Huge Crash On 101 Snarls Traffic Heading Towards Malibu Canyon Exit

A major crash on the 101 has delayed traffic heading from the San Fernando Valley towards the Malibu Canyon and Kanan Road offramps.

It was at 5 minutes before 5 this morning … when 6 cars and a big tanker truck crashed … coming down the hill from Calabasas. 

Just before the Las Virgenes Road exit … the crash sent the tanker truck up onto the side guardrail … with five cars blocking the left lanes.

Only one lane open from 5 to 7 am-m.

A second westbound lane was opened at 7.

And all five lanes were cleared at around 9 a-m.

Traffic backed up way back .. six miles. 

‘Malibu Did Nothing’ – City Named In Lawsuit Filed By 4 Dead Women’s Families, Plus A Fifth Victim

Some people have been warning for years that Pacific Coast Highway would cost the city millions of dollars in lawsuits.

Four Pepperdine students were killed last year .. and yesterday … the city … the county and the state were sued by the parents.

The Coastal Commission and L-PeterA County were also named as co-defendants. 

And a fifth victim … was injured in the crash … has joined in the five individual lawsuits that were filed yesterday at the santa Monica Courthouse. 

The city and other government agencies are all resoisibke … they all share liability for the dangerous roadway design on that portion of PCH … and for not implementing live-saving safety measures … according to the lawsuits.

“For far too long, Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu has been and continues to be unsafe for pedestrians and drivers alike,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys said in a joint statement. 

“As a result of the defendants’ complacency, far too many lives have been needlessly lost.”

The goal of the lawsuits is to force the government entities to “do what they should have done a long time ago so no more lives are needlessly taken,” according to the joint plaintiffs’ attorneys’ statement.

Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams were killed Oct. 27 on a stretch of PCH where houses were built starting 80 years ago … but sidewalks never installed. 

The stretch of between Las Flores Canyon and Carbon Canyon roads has the highest number of crashes in Malibu.

Te lawsuits claim that the city and state knew about the dangers for decades … but did nothing. 

Clatrans is currently listening to people on how to redesign the road there.

There are some people who live along PCH who are campaigning to leave the road just the way it us. 

Fraser Michal Bohm … the driver of the car going above 100 miles an hour …

He’s out on bail … four million dollars … charged with four counts of murder and four counts of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

His preliminary hearing will be October 25th.

Point Dume Sale Announced By Broker, But Details About Buyer Withheld

The first public confirmation of what Point Dume Club residents have heard is out … the mobile home park has been sold.

But just who bought it … how much they paid … and what the future holds are all very much still a question. 

A commercial brokerage company in Del Mar put out a news release yesterday …  claiming credit for brokering the sale. 

Marcus and Millichap is the company.

They will not reveal the identity of the purchaser … or the price paid.

Ina their news release … they boast that the Point Dume Club of Malibu is a five-star, 297-site manufactured housing asset located on 95.4 oceanfront acres.

They say that the land was “on the market for the first time since the underlying land was purchased in 1892 … and that the Point Dume Club of Malibu sold for the highest price per site ever achieved by a manufactured housing community.” 

Sources tell KBUU News that the buyer was Hometown America … a  Chicago-based company that owns 80 or more high end mobile home parks in America … plus some in Australia.

We’ve contacted them … no confirmation.

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Trailer Towed From Corral Beach, Homeless Encampment Cleared At Zuma Creek

A much-less glitzy trailer two miles away was towed away from Corral Beach last week. .

And a homeless encampment in a thicket at Zuma Creek was removed by the sheriff’s department last week.

The city’s homeless outreach team … the LA County sheriff’s office … county Beaches and Harbors … and social workers worked together.

Interim housing was offered to the people who had been sleeping in the thicket of trees at the bottom end of Zuma Creek … 

Beaches & Harbors properly disposed of all excess belongings left behind and is taking proactive measures to ensure the area remains free of encampments moving forward. 

City manager Steve McClary says the city’s Outreach Team and the sheriff’s office continue to actively engage people experiencing homelessness around the Zuma Beach and Zuma Creek areas.

And he says the sheriff will be citing and arresting when needed … after offering housing opportunities and resources to those receptive to services. 

During last year’s Red Flag fire conditions, the City fast-tracked the removal of encampments to prevent fires.

McClary says that as a result, the number of fires originating from encampments has dropped from 23 in 2021, to four the next year …  to two last year.

City Staff Says Planning Commission Recommendations On Housing Element Are Not Going To Fly With State

Changes that were suggested by the Planning Commission have been determined to violate the state law … by the city’s housing experts and lawyers.

Malibu is under a legal agreement to approve a Housing Element for its General Plan … a state requirement that is provide zoning for low cost housing in the city.

Planning Commissioners had suggested that the city establish a minimum unit size.

They suggested changing the minimum and maximum densities for the affordable houses.,

They suggested requiring a nonprofit developer to build the affordable housing units requiring rent restrictions for accessory dwelling units. 

And they also suggested that income eligibility rules be changed.

 Staff has determined that each of the Planning Commission’s proposed changes would be inconsistent with State law … or likely flunk at Sacramento. 

That agency has already signed an agreement not to prosecute Malibu for failing to pass a housing element that meets state law… the deadline was several years ago. 

The City Council has already promised the state Attorney General to pass an acceptable housing element next Monday.

If the state doesn’t like what Malibu comes up with… It will cut off state funding for such projects as Pacific Coast Highway safety improvements.

The city council will meet on the Housing Element next Monday.

Also Monday …the job performance of the city manager will be on the city council’s agenda … for another closed door meeting.

Also … the leases for two small businesses next to Legacy park.

Malibu Coast Animal Hospital and Super Care Drugs are both in buildings owned by the city … and those leases are up for discussion. 

City Priority List Will Be Reset By Council This Afternoon

The priority list at City Hall comes up for discussion this afternoon … at a special city council meeting at 1 p-m.

Malibu’s city council has a habit of adding projects to the city staff’s work list … all of them always very important. 

But the list of things to be done gets longer and longer … and despite progress on the “to do” list … the city manager says he wants direction on the priority list.

This afternoon at 1 … the city will go down the checklist of items and restock priorities. 

Some delays are affecting some home owners.

For example … homeowners in the Civic Center area are under a county water board building moratorium … no city building permits can be issued … until sewer lines are extended.

That project is delayed due to requirement to develop a cultural resource monitoring plan for the sewage line construction … what to do with Native American stuff that might get dug up.

The City and State Water Board are still working on that.

The construction of a new fiber optic line from topanga Beach all the way to Bluffs Park is on schedule… But the replacement of traffic lights on the Eastern half of the city is delayed due to the late delivery of some critical equipment.

The city council will go over the project list… And stack them in priority categories … today at one.

Floppy Disk Mystifies Kids At Last Coastal Cleanup, Next One Is Saturday

The annual California coastal cleanup day is this Saturday… A day that tens of thousands of volunteers will comb the California coast to remove trash.

In general, California’s beaches and waterways have gotten cleaner over the past 40 years.

Twenty years ago, in 2004, volunteers picked up an average of 18 pounds of litter per person. Last year it was 8.2 pounds.

Recent changes in California laws have affected the type of litter found on beaches.

Trash experts at the Coastal Commission say the amount of trash is decreasing … every year.

And the type of trash is changing.

Cigarette butts used to make up 40% of what was recovered.

Five years ago, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law banning smoking on state beaches and state parks. 

Cigarette butts declined from 40 percent to 21% of the total litter last year.

Plastic bags have shown a similar drop since then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2014 signed a law banning plastic grocery bags.

Funny items turn up every year.

In Yolo County, volunteers found a 5.25-inch floppy disk last year.

None of the young people knew what it was.

Rain Actually In Malibu Forecast

Much cooler than normal temperatures will continue through Friday.

High temperatures will be January like … says the National Weather Service.

We may get sprinkles tonight … maybe even scattered rain. 

But warmer conditions will return for the weekend. 

Maybe even mild Santa Anas by Sunday. 

Right now in the mountains above Malibu … the brush and trees are a little bit more moist than usual this time of the year …

The fuel moisture content right now is at 72 percent … slightly better than average.

Two years of heavy rain has fueled strong grass and weed growth … and the concern is that it will dry out quickly. 

Malibu’s fire experts say the live fuel moisture level will soon reach the critical 60% level as the fall Santa Ana winds crank up.

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