sept. 16 to Oct. 25, as are some of the works by other members of The Malibu Art Association. The exhibit is on show Monday-Friday at the Malibu City Gallery in City Hall. The Malibu Art Association continues to maintain a GoFundMe page to benefit the Schimming’s family which can be found at www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-derek-help-ease-his-familys-burden.

Artwork for local artist Katina Zinner’s and her mother Christa Zinner’s on display 

As attendees at the exhibit’s opening reception eagerly entered MaliBUngalows’ large, embracing exhibit space on Sept. 14, they immediately were immersed in the intriguing, intergenerational passionate creative energy of artist Katina Zinner’s large format, bold oil paintings, whose mesmerizing passionate patterns lovingly lulled them into calm contemplation.  

Pausing to reflect, the viewers pondered and wondered about the genesis of the younger Zinner’s joyously rhythmic compositions throughout her works.  Beckoned to probe deeper into the details of each dynamic painting, they further explored the alluring exhibit space and closely examined a host of stunning bronzes creatively curated to accompany Katina’s sensationally sensual works. The brilliant bronze sculptures on show are the masterpieces of Katina’s mother, the late Christa Zinner, fashion photographer par excellence!

First internationally admired as the genius behind the images of superstars such as Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Elizabeth Taylor, Gene Kelly, Ron and Nancy Reagan and so many more in their Golden Age milieu that weregorgeously displayed on the covers of the most iconic publications of her time — publications such as Life, Look, Ebony and Vogue — Christa raised her precocious artistic daughter to be bold and daring, to take on the world by painting through a prism of precision, while concurrently creating compositions freely with unabashed spontaneity. 

Wow! The paintings deliver on the dynamic duo’s creative philosophy — be demiurgic, yet not demure, be intriguing and novel, but sycophantic to neither form nor composition. Amazingly, it was not until she was in her 70s, that Christa Zinner decided to segue from photography to creating bronze sculpture, sculptures that capture the essence of her subjects, that gloriously celebrate the human form and that delve into the souls of those who inspired each piece.

When asked what impressed them most about the younger Zinner’s passionate paintings, several attendees discussed how imbued with love the works appear. And, it is with much love that Zinner chose a charity close to her heart to benefit from 20 percent of any sales of the works on exhibit.

Dr. Kevin Shannon reflects on 35 years of Camp del Corazon

“One thing about art is that it can be calming and fulfilling and provide inspiration — that’s exactly what we hope to do at Camp del Corazon, a place for kids who deal with cardiac diseases and conditions to take a vacation from being ‘sick kids,'” said Pediatric Cardiologist Dr. Kevin Shannon, who for his 35-year-long medical career has championed the tireless work of Camp del Corazon, a summer camp providing a sanctuary for children that he and an electrophysiology nurse from UCLA Medical Center founded in 1995. 

In addition to the organization’s residential summer camping experience, Camp del Corazon has developed impactful and experiential year-round programs for children and their families living with the challenges of congenital heart disease — the camp provides a home for the entire heart family.

“My mom, Lisa Knight, served as an electrophysiology nurse working with Dr. Shannon to implant pacemakers into pediatric patients,” said Chrissie Endler, executive director of the camp. “They experienced life-changing results — the kids could run and play like all kids. Another element of the children’s healing is that they need a space to feel good about themselves to give them a sense of belonging and purpose.”

Statuesque in presentation and contemplative in expression, he sat quietly amidst attendees at the reception, nodding his head in agreement with Endler’s words, acutely aware of how pivotal the camp experience is to addressing the emotional needs of those grappling with cardiac disease, both patients and their families. 

When you’re a kid, all you want to do is to fit in and to be accepted. When you’re a kid, the last thing you want is to stand out as different from your peers, he observed, expressing the emotions inherent in being a young adolescent. 

“When you’re a kid, you don’t at first want to go to a camp with kids just like you who suffer from cardiac disease and have undergone medical procedures such as my four open heart surgeries because you don’t like who you are,” said Klever Erazo, who has grappled with congenital cardiac disease for his entire 23 years. “All my friends didn’t have those surgical scars — I was an outcast because of the scars. As an adult, I now know the camp is crucial for all pediatric cardiac patients, and I am very thankful that my father insisted that I go to camp because it was essential for my emotional and mental health.”

The camp made an enormous difference in Erazo’s life and he attests that it has been equally impactful for hundreds of others who have attended the Catalina Island experience. Erazo attended every year from ages 7  to 17 and he now serves as a camp counselor. He also greatly benefitted from participating in the Progressive Adult Cardiac Experience (PACE), the camp’s program that is specially tailored for those in their late teens as they segue from adolescence to adulthood, a journey that is arduous for all young people, but is especially challenging to navigate when one suffers from a congenital disease. 

Always intrigued by the visual arts — and, on the night of the exhibit particularly intrigued by the Zinners’ artworks — Erazo was in his creative element, ever thankful to the camp and ever dedicated to helping it succeed however he could and delighting in the reception’s convivial colloquy and in the music of A Call 2Peace, whose instrumental and vocal performances lent a glorious element to a quintessential, balmy, idyllic Malibu evening. 

“I live in a world of design and pattern and I love color,” Zinner told attendees. “I’m also passionate about giving back.” 

For those who want to view the Flowing Abstracts exhibit and perhaps to give back to those struggling with how to navigate the precarious balance of fulfilling a pediatric cardiac patient’s natural need for normalcy with the demands intrinsically intertwined with dealing with the patient’s sometime arduous courses of treatment, one can go to Malibu Bungalows, 21201 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. 

The exhibit runs through Sept. 29 and is on show Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. If a reader has queries, he can call (310) 462-9285.