=. 58 white tires … ghost tires … one for each traffic fatality in 13 years … coming to Malibu.

=. Caltrans sends condolences to the families of 4 students killed on the road … as it defends it safety record.

=.  The PCH Safety Task Force meets next week … for the first time since the Pepperdine deaths. 

=.   Malibu volunteers say the county fire department was incredibly fast putting out yesterday’s fire in 40 mile an hour winds. 

=.   Big demonstrations are possible this weekend … at the place where a pro-Israel demonstrator was knocked down and died.

=.  And expect a flyover in Santa Monica today … and a big Veterans Day ceremony tomorrow in Malibu.

Another Bad Crash On PCH, As Activists Plan To Install 58 White “Ghost Tires” At PCH/Webb

One person was critically injured today when their car smashed into a garbage truck that was stopped in traffic lands on Pacific Coast Highway in the Ventura County portion of Malibu.

And five other people were also hurt between that crash… And a second crash that happened when a truck smacked into cars and a CHP cruiser stopped on the highway. The Mayham began at 6:45 in the morning… Just about sunrise… when a car hit the back of the WMS truck that was stopped just across the highway from Ventura County Fire Station 56.

That’s just east of Neptune’s Net.

A second car hit the wreckage.

Firefighters from across the street were using hydraulic praying tools to remove the crash victims… And a helicopter was brought into transport one person.

On the westbound lanes… A CHP officer, parked his cruiser, straddling lanes to stop traffic. A box truck heading towards Oxnard hit two cars that were stopped… And shove them into the CHP cruiser.

Other than the person who suffered critical injuries.  … five people other people treated at the scene… and the CHP officer was not hurt. 

PCH was closed for two hours, while the wreckage was cleared.

Meanwhile, motorists driving through downtown Malibu are going to get a daily reminder of the dozens of people killed on Pacific Coast Highway. 

Ghost tires.

58 of them .. one white tire for every person killed on PCH dating back to the 2010 traffic murder of Emily Shane.

The first four tires will be dedicated next Tuesday … to mark the one month of anguish since the deaths of four Pepperdine students on PCH at La Costa.

Malibu resident Michael Shane … lost his daughter on PCH 13 years ago.

He has been there. 

SHANE 1111 

“The irony is that I know exactly how those parents feel. I know exactly what they are going through. I unfortunately have had to do that with Emily. 

“On the 14th we are doing what we are calling ‘Ghost Tires.”

“They are white tires, tires that have been painted white, one for each of the four girls. 

“And we are going to place those on the corner of PCH and Webb Way and it’s to commemorate people that have died through violence in traffic. 

“And then on Nov. 19th, which is World Remembrance Day for Traffic Violence, we are going to put up … what would be the proper word … a stack… a remembrance of the 58 people that have died since Emily’s death. 

“When Emily died in 2010 she was the youngest person to die on PCH in 20 years. And here we are in 2023 and zero has been done since then.”

Caltrans disagrees.

The deaths of the four students was four weeks ago … and Caltrans has finally responded to questions that KBUU posed in the aftermath.

The state agency’s spokeswoman says they express condolences … but they -have- acted to improve safety on PCH. 

Our colleague reads from the Caltrans statement. … from District 7 spokeswoman Lauren Wonder.

CT WONDER 1111

“Caltrans expresses its condolences, to the families and friends, on the tragic loss of the four students,,,, and we take this situation seriously.

“Caltrans has implemented numerous upgrades and safety enhancements to Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica to Oxnard in recent years.”

So we asked Michel Shane…. 13 years and numerous upgrades by Caltrans??

SHANE 2222

“It’s nonsense. Does any of those things save the life or save couldn’t have saved Emily or put it up saved one of these for university students???”

KBUU asked Caltrans about those 130 safety projects on the 8 year old safety project list … we count 15 completed … the agency counts 24 projects completed … that’s 18 percent done over 8 years. 

KBUU has reviewed the projects that Caltrans did.

They are the easy ones … the low hanging fruit.

The recommendations that are tough … lower speeds … narrowing lanes … providing walking areas … not done.

A KBUU reporter reads the agency’s reply to the question … why has nothing serious been done???

CT WONDER 2222

“Caltrans funded a 2015 comprehensive study that was completed by the city that listed 130 recommendations. Dozens of those recommendations are completed, under construction, being designed, or were rejected by the city.  … 

“(These include)  traffic signals, median delineators, raised center medians, crosswalks, high-visibility lane striping, improved guardrails and pedestrian-activated crosswalk beacons, including one placed at Will Rogers State Beach.”

Will Rogers Beach is is Los Angeles. 

And Caltrans points a finger at the City of Malibu … which vetoed one proposed crosswalk signal at Malibu Seafood after residents objected to having to stop at the bottom of a hill.

Many of the residents who objected to that crosswalk said traffic flowed to fast at malibu Seafood for a stop light. 

And some off those residents are the same ones clamoring for slower traffic and more traffic lights in eastern Malibu.

In that 2015 study … Caltrans paid for … engineers recommended narrowing traffic lanes … reducing speed limits … and providing places to walk along PCH at la Costa beach … where the four women were killed a month ago. 

We’ll give you the Caltrans response on that in our next report.

On Tuesday … the PCH Task Force meets for the first time in way more than a year.

And on Tuesday afternoon at 5 … the first “ghost tires” will be implanted in the dirt at PCH at Webb Way. 

The rest of the 58 tires … one for each death since 2010 … goes in in one week.

 

Daytime PCH Work, Nighttime PCH Work On PCH Near Latigo Shores

Two separate offices at Caltrans sent out two separate notices about two separate construction projects within a mile of each other on PCH … all next week.

Onew will be at night … the other in the daytime.

On PCH at Corral Canyon … signal crews will be moving traffic light poles  and doping other work.

The lanes are about to be shifted … a kink in the traffic lanes just like at Trancas … 

Overnight lane closures on PCH near the intersection at Corral Canyon Road during next week.

Expect delays … 8pm thru 6 am the next day … starting Monday night.

And during the daytimes …  pavement crews will be working on PCH in the Paradise Cove area.

One lane will be closed … and one open … on westbound PCH across from Geoffrey’s on Monday.

On Tuesday … the work will be on westbound PCH just past paradise Cove road.

Wednesday … one lane will be closed westbound on PCH just before heather cliff … that one should cause a bit of traffic backup.

Thursday … eastbound at Geoffreys.

And Friday ,… the work will move down to eastbound near McDonalds … and that definitely will cause some traffic jams.

The scheduled is subject to change due to weather.

 

This SMMUSD Superintendent Feels Malibu’s Pain, 5 Years After Fire

What a difference five years makes.

Five years ago .. when the Woolsey Fire hit Malibu … parents complained that the Santa Monica school district superintendent didn’t do much.

Malibu schools were closed for weeks …remote learning became a thing here in Malibu two years before the pandemic spread that across the nation.

It didn’t get much coverage at the time … but Santa Monica schools stepped up.

The City of Santa Monica, our staff and Santa Monica community also provided support, mental health services, donations, food, clothing and shelter to our displaced families and staff. 

Yesterday … school superintendent Antonio Shelton sent out a letter … saying it was beautiful to see everyone coming together to help and support each other.

Shelton says “We understand that some families and staff are still in the process of rebuilding their homes and had to start over fresh. 

“We understand the trauma is deep, and this life-changing experience will always be on the minds of those who endured this horrible act of nature.”

 

City Volunteers Praise LA County’s Response To Las Flores Ridgetop Fire

City volunteers are crediting the LA County Fire Department with incredibly fast action to prevent a brushfire from sweeping down into Malibu yesterday morning.

Malibu Volunteers On Patrol were down fin Las Flores Canyon early in the morning … watching to see if the house fire up on the ridge near Saddle Peak would blow south into Malibu.

Huge sky crane helicopters were dumping tons of water on the fire … in 40 mile an hour winds … within 10 minutes of the call. 

Forward progress was also stopped by an extra LA County strike team … which had been prepositioned not far away to  swarm the fire.

It was largely put out in two hours … the house was a total loss … but the brushfire was held to less than 4 acres. 

Expect Demonstrators At Westlake Blvd/TO Blvd This Weekend

Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are expected to gather again in Thousand Oaks  this weekend …. possibly in large numbers.

The intersection of two busy 8-lane roadways … Westlake Boulevard at Thousand Oaks Boulevard … may be blocked at times. 

This  … as the Ventura County sheriff’s office puts out a news release update that is .. in fact … a thoughtful and reflective essay on the events swirling around the death of 69-year-old Paul Kessler.

“Many have expressed frustration and anger that no arrests have been made and question why the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office isn’t prosecuting the suspect. 

To be clear, law enforcement officers do not prosecute criminal cases, rather we investigate them, and we obtain evidence with the goal of obtaining enough evidence to establish probable cause so an arrest can be made.

Currently, we do not have any footage of the actual incident taking place, which would be extremely helpful in this case and would undoubtedly show or could even refute criminal culpability.

And the sheriff’s office says the homicide determination from the medical examiner does not translate to a prosecutable murder or manslaughter case, rather it establishes that Mr. Kessler’s death was not from natural causes, suicide, or unknown.

The facts are not in … and while emotions are high … the evidence is still being gathered.” 

City Attorney Recommends Malibu Enact Ordinance Repeating That Pacaso Is An Illegal Time Share

The home sharing company Pacaso is illegal in Malibu.

That’s the contention of the Malibu city attorney … 

Pacaso buys expensive Malibu houses … then sell one quarter or one sixth interests in them.

Illegal time shares … says the city. 

But the city attorney wants to make it even more illegal … 

Trevor ruin says an ordinance would confirm the City’s prohibition on time-share use and aid enforcement of that prohibitio.

And the city council could also crack down on single family homes that are currently violating this prohibition. 

The city council gets its first look at it next week.

 

Memorial Day Ceremony 11 am 11/11 Saturday

A big veterans Day memorial celebration today in Santa Monica … at the pier.

It’s at 11 this morning. 

There will be a military flyover … so don’t be surprised to see military jets flying above Malibu this morning. 

The city of Malibu hosts its 24th Veteran’s Day Public Ceremony tomorrow … November 11 …  11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Malibu City Hall.

The theme of this year’s event is “Legacy of Generations In Service.” 

The free public event will feature Veteran speakers, poetry, dancers, musical performances, a Color Guard, and a visit from the Mini Therapy Horses. 

Students from local schools in Malibu, ROTC and Sea Cadets will participate. Lunch and refreshments will be served after the ceremony.

Malibu’s Veterans Day observation begins at 11 AM tomorrow at Malibu City Hall.

Mammoth Opens, Big Rain May Not Be So Big Next Week

Mammoth Mountain opened its first lift today.

Major snow is expected next week.

In Malibu … we may get a little burst of Santa Anas Sunday.

But the national Weather service is backing off a bit on its earlier predictions of 2 to 4 … maybe even 5 inches of rain next week.

Oh .. it will be wet. 

Probably more rain in one day than we usually see in the entire month. 

But the big pacific storm is not going to be as big as they thought yesterday.

It`s certainly still prudent to wrap up any outdoor projects before the middle of next week.

The big storm in the Pacific may not get here until Thursday.