I am writing to express my deep concern and frustration regarding the recent tragic accident on PCH that resulted in the loss of four lives. These unfortunate incidents have left our community grieving and demanding immediate action to ensure the safety of all travelers on this critical road.
What is even more tragic is the fact that this accident was caused by a local resident. This underscores the urgent need for measures that encourage safe driving practices among our local population, who are intimately familiar with the PCH but may sometimes underestimate the risks associated with it.
During last night’s [Monday’s] council meeting, it was interesting to hear that money is not the problem when it comes to improving safety on the PCH. However, as a concerned citizen, I would like to know what exactly needs to happen for our local government to take decisive action to prevent further accidents on this stretch of road that spans 21 miles.
One potential solution that has been discussed is the installation of medians on the PCH. Medians could serve as a physical barrier to prevent head-on collisions, which have been a significant concern. I believe this is a step in the right direction, and I would like to urge the council to move forward with this proposal as soon as possible.
Furthermore, I would like to suggest the following steps:
Increase law enforcement presence: Regular patrols and stricter enforcement of speed limits can deter reckless driving and improve safety.
Public awareness campaigns: Launch campaigns that educate both locals and tourists about the specific hazards of PCH, emphasizing the importance of cautious driving.
Road maintenance and repair: Ensure that the road is well-maintained and free from hazards, such as potholes and debris, which can contribute to accidents.
Community involvement: Engage with local organizations and residents to gather input and support for safety initiatives on the PCH.
The loss of four lives is an unthinkable tragedy, and we cannot afford to wait for more accidents to occur before taking action. It is the responsibility of our local government to prioritize the safety of its citizens and visitors. I implore you to consider the suggestions above and take immediate action to make Pacific Coast Highway safer for everyone who travels it.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
On October 11, 2022, the City Council appropriated $66,000 to fund the professional services agreement for the comprehensive school safety assessment
By Barbara Burke
Special to The Malibu Times
“Parents feel a sense of urgency with regard to addressing school safety in Malibu schools,” said Kevin Keegan, president of the Malibu High School Parent Teacher Association and the Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association. “In our opinion, complacency is dangerous and the perception that school safety is not being prioritized is unsettling.”
Keegan noted that although the PTSA had been assured by the City of Malibu and the Santa Monica Malibu School District that it would be provided with a summary of a recently funded private study assessing school safety in Malibu schools before school commenced, to date, the summary still has not been provided.
According to a July 18, 2022, staff report by Joseph D. Toney, assistant city manager for the City of Malibu, the City Council created a school safety ad hoc committee composed of then Mayor Paul Grisanti and Councilmember Bruce Silverstein. Toney’s staff report also stated that the city “issued a request for proposals on July 15, 2022, in partnership with the district and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department seeking qualified firms with broad subject matter expertise and experience in kindergarten through 12th grade to conduct a comprehensive and holistic safety assessment.” The report further noted that the assessment “will extend beyond physical security and safety procedures to include a review and analysis of behavioral health programs, policies and procedures as well.” Requests for proposals were due by Aug. 5, 2022.
In seeking such expertise, the city requested a comprehensive on-site physical security assessment of all four public schools in Malibu and private schools. The review would address “exterior and interior of school building, existing school security personnel, perimeter controls, security cameras, locking systems, building access and bell, clock and public address systems,” as well as an assessment of existing safety and emergency programs and policies, and procedures for both day school activities and after school activities, including use by outside agencies.”
Toney’s report also noted that the sheriff would provide the school district a liaison sergeant to help address school safety needs and the sergeant “will oversee the Juvenile Intervention Team and produce new ideas and strategies for the team.” The report noted that the sergeant was tasked with considering and reviewing programs and ideas pertaining to drug recognition for teachers and parents, diversion programs, lockdown procedures for staff, lockdown drills, emergency plan terminology, site security walkthroughs, evacuation plans, reunification procedures, threat assessments, and active shooter training in schools.”
Toney noted that the ad hoc committee discussed with SMMUSD representatives the possibility of adding “additional unarmed campus security officers to Malibu campuses as soon as possible.” Such officers are, according to Toney’s report, a union-protected employee class. The report stated that SMMUSD stated that it did not have a current list of eligible applicants to hire from and that recruitment needed to occur. Although a request for proposals was contemplated seeking a private security service, the ad hoc committee decided to issue a request for qualifications to develop a list of quality security firms and, upon doing so, to engage such a firm.
The request for proposals sought an internal and confidential written report inclusive of “detailed findings, a gap analysis, prioritized list of recommendations based on the assessment and a summary presentation, as well as a summary report that can be shared with the public.”
On Oct. 11, 2022, the City Council appropriated $66,000 to fund the professional services agreement for the comprehensive school safety assessment. On Oct. 24, 2022, the city executed the agreement with Guidepost Solutions, LLC, which was retained to review security safety measures, to learn how security personnel are deployed in emergencies, as well as how they are trained and their knowledge of the schools’ technology systems. Guidepost was also tasked with analyzing Sheriffs’ emergency services response times to city schools. The agreement stated that an initial draft report would be presented to the city, and that following receipt of feedback a final report would be submitted along with findings and key recommendations of all areas identified within the scope of the contract and that Guidepost will provide a summary report that can be shared with the public.
The Malibu Times inquired of the city and SMMUSD when the summary would be forthcoming. Susan Duenas, public safety manager for the City of Malibu, stated that her staff was developing one and that SMMUSD will soon review the summary report.
According to Keegan, the PTSA has not asked to review the entire Guidepost consultancy report, recognizing the need for it to remain private due to security concerns.
The PTSA has repeatedly asked for the summary since early summer, hoping to receive it before school commenced. However, although reviewing the summary was listed as an action item, because the report has not been finalized, the City Council has had to defer addressing that item.
Duenas stated that a meeting between the city and SMMUSD representatives has been deferred a few times and that the meeting will occur in early November. She also noted that although her staff has prepared a summary, release of the summary must abide SMMUSD review.
Gail Pinkster, SMMUSD’s community and public relations officer, responded to Malibu Times’ query asking to see the report and to interview the principals of the town’s four elementary schools.
“This is a security report that we are not releasing to the public nor are we scheduling interviews on this topic with principals, faculty or district leaders,” Pinkster responded in an email. “This report is protected from release per Public Records Act.”
Pinkster indicated that SMMUSD is “currently reviewing and in the process of implementing some suggestions noted in the report and the district will be meeting with Malibu city staff soon to discuss the report.”
Carey Upton, SMMUSD’s chief operations officer, responded to The Malibu Times, stating, “The safety and well-being of our students and staff are our top priorities. We always seek to make our campuses as safe and secure as possible, while fostering a sense of comfort and belonging for everyone.” Upton noted that SMMUSD “has implemented many systems in the past few years toward this goal, including updates to gates, access, visitor management, exterior cameras, alarm systems, along with classroom safety protocols. We continue to evolve and improve every year.”
On Oct. 12, SMMUSD reviewed its annual Comprehensive School Safety Plan, an analysis and overview that is mandated by state law separate and apart from the Guidepost consultancy contract commissioned by the city. That plan addresses schools having a lockdown button and providing notice to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, having perimeters such as eight-feet fences, fence toppers, and glass facades, monitoring cafeterias, libraries, entries to school buildings and the exterior of restrooms, door hardware upgrades, speed controls and vehicle barriers, upgrading the hardware for doors, exterior lighting, having card readers and intercoms at all pedestrian entry points, and having automated electronic access gates.
Frustrated by the time lag, the PTSA continues to urge the city to divulge the Guidepost safety summary that it requested months ago, Keegan stated, noting parents’ safety concerns were heightened due to a May 3 incident at the Getty Villa, which cut short a middle school field trip and briefly forced a lockdown at Malibu High School’s gym.
At the Getty Villa, sixth-graders and their chaperones and teachers were confronted by a young man shouting “Don’t go to school. It’s gonna kill your brain,” according to a young student whom The Malibu Times interviewed after the incident.
This publication recounted that the man followed the school group to the amphitheater and got into a verbal altercation with a security guard who confronted him. The suspect also briefly pounded on the school bus as students were trying to board the bus to leave the site. The school bus was escorted by police back to campus.
On May 3, SMMUSD issued a statement noting that law enforcement had lifted the lockdown, determining there was no credible threat to security.
“The person of interest, a Malibu High School graduate, and his parents have been interviewed and their home thoroughly searched,” the statement said. “An investigation determined that the subject was concerned for the safety of the students and perceived a threat, but had no plans to carry out any type of threat.” The statement also noted that SMMUSD “supported the family’s interest in seeking necessary support and intervention for their young-adult family member.”
The PTSA continues to press for the summary of Guidepost’s report.
“A reason safety is so important in a learning environment relates to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (learning theory),” Keegan explained, referring to
“The most basic needs for a child or teenager are physiological (air, food, water, shelter, etc.). The next most important need is safety, specifically, feeling safe and secure in one’s environment — psychological safety. We have to take the ‘freedom from fear’ seriously and that means, with the horrific rise in campus-based gun violence nationwide, we have to do more than usual, not maintain the status quo, to ensure our children can attend school day-in and day-out with that freedom and with a strong sense of safety.”
The PTSA will persevere until it obtains the safety summary, Keegan stated.
“The PTSA and others will review these recently released recommendations with the principals and administrators after the official summary report is shared,” he said. “For now, our intention is to begin communicating with parents and families about all that has been done and invested in over the past three to five years to enhance safety and security on campus as we prepare to communicate any new plans because we want to ensure the school leaders and faculty agree regarding which of Guidepost’s recommendations to act on. This is why it would have been beneficial to have received the report in August as planned.”
LA County Sheriff's Capt. Jennifer Seetoo provides an update on the the fatal Oct. 17 traffic incident at the City Council meeting on Monday, Oct. 23. Photo by Samantha Bravo/TMT
Gov. Newsom approves AB 645, but not for the Malibu
By Benjamin Marcus
Speed provides the one genuinely modern pleasure.
– Aldous Huxley.
Running a NASCAR track through a residential neighborhood, beach community, and university town is a badidea. Everyone in Malibu knows that, because anyone who has lived in Malibu for any length of time has witnessed, heard, dodged, cringed, caused, been inconvenienced, victimized, traumatized, or all of the above by high-speed driving traffic accidents.
Idiotic, irresponsible, adrenalized, deadly driving is epidemic. Citizens living along PCH face the daily dread of backing their cars onto the Autobahn. Surfers running across PCH mesmerized by the waves play Frogger with their lives. Bicyclists avoiding car doors. Motorcyclists splitting lanes. Moonshadows employees regularly run across the “valet of death.”
PCH is a charnel house and has been going back at least as far as World War II when — believe it or not — driving PCH at night with headlights on was illegal. There was a fear Japanese subs would use those lights for targeting, but there were dozens of car crashes and deaths because of that law.
And through the decades, PCH crashes have injured, maimed, or claimed dozens and hundreds, famous and anonymous: “Romancing the Stone” writer Diane Thomas in 1985. Ben Vereen seriously injured by David Foster in 1992. Emily Shane in 2010. Caitlyn Jenner involved in a fatal accident at Corral Canyon Road in 2015. And now Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams.
On and on. PCH doesn’t play favorites.
Everybody knows PCH is deadly dangerous and there have been decades of hand-wringing, editorializing, and attempted legislating — but like the weather, everyone talks about high speed on PCH but no one does enough to monitor that speed and mitigate the risks.
But now there is a ray of hope.
In mid-September, the California State Assembly and Senate wisely and finallyvoted into law Assembly Bill 645. Subtitled “Vehicles: Speed Safety System Pilot Program,” the law allows pilot programs for speed cameras and other mechanized traffic control systems in certain California test jurisdictions.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law on Oct. 13 — one day after 25-year-old Geoffrey’s employee Luis Fernando Escobar Gonzalez died in a single-car — possibly high speed — accident on Malibu Canyon Road that closed it for five hours.
Four days after Newsom signed the law, 22-year-old Fraser Bohm crashed his BMW on Dead Man’s Curve, causing the death of four Pepperdine seniors. The investigation closed PCH both ways for 15 hours.
PCH through Malibu is controlled by Caltrans and monitored by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. There aren’t enough deputies to patrol the two main exits out of Malibu. Parking dummies in sheriff’s vehicles is cute, but disregarded by locals because after a day they know it’s a decoy.
Speed bumping PCH-like Malibu Road would slow things down, but will never happen — too many low-slung Ferraris and Lamborghinis — not to mention fire trucks and ambulances need to get places in a hurry.
And PCH is a state highway, not Malibu Road.
These are the days of miracles and wonders: Electric cars, Soyrizo, artificial intelligence, yoga pants, shooting rockets to Mars. Surely a clever, tool-loving species can devise some electronic, computerized system that can accurately gauge the speed of a moving vehicle, identify the owner/driver of the vehicle, and send them a notice of warning and/or violation?
Some public safety officials and citizens believe the unblinking, infallible eye of speed cameras are the only way to monitor and mitigate speed on roads and highways. Newsom has wisely signed that bill into law — but unfortunately the law does not yet include the place that needs it most.
Assembly Bill 645 was written by 44th District Assembly member Laura Friedman and was passed by the California Senate 29/6/5 on Sept. 12 and the California Assembly on Sept. 13 62/9/9.
The legislation can be downloaded here for those who want to read all of it:
Regarding Malibu, AB645 disregards Malibu. The bill as passed and signed intolaw designates the cities of Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, and Long Beach, and the city and county of San Francisco as permitted to establish a Speed Safety System Pilot Program if the system meets specified requirements — which are minutely detailed in the bill.
That’s the city and county of San Francisco but only the city of Los Angeles, which means Malibu is not included in the pilot program — a fatal oversight.
Section 1 states that traffic speed enforcement is critical to reduce factors that contribute to traffic collisions that result in fatalities or injuries. But traditional enforcement methods have had a well-documented disparate impact on communities of color, and implicit or explicit racial bias in police traffic stops puts drivers of color at risk.
What that means is, machines don’t discriminate by race, creed, color, zip code, net worth or value of vehicle — only on speed.
Under AB645, jurisdictions with a population of less than 300,000, the bill allows no more than nine systems.
For Malibu, some of those locations are obvious: The intersection of Stuart Ranch Road and PCH. The Frogger zone from the Malibu Pier to Cross Creek Road. Both sides of the approach to Dead Man’s Curve at Carbon Canyon Road and Dukes. Malibu Canyon at PCH.
(While writing this, Howdy Kabrins asked who owns the La Salsa building and statue. He wants to hang a “SLOW DOWN!” sign from La Salsa Man.)
According to AB 645, the zones watched by speed cameras must be forewarned with “Photo Enforced” signs no more than 500 feet before the placement of the system.
Under the pilot program, those caught speeding will be issued warning notices rather than notices of violation for excess speed detected by the speed safety systems during the first 60 calendar days of enforcement under the program.
For those worried about Big Brother and privacy: “The speed safety system, to the extent feasible, shall be angled and focused so as to only capture photographs of speeding violations and shall not capture identifying images of other drivers, vehicles, or pedestrians.”
The speed cameras will be triggered by cars traveling 11 MPH or more over the posted speed limit and notices of violation shall only be issued to registered owners of those vehicles based on that evidence.
Penalties will be $50 for 11 to 15 mph over, $100 for 16 to 25 mph, $200 for 26 mph or more over the posted speed limit. And those going 100 mph or more over the posted speed limit, the fine will be $500 — and most likely a stern talking-to by a judge.
There is a lot more to the law, but that’s the gist as it applies and doesn’t applyto Malibu. There are more than a few public safety officials all too familiar with the danger of PCH who are all for it.
In 2019, I heard, then saw, a 76-year-old man hit by a car and killed during the opening of Cliff Diver. In 2009, I saw the son of a famous actor lose control of his giant American car heading westbound at Surfrider, hop the curb on the inland side and nearly kill a surfer girl changing out of her wetsuit. And as someone who lived along PCH next to the Verizon building for many years — and learned to hate the sound of breaking glass — and as someone who crosses with the light at PCH and Webb Way a couple of times a day, I know all too well how crazy dangerous PCH is. We all do.
People drag race along Malibu Road behind Ralphs. Dumb.
I began writing this story on the morning of Wednesday, Oct. 18, after readingthat Governor Newsom had approved a speed camera law. Just as I said for years, Malibu needs a sports bar — and now we have Sparkys! — and I’ve also believed speed cameras are the only way to monitor and mitigate speed and reduce casualties on PCH.
On Oahu, the police drive their own cars with blue lights always visible flashing on top. The thinking is, anyone who sees that blue light will stop doing what they’re doing wrong — including speeding. I say the same thing could work on PCH: Speed cameras with lots of bells and whistles threatening fines would slow people down — even if half the cameras were decoys.
That Wednesday morning, I began writing this and contacting Caltrans, the Highway Patrol, and other agencies. An email to the Lost Hills Station for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department returned an almost immediate phone call from Capt. Jennifer Seetoo.
Think of the angry African American female cop exasperated by dealing with drunk hooligans in “The Hangover”: “Every F@#$% day!!!” Captain Seetoo is a more polite, professional, measured version of that angry cop.
But it’s not at all funny. It’s life or death. Every F@#$% day, week, month, year!!!
In an animated, emotional conversation, Seetoo said, in essence, that her deputies were more than fatigued — physically and emotionally — by constantly having to deal with injury and fatality accidents along PCH and throughout the Lost Hills jurisdiction, the majority of them caused by high-speed driving but also illegal turns: Comforting injured and dying accident victims, contacting next of kin and blocking PCH and Canyon roads for as much as 12 hours to allow for thorough investigations and ensure justice for victims.
Seetoo believes speed cameras have proven effective in Europe, and she would love to see them applied through Malibu and elsewhere — Calabasas and Westlake Village. High-speed driving is a problem everywhere. See: The Iskander brothers in Westlake Village, September of 2020.
After a day of emailing, calling, researching in a sad case of synchronicity — sadchronicity — that very same Wednesday evening at around 8:30, a Malibu kid caused the death of four young Pepperdine girls and made ghoulish headlines around the world.
A day after the accident, I talked to a local guy — code name Fights With Sharks — nursing a beer at Sparky’s who was still shook after witnessing the before, during, and aftermath of the accident. He witnessed the speeding BMW, and when they stopped at the red light at Dukes, he attempted to tell the driver to cool it. The driver zoomed off and 15 seconds later, the citizen came across carnage.
This guy drove right into the middle of it, pulled the kid from the car and stayed there for three hours. The next day he still had a grim look of horror. This is what the deputies, firefighters, EMTs, and ambulance drivers have to deal with “every f@#$ day!!!”
Around Malibu, from Sparky’s to the Chevron Station to Legacy Park to the newsstand, I got the inside scoop on the who, what, when, where, how much, and how fast. Someone said Bohm had that car only two days before the crash, and other rumors pegged his speed at anywhere from 80 to 140 mph. Some say he was racing, texting, reaching for something. The investigation will reveal all that soon.
I’m sworn to secrecy, but the public details are available elsewhere — from this Malibu Times to People magazine to the Guardian UK.
The question some ask: “Would a speed camera at Dead Man’s Curve have prevented that tragedy?”
If there were a warning sign at the traffic light at Duke’s — and another at Carbon Canyon Road on the other side of Dead Man’s Curve — letting everyone know they were entering a highway danger zone monitored by the unblinking eye of speed cameras that would hand out hundreds of dollars in fines: Would that have slowed the guy down? Would it have slowed down anyone?
At a Thursday afternoon press conference, the day after the crash, Seetoomentioned speed cameras.
“Right now we’re looking at speed cameras, we have to look at law enforcement differently, we’ve got to change with the times where technology is an option and these speed cameras will be in six cities starting in 2024,” Seetoo said. “We’ve got to keep our eyes on this technology because we believe that it will save lives, we’ve got to do something about it. PCH is deadly. We’ve lost way too many people on PCH. It’s a highway that runs through a city and a college town.”
One of the people I called was retired firefighter/paramedic Gene Rink, who was assigned to LA County Fire Station 88 as a paramedic/engineer (driver). The paramedic’s jurisdiction covers PCH from Coastline Drive to Corral Canyon which included most of Malibu and Topanga Canyon. Rink also dealt with the carnage “every f##$% day!!” and was not at all hesitant to speak on the record about the dire need to improve traffic safety on PCH
“I talked to Pamela Ulich about this years ago,” Rink said. “At the time I said they should reduce the speed limit through Malibu to 35 miles per hour. You’ve got paparazzi running across PCH chasing celebrities, valets running and customers wobbling out of Moonshadows, surfers crossing PCH at Surfrider — all of it insanely dangerous. Speed cameras will slow people down if they think it’s going to effect their pocketbook. I’m all for it.”
Speed cameras are coming to California, and that’s good, but they won’t be protecting Malibu for a while — if ever — unless the citizens and city fathers stop talking about the weather and do something about it.
High-speed driving is a clear and present danger along the 21-mile Pacific Coast Autobahn, and if speed cameras are the answer, can Malibu wait until 2032?
As a citizen and a sheriff’s captain, Seetoobelieves AB645 is encouraging and a start, but it does not apply to the community and highway that needs it most.
“California needs a bill — a new bill that applies to state highways,” she said. “We can’t piggyback the current bill because it excludes state highways. We can use some of the same verbiage but must create a bill.”
Seetoo believes the tragedy of Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams — and Fraser Bohm, whose life, future, and conscience have most likely been permanently damaged — will be a catalyst and a turning point in the effort to Make PCH Safe Again.
“We as a community must work together and say enough is enough,” Seetoo said in an email on Sunday, Oct. 22, as she was preparing for an emotional memorial at Pepperdine University. “We must not let the tragic deaths of these four young women, who had so much to live for, be in vain. We must stop the blame game, [stop allowing] promises that go unfilled, and we must demand real change.”
Seetoo is not alone in this.
“On Thursday morning, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Sheriff Robert Luna, Mayor Steve Uhring, and nearly all the Malibu Council members personally called and pledged their support to make PCH safe,” Seetoo said. “We owe it to these four young women, their families, and all those who’ve lost loved ones on PCH. I promise the community, I will not stop until there is REAL change that will save lives.”
Seetoo said her focus will be on the Three E’s, which she identifies as “Education, Enforcement, and Engineering.”
“But, I need the help of the community and elected officials,” she said. “I’m now working with a nonprofit called ‘Streets Are For Everyone.’ The founder of this nonprofit, Damian Kevitt, was instrumental in getting the speed camera bill — AB645 — passed. I’m also working with grassroot community members including Kathy Eldon, Chris Wizner, Chris Frost, Michel Shane, Keegan Gibbs, and Dermot Stoker.”
Stoker said it best: “There is no I in can’t!”
“We know enforcement works. We witnessed this in 2019 when Supervisor Sheila Khuel gave Malibu Sheriff’s Station nearly a half a million dollars to provide enforcement on PCH in Malibu,” Stoker said. “I worked with Andy Cohen and Chris Frost to split the 21 miles of PCH in four sections. Patrol deputies did high-visibility patrol and enforcement. This was the first summer I know of where there weren’t any fatalities, and collisions were reduced. Enforcement works, but unfortunately there is a nationwide lack of peace officers. So now we must use technology to fill that gap, and speed cameras can fill that gap.”
These are the days of miracles and wonders, but you have to wonder how long it will take to protect Malibu citizens and visitors with the unblinking eye of speed cameras.
Fraser Michael Bohm (Left) of Malibu released from custody after posting bail on Friday night. (Photo credit Perfect Game) after killing four Pepperdine Seniors. Insatgram@ niamhrolston, Facebook/Asha Weir, Barry Stewart and Deslyn Williams in a tragic car accident on Oct. 17.
Bohm released from custody
Fraser Michael Bohm of Malibu is now free on bail. The 22-year-old was released from custody in Van Nuys Friday night after posting a bail set at $4 million. Bohm’s attorney, Michael Kraut, was set to argue for a bail reduction Monday morning. Kraut was seeking to reduce bail to $400,000, claiming that Bohm was the victim of road rage when he lost control of his car on Pacific Coast Highway on Oct. 17. It was that evening when Bohm crashed into multiple parked vehicles, killing four Pepperdine seniors.
Bohm faces murder charges along with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in connection with the deaths of Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams, sorority sisters and students at Seaver College at Pepperdine. District Attorney George Gascon said Bohm was “allegedly speeding at speeds of 104 miles an hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone.” Kraut disputes that claim. Bohm faces multiple life sentences if convicted on all charges. He pleaded not guilty.
The Cuthbert Circuit area is approximately Latigo Cyn Rd to Bonsall Dr, and from PCH approximately one mile inland. The Serra Circuit area runs through Malibu Canyon approximately from Seaver Dr inland to Mulholland Hwy. Look up Malibu circuits.
Be prepared for potential power outages, fire, evacuations, hazardous road conditions due to branches in the road and malfunctioning traffic signals. Under CA law, come to a complete stop at any malfunctioning traffic signal. Move flammable furniture and materials away from your house, secure furniture. Check on elderly or disabled neighbors. Seniors, people who rely on wheelchairs, medical devices, or are otherwise not mobile, and owners of horses and large animals should consider leaving the area early. Ensure that you know how to open your garage door or electric gate when the power is out.
If a PSPS is implemented, and the hazardous conditions have passed, it could take 24 to 72 hours to re-energize circuits because SCE must first inspect all power lines in the affected area to ensure they are safe to re-energize.
The City is in contact with all partner agencies to coordinate preparations for possible power outages. The City and the LA County Fire Department will continue to monitor the situation and the City will provide updates as needed, on the website, via alerts, on social media and the Emergency and Traffic Hotline (310-456-9982).
The City has an agreement with SCE to station an SCE Community Resource Crew Vehicle at Malibu Bluffs Park (PCH and Malibu Canyon Road) from 8:00 AM – 10:00 PM in the event of a PSPS outage to allow community members to charge their devices and get power outage updates.
A Fire Weather Watch is in effect for LA County, including Malibu, from 3 a.m. Sunday, October 29 through 10 p.m., Monday, October 30, with a 70 percent chance of Red Flag fire conditions due to Northeast Santa Ana winds with gusts up to 35-50 MPH and low humidity. Humidity minimums are forecast of 5-10 percent. Be prepared for potential fires, evacuations, and power and traffic signal outages. Residents should monitor weather and emergency updates on local news and the NWS LA/Oxnard website.
The City is coordinating on preparedness with the LA County Fire and Sheriff’s Departments, Caltrans and LA County Public Works. The Public Safety Team is coordinating with the Sheriff’s Host Team and Malibu Homeless Outreach Team to engage with people experiencing homelessness in Malibu about fire prevention and being prepared for potential evacuations. The Public Works Team will be patrolling the roads monitoring for road hazards, debris, and downed power lines. The City and Malibu CERT Team volunteers are coordinating to be prepared to use radio repeaters and handheld radios and set up the Emergency Information Station to be able to communicate and share information with the community in case of widespread power outage. The City and KBUU 99.1 FM are coordinating to post emergency information in the local radio broadcast.
PREPAREDNESS TIPS
Be prepared for potential power outages, fire, evacuations, hazardous road conditions due to branches in the road and malfunctioning traffic signals. Under CA law, come to a complete stop at any malfunctioning traffic signal.
Move flammable furniture and materials away from your house, secure furniture.
Check on elderly or disabled neighbors. Seniors, people who rely on wheelchairs, medical devices, or are otherwise not mobile, and owners of horses and large animals should consider leaving the area early.
Make sure you know how to open garage doors and electric gates when the power is out. For garage doors, see the video instructions. For electric gates, look up instructions on the website of your gate manufacturer or call the manufacturer, as there are many different systems.
Check your emergency supplies and plans (don’t forget your pets). Keep your vehicle’s gas tank full.
Know your Los Angeles County and City of Malibu Evacuation Zones (MAL-C111 – MAL-C114, the same as Zones 11-14 that the City adopted) by searching for your home or work address on Los Angeles County’s new Genasys website,which the County will use to post evacuation information based on the zones. Plan your evacuation routes and reunification locations. Find more evacuation information on the City website.
Monitor local AM and FM radio (which will work with hand crank, solar, battery-powered and car radios if the power is out) and follow weather information from the National Weather Service website.
Malibu/lost Hills Sheriffs and County of Los Angeles Homicide Bureau are on scene at Malibu Lagoon. Photo by Samantha Bravo/TMT.
Killing may be connected to another rapper’s murder
Two men are now in custody in connection to the murder of an aspiring rapper whose body was found in a barrel in the Malibu Lagoon. The gruesome discovery was made late last July when a barrel was found floating in Malibu. When the container was opened the horrific discovery was made of the body of 32-year-old Javonnta Murphy stuffed inside. Now, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says the main suspect is Joshua Lee Simmons. A second suspect named as an accomplice is Dennis Vance.
Both men were arrested this week on murder charges. Simmons is well-known to law enforcement and the public when in September he can be seen on surveillance tape trying to rob an El Monte jewelry store. Widely circulated footage shows store employees fighting back, beating Simmons in his failed smash- and-grab attempt. Murphy was the brother of Jaquan Murphy who was one of five suspects arrested for the murder of rapper Pop Smoke in 2020. Jaquan Murphy was cleared of the charge however, he faces trial for a different murder in Los Angeles County.
(From left) Malibu High water polo players Nico Marazzi, Tristan Sturgeon, Filip Kurial, Mikey Maischoss, and Cole Sturgeon were honored during Senior Night at the Sharks' pool. Photo by Steven Lippman
Victory over Foothill Tech clinches third straight Tri-Valley League title for Malibu High
The Malibu High boys water polo team dived into the Malibu High pool against Foothill Tech on Oct. 12 with a tweak to its starting lineup.
Instead of guarding the net as the Sharks’ goalkeeper, senior Tristan Sturgeon was in the field with the rest of his teammates. Malibu head coach Hayden Goldberg made the change to his lineup in order to have all five of the team’s seniors in the water together as part of the squad’s Senior Night celebration.
Tristan and his twin brother, Cole, competed in the field with classmates Filip Kurial and Mikey Maischoss and Malibu’s other starters, while Nico Marazzi, the Sharks’ fifth senior, defended the goal.
The matchup was the first time Sturgeon, a goalkeeper throughout high school, played a field position in water polo since he was a youth player. Sturgeon’s coach said he excelled.
“He had a fantastic game in the field,” Goldberg said. “I was very impressed with his play. He made me look really good as a coach.”
As a matter of fact, all the seniors played well as Malibu grabbed a 16-7 victory that ensured they will be the Tri-Valley League champions for the third consecutive season.
Kurial, Marazzi, Maischoss, and the Sturgeon brothers were recognized at the contest and given a bouquet. Senior Night was the first time the group had competed in the water together at the same time.
Goldberg called the five a special group of leaders. He commended them for their standout play even though they didn’t have a freshman season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They are a group that has always been a smiling group,” Goldberg said. “That has to do with them not knowing if they were ever going to have a season when COVID hit. We didn’t know what was going on in the world. So, their sophomore years, they had to come in and play varsity level with no prior varsity experience.”
The Sharks played at Bishop Diego on Tuesday and at Royal on Thursday. Malibu hosts Villanova Prep on Oct. 24 and ends the regular season with a matchup at Santa Monica on Oct. 26. The CIF playoffs begin the next week.
Goldberg expects the seniors to lead Malibu for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.
“I want them to run our workouts, to show the other kids that they need to take this serious,” he said. “They want more and that is great.”
The snack shack at Malibu Bluffs Park sits in disrepair on Oct 22. Photos by Emmanuel Luissi/TMT
The commission suggests ideas on what’s needed in the facility
The Parks and Recreation Commission met on Oct. 17 to receive an update on the Malibu Bluffs Snack Shack.
Community Service Director Kristen Riesgo presented a few examples of refabricated facilities and asked the commission for recommendations.
The Malibu Little League community has been excited about the Snack Shack since the Malibu City Council approved the project earlier this year. Parks and Recreation members and young members of the public spoke, advocating for the Snack Shack and its importance to the community.
The Malibu Little League Parade also returned on Closing Day on June 3, where hundreds of families, friends, and even council members joined to celebrate the children, the teams, and a successful season. The parade also featured a temporary Snack Shack, where parents kicked off to grill patties for eager little leaguers.
Now that summer is over, the community has wondered where the project stands.
During the meeting, the commission shared similar remarks on storage and restroom options.
“I think it’s really cool that we’re starting to work on this, I think a lot of the ideas Jake [Lingo] had were really solid, I think that when we go into doing this building, it’s a smart idea that we consider everything that we might need at the Bluffs in terms of infrastructure,” Dane Skophammer said. “It would be nice to get a building that directly represented our needs.”
Questions arose during the meeting: How much storage space would the teams need for storage, how many restrooms they think they would need, and if they need more outdoor seating?
“It would be helpful if Little League can do an inventory of what’s in their storage container and let us know how much storage space they need,” Commissioner Suzanne Guildmann said. “In general, though, you always need more storage than you think you do, so having it big enough to accommodate whatever storage requirements we might have in the future.”
“I do think time is important here, though; this can’t be the skatepark, we can’t wait 10 years for this, I do agree that time has to be part of the decision, but it shouldn’t be our only deciding factor of which one we chose,” Alicia Peak said. “I think the 3,000 square feet to me, should be where we’re aiming. I would like to see, I think four restrooms is fair here, I don’t know if we want to just go so far as to make them all gender-neutral.”
Riesgo said she’s going to give an update in the items requested by January 2024.
Risego moved on to provide department updates such as the erosion cleanup at Charmlee Wilderness Park and the restoration of the bleachers at Malibu Bluffs Park.
For capital improvement projects, Legacy Park closed on Oct. 19 for arbors and benches repairs, there will be sidewalk repairs on Nov. 2 at Malibu Bluffs Park, and Trancas Canyon Park playground will be closed for irrigation and slope repairs.
As for the permanent skatepark, the Environmental Review Board reviewed the skatepark on Oct. 11 meeting; however, concerns in regard to wildlife, ESHA, and noise complaints were raised. The next step would be hearing the proposal from the planning commission. It’s yet to be known when the planning commission will be hearing the proposal.
The breathtaking allure of Malibu is a treasure we all hold dear, yet recent devastating events have left our community shattered. While we grieve and lament, we must unite in our resolve to take action and enhance safety measures for everyone in our cherished town.
I am convinced that now is the moment to investigate creative and pragmatic solutions — deploying speed cameras, advocating for bills in the State Legislature to involve Malibu in the trial program, and taking additional measures to guarantee our people’s safety.
My campaign began a decade ago, but the Taskforce established at that time has barely made progress. Their studies have not been put into practice, and fatalities continue to occur.
Four sets of parents have had their lives profoundly altered or ruined due to these preventable tragedies. It is on behalf of them and myself that I call for change. We, not the government, must drive this transformation. Your vote can make a difference, particularly with an election year approaching. It’s time to raise our voices and effect change for all those who now gaze upon empty chairs once filled with joy and laughter.
One method to foster lasting change is through educational endeavors like the “21 Miles in Malibu” campaign we are striving to establish. These initiatives can raise awareness, inspire productive conversations, and ultimately produce tangible results.
Please visit 21milesinmalibu.com and sign up so that we can raise consciousness and find our collective voice; together, we can accomplish the changes we require.
Let us join forces, merging our passion and dedication, to prevent further anguish and preserve the place that occupies such a special spot in our hearts. Will you stand by me? Let’s make an impact!
Let’s ensure no mother or father endures another night of sorrow due to something so easily preventable.
