City Officials Recommend 35 MPH Speed Limit In Eastern Malibu, And Say State Law Allows It

City of Malibu engineers are recommending a 35 mile per hour speed limit .. down from 45 … in the commercial area of eastern Malibu.

And the 50 mile per hour speed limit in western Malibu is being looked at for reductions as well.

At last night’s city council meeting … Public Works Director Rob DuBoux said the western half of the highway will be rebuilt starting this fall … with a specific list of changes coming this summer for review.

This would include repaving the road from Cross Creek to the Ventura County line. 

Between Cross Creek and the tunnel in Santa Monica … the reconstruction project is slated for early next year. 

PARTNERSHIP 

“They are actively working on that. I have weekly meetings with them. Getting updates on both projects on where there are. 

“This is very encouraging seeing how fast they are moving. This is something I haven’t seen. I haven’t seen the move this fast with the city. 

“And I’m seeing action, it’s a good partnership.”

KBUU News reported in February a new Caltrans policy design bulletin had been issued by Caltrans.

KBUU provided a copy of it to city officials and the city council a month ago. 

City council member Paul Grisanti … Monday night:

DESIGN BULLETIN PG

“I have recently in the last month obtained a copy of a Design Information Bulletin number 94 that was issued January 16 of 2024 and it is very friendly, two designs for PCH… For highways that are friendly to the neighborhoods and the business districts. Have you seen a copy of that yet

ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER Alexis Brown:  “Yes is the short answer. We were provided that by one of our local residents that provided that to us.”

That would be the radio station that dug up the Caltrans design manual.

And under that design manual … he state can drop the speed limit to 35 miles an hour in a dense business district … if 55 percent of the frontage is businesses.  Also a residential district … if there are 13 houses per quarter mile.

Eastern PCH easily qualifies.

City councilman Bruce Silverstein says the city should not be -asking- Caltrans to declare Malibu to have business and residential districts along the highway. 

It should be demanding it.

NOBRAINER BS

“I thought it was a no-brainer that we have a residential district … I’ve been staying that for a couple of months.

“Why do we have to go through a process to ask them to confirm that 1+1 = 2???

“The statute doesn’t say that they get to determine whether there is a district???

“It says there is. 

ROB DU BOUX: “So, the plan is to try to collaborate and work with Caltrans on this. Tell them the data, tell them the code, tell them everything that what it is and just working as a collaborative group to get there will be able to get there.”

Silverstein is emerging as the chief advocate to drop the speed limit … and redesign the highway to do it. 

Signs alone will not slow down traffic … Silverstein says.

SAFE SILVERSTEIN

“This all comes down to the boulevard concept.

“This is a town it’s not a highway and we need to focus not on safety for the traffic, but on safety for the people.  

“It’s nice to see that they’re finally recognizing that the safety of the community is more important traffic through the area.”

OK… the city council favors lowering the speed limit.

And Caltrans is moving towards it. But will Malibu residents accept a lower speed limti???

A flashing yellow light comes from city council member Marianne Riggins.

FOCUS GROUP

“Where are we incorporating community meetings and education about these changes that I think we probably all agree would be beneficial to our community, but that some of our residents may not be accepting of them initially?”

ASST CITY MGR ALEXIC BROWN: “Great question.  We are ultimately trying to change driver behavior and also the awareness of trying to put information out there. The City of Malibu has put together a focus group.”

And. that focus group is axing driver attitudes and ways to change them, Brown said.

 

Pepperdine To Train Nurses In 2025 At Calabasas Campus

UPDATE WED MORN:  A Pepperdine spokesperson said, after this news was broadcast, the first nursing classes would be offered at Pepperdine’s Calabasas campus

Pepperdine University has decided to establish a College of Health Science. 

Bu the announcement yesterday did not say if the graduate and undergraduate nursing programs will be on the Pepperdine campus in Malibu.

Currently there are about 10,300 students enrolled at Pepperdine’s undergraduate, Seaver, college and Malibu… 

That total also includes students in the law college… Graduate business, school, and other post grad programs in Malibu. 

Pepperdine also operates graduate college branches, all across southern California… And in fact around the world.

As for the new health sciences school …. Pepperdine President Jim Gash calls it “among the most ambitious initiatives ever undertaken by the University.” 

In a statement … Gash says they see the tremendous need for healthcare professionals in the region and around the world, and as a Christian university committed to academic excellence, Pepperdine is well positioned to deliver exceptional educational opportunities for students .

The first academic tracks of the College of Health Science are proposed to launch in August 2025. 

These programs initially include two nursing degrees – the bachelor of science and entry-level master’s degree programs in nursing. 

A speech-language pathology program is also planned for 2025. 

Future plans include occupational therapy, physician assistant, and physical therapy programs.

 

Drama From, And Accusations Leveled By, Uhring

More drama and attacks at the Malibu city council Monday night.

Councilman Steve Uhring .. who has been on a series of losing 3 to 2 votes … attacked the city attorney … and one of his fellow council members. 

Using  a prepared script … ´ Uhring read  a description of what he claims went down behind closed doors as the city negotiates with developer Scott Gillan over the Malibu skatepark.

Uhring is unhappy that the city was unable to win an argument with Gillen over an indemnification clause .. a part of the agreement over the skate park that would shift legal expenses to Gillen if the city gets sued.

Uhring claims that the interim city attorney … Trevor Russin … was given marching orders to make a deal with Gillen that included the skate park.

NEWSCART B70171 SU INCOMP

“So Trevor went out to negotiate with Scott Gillen. 

“And so, being the mediocre attorney that he was, he was unable to get the job done. 

“Scott apparently objected to part of the indemnification clause… and so instead of following up with the city council’s instructions … Trevor decided to help the developer.”

Uhring also accused fellow council member Marianne Riggins of colluding with Russin.

Most of that city council direction and negotiations happened behind closed doors … so the public has no way to judge the veracity of Uhrng’s claims. 

Uhring and Bruce Silverstein have both vociferously claimed to support the skatepark.

They have also complained that the developer is somehow talking advantage of the city … even though Gillen is offering to pay to adjust the skatepark plans … possibly by planting trees to absorb noise.

Those trees might block ocean views from nearby houses … that might trigger a lawsuit … and the three member majority has voiced fears about that further delaying the skatepark construction.

Council member Doug Stewart asked also said Uhring’s personal attacks were unprofessional. 

NEWSCART B70177 DS APPRECIATE

“I would appreciate it if the city Council would refrain from using words like corruption, and I forget what the other term was?

UHRING:  “Collusion.”

STEWART: “Collusion, and also denigrating the city attorney in public.”

Riggins and Grisanti did not address Uhring’s nastygram.

But Stewart did.

NEWSCART B70176 DS DOG IN FIGHT

“We’re trying to get that skate park built. And you can say what you want to: negative; ‘you should’ve done it this way; you should’ve done it that way.’

“The objective is only to get the skate park built. And as often is said, do you have a dog in the fight? 

“There are two dogs in this fight. There’s the city, as the applicant for the skate park, and there’s the next-door neighbor, who is a developer. 

“This settlement agreement is designed to stop that disagreement, put an end to it with a settlement agreement, and honestly anybody who sticks their nose into the transaction really doesn’t have a dog in the fight.”

The skateboard park has been 14 years in the making… If a lawsuit, delays it… Some of the kids who campaigned for it will have kids of their own before it opens.

 

Possible Movement Detected In Santa Monica Divorce Talks

There may be movement on the Santa Monica-Malibu school divorce.

The school board late yesterday announced it will go behind closed doors this afternoon to discuss the years-long effort to dislodge Malibu from the Santa Monica control of the local schools.

An item was added to the school board agenda last night at 4:30… For the special meeting tonight.

It will be in closed session… Behind closed doors. 

School board members told LA County officials last month that a final divorce agreement is very close.

 

Guilty Plea From Drunk For Killing 22-Year-Old Riverside Woman On PCH At Mugu

A 47 year old man from Los Angeles has pleaded guilty Wednesday in a deadly hit-and-run crash on Pacific Coast Highway near Mugu Rock … in Ventura County.

A 22-year-old woman from Riverside … Alena Pascuali …. had been standing several feet off the highway … next to a friend  … looking at the ocean.

Keith David McDowell-Satyananda was drunk … and like many drunks … he apparently saw a parked vehicle and steered into it. 

Pascuali was killed … her friend was injured. 

The victims were standing several feet off the roadway, California Highway Patrol officials said at the time.and injured a second victim in late 2022.

McDowell-Satyananda  has pleaded guilty to two felonies: gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated … and DUI causing injury. 

He also admitted to special allegations including that he fled the scene of a crime, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office reported.

Pascuali’s death … in Ventura County west of Malibu … is one of dozens of fatal crashes on the highway between Malibu and Oxnard.

She is not counted in the unofficial Malibu death toll .. since 2010 that stands at 59 dead.

 

Nearly Half the Kids At Malibu Middle School Now In After School Sports Programs, Thanks To City Grant

More than half of the students at Malibu Middle School have signed up for the first ever after school athletics program … funded by a special grant from the city. 

Just two months ago … Malibu’s city council approved a one time expenditure of 355 thousand dollars to a parent group in the local public school district.

The Malibu Education Foundation was set up to raise money for all four local schools in the Santa Monica Malibu school district … similar to a long-running fundraising group that provides services down in Santa Monica. 

Malibu has been cut off by those funds … after Malibu parents objected to being run by Santa Monica. 

The Malibu Education Foundation is going to fund elementary school in-classroom aids, middle school athletics, and a professional fundraising effort.

Malibu parent Karen Al-Hardan is one of the volunteers putting together the city support package for local public schools…  aimed at getting some sort of parity with Santa Monica city support for schools there.

And the athletics program at the Middle School is succeeding beyond wildest expectations. 

NEWSCART B70178 ATHLETICS KAREN AL HARDEN 

“Our goal is to have 60 students students participate and register. 

“We have 130 students registered and participating in at middle school athletics that’s nearly half that’s 49% of our student population in middle school.

Karen Al Hardan told the city council Monday that response from kids has been overwhelming. 

NEWSCART B70170 ATHLETICS 222 KAREN ALHARDEN 

“We intended to create three competitive teams, and now we have six.

“So now we have boys soccer, two boys soccer, a girls soccer, a girls volleyball and a track and field.

The city support is also setting up a professional fund raising organization for all four public schools …. With part of the 355 thousand dollars used as seed money for that.

 

Do City Of Santa Monica Expense Accounts Cover Sacher Torte?  Two Officials About To Find Out

Why would four Santa Monica city officials use tax money to fly to Vienna … Austria to study public housing for homeless people?

One official is afraid that the reason is because Vienna Austria built large housing projects for homeless people at an airport that was shut down.

Santa Monica is closing its airport two.

An uproar over the trip has resulted in the city manager and planning director from Santa Monica cancelling their weeklong trip.

But no so two city council members … Gleam Davis and Caroline Torosis.

They will attend the study trip using their city travel funds and stipends to cover the cost … 78 hundred dollars plus airfare. 

The Santa Monica Lookout newspaper started asking questions about the trip … which apparently resulted in the city manager and planning director canceling.

Mayor Phil Brock told the newspaper that Vienna has a total area of 160 square miles, compared to 8.3 square miles for Santa Monica.

More than 60 percent of Vienna’s 2 million residents live in city-owned housing or state-subsidized, not-for-profit co-operatives.  

Santa Monica has nothing like that.

Brock said he is concerned Vienna could be used as a model for building housing at Santa Monica Airport after it closes at the end of 2028.

The Lookout newspaper quotes the mayor as saying he is … quoting …”still convinced Davis and Torosis are going to try to convert our airport to public housing, and we don’t want that,”