Standoff With Crazed Man In VW Bus Closes PCH  For 8 Hours, After Street Racing On PCH

An eight hour standoff between sheriffs deputies and a guy in a VW bus on Pacific Coast Highway ended this morning with the man being arrested.

It appears that the barricades situation was not related to the large amount of street racing and sheriff’s deputies last night in Western Malibu, or a traffic crash at PCH and Enconal Canyon Road at 10:30 Tuesday night.  Details on those developments were not available as of midday today.

At the standoff, PCH was closed for eight hours, between Point Dume and Zuma Beach.  This caused a huge traffic jam on the point’s residential streets … as motorists manvigated the only detour available: Westward Beach Road, Birdview Avenue, Bluewater Road, Dume Drive, and Heathercliff Road. 

This all began with an attempt at a traffic stop this morning at 1 o’clock.  LA County Sheriff’s deputies tried to pull over the van as it was chugging up the hill from from the Zuma Beach area up towards Heathercliff Road.

If you know anything about VW vans, they don’t speed, so this was probably a low speed pursuit. 

The guy pulled over near the old Zuma Sushi location, and disobeyed commands to exit the vehicle.  

Instead, he discharged a fire extinguisher at the deputy through the window.  Then he popped up the camper’s top and started throwing stuff out onto the highway.

Helicopter video showed the guy smoking some sort of vape device and possibly inhaling spray paint to get high. And the guy was gesturing wildly at the deputies. 

By sunrise … the local deputies had called in the sheriff’s negotiating team and armored Bearcat vehicles … which were spotting driving around the VW blocvkaghe using the Point Dume streets. 

Negotiators were able to take the man into custody just before 8:45, and the road reopened at about 9 o’clock .

The man was reportedly a parole violator and may have been wanted on other charges.

All this happened in the aftermath  some major street – and a possibly racing-related crash on PCH hours earlier, on Tuesday night.

Residents reported hearing numerous vehicles racing on the highway during the nine and 10 o’clock hours.  That’s not unusual … but last night they heard sirens and heard helicopters. 

The crash occurred at about the same time, at about 1030 Tuesday night at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway at Encinal Canyon Road. 

A fire paramedic helicopter was landed at Zuma Beach in case somebody had been injured badly enough to need medical evacuation … from that crash at Pacific Coast Highway and Encinal Canyon Road last night.

Deputies are still sorting all this out, and it is not clear if that crash was related to the racing and the attempt to pull people over further east in Malibu.  We have been trying to get information about this crash all morning, but sheriff were quite concerned and preoccupied with the barricades situation happening on Pacific Coast Highway.

Planning Commissioner Calls ‘Bullshit’ On Political Ally, Stomps Out Of Meeting

This story was first posted late in the day Tuesday, but first aired Wednesday.  Please note the word “bullshit” was bleeped on the air, per federal obscenity law as set by the Supreme Court. 

More signs of government disfunction this week at Malibu City Hall. 

During the four hour long meeting .. planning commissioner Kraig Hill angrily stomped out after Commission Chair John Mazza told him to stop making comments on the plan.

It was late into the meeting … here’s what went down… during the long discussion about state requirements for Malibu to provide affordable housing. 

70050 BULLSHIT

CITY CONSULTANT:  “back to be invalid in the fifth housing development…

MAZZA:  “OK. What;’s your next item?”

HILL: ”OK. Let’s talk about who were are counting as affordable or low income….”

MAZZA, INTERRUPTING:  “No no no no no, Kraig. They have a limit …”

HILL, INTERRUPTING AND SHOUTING:   “John, I have things I want to say here. ”

MAZZA, STAMMERING: “You do not … You get called on.”

HILL, SHOUTING  AND GATHERING HIS PAPERS: “I am going home.  Thanks everybody.”

MAZZA: “See ya, Kraig,

HILL:, SHOUTING:  “This is bullshit. Seriously ”

MAZZA:  “We have to do our job.”

HILL, WALKING OUT: “Good night everybody.

MAZZA: “Good night Kraig.”

Kraig Hill And John Mazza … usually two political allies … at Monday’s night’s Planning Commission.

At a meeting with the city’s insurance carrier this week … the Malibu city council was told it needs decorum rules for its meetings … and for its appointed commissions.

The city has. … in 33 years … never managed to write itself rules of conduct.

A city council subcommittee is working on that issue … but so far … members Bruce Silverstein and Doug Stewart have not managed to come up with any proposed language. 

And even if there are rules …. It would be up to the city council to enforce them.

City Employee Who Fled Malibu Amidst Alleged City Harassment Takes Job In Lomita

The former assistant city planner who triggered the latest crisis at Malibu City Hall has apparently resigned and taken a job at the City of Lomita.

Adrian Fernandez reportedly quit after he says he was harassed by city council members … and threatened by members of the public …. over his handling of a rezoning report for a controversial hotel proposed near Malibu Pier. 

The hotel was rejected by the city council.

Fernandez has gone public with accusations of racism … and other forms of discrimination … from city council members Bruce Silverstein and Steve Uhring.

Silverstein and Uhring say they have not been abusive … but merely pointed out a poor job on the staff analysis of the proposed motel.

And objectively … it was a very poor job.

But the personal attacks on the city employee were improper … as they were in open session … according to other city council members.

And other city employees have also said it was harassment and a violation of privacy.

And the city’s insurance carrier has reportedly told Mallbu that it may not get covered should city employees file lawsuits … alleging abuse and invasion of privacy. 

Santa Monica Surveys Road Speeds, Will Reduce Speed Limits On 47 Streets (But Not PCH)

The mounting death toll from traffic crashes in Santa Monica is going to result in a citywide reduction in speed limits. 

The Santa Monica City Council is going to consider reducing speed limits along 31 miles of city streets …. next Tuesday.

Not included in that is the deadly section of pacific coast Highway … where at least three people have been killed this summer. 

Santa Monica has just done its first speed radar survey in 10 years … measuring average speeds along every street in the city.

And on 47 different sections of major streets … and smaller streets near schools … lower speed limits are allowed 

One small section of street … the California Incline … would see the speed limit increase, from 25 to 30 mph.

Fatal and severe injury crashes involving cyclists and pedestrians in Santa Monica have increased in each of the past three years … 

This … despite major investments in traffic safety. 

Last year, 39 people were severely injured or killed in local traffic accidents,

The total number of accidents resulting in severe injuries and deaths was the highest since 43 were reported in 2019 and the second highest since at least 2010, the first year counts were provided.

The 47 speed limit changes in Santa Monica do not include pacific Coast Highway or the santa Monica Freeway. 

And this story is based on reporting in the Santa Monica Lookout newspaper. 

Malibu’s Most Famous Tax Defendant Charges Political Bias In Federal Court

Malibu resident Hunter Biden is not expected to be in LA federal court for today’s status conference for his federal tax evasion charge. 

The president’s son is accused of failing to pay more than $1.4 million in taxes.

Biden had attempted to accept a plea bargain in the case … because he has already admitted to the crime and paid back taxes plus penalties. 

That set off a poliitical firestorm on the right wing … and the plea deal was revoked by a federal judge who had been appointed to his job by Donald Trump.

President Joe Biden’s son is expected to go on trial next month on nine tax-related counts, including three felony counts and six misdemeanor counts of failure to pay taxes.

U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi is a Donald Trump appointee who is overseeing the trial.

This week … re rejected Biden’s request to dismiss the case because the Supreme Court … in a ruling favoring Donald Trump … held that special prosecutors do not have standing to bring charges. 

Hunter Biden’s lawyers argue that the case was brought “in direct response to political pressure.”

City Of LA Promises To Do Better At Massive SM Bay Sewage Plant

The city of Los Angeles will pay more than 20 million dollars to improve its gigantic sewage plant on Santa Monica Bay … according to an agreement with the federal Environmental Protection Agency that was reported by the Los Angeles Times. 

This comes three years after a major series of blunders sent millions of gallons of raw sewage into the facility’s control room … parking lot … and adjacent ocean.

It’s a settlement with federal prosecutors that was announced yesterday.

Federal prosecutors allege that the sewage spill “resulted from the city of Los Angeles’ failure to adequately staff Hyperion, train its employees at Hyperion and/or maintain Hyperion’s equipment.”

The city of LA does not concede these points.  A city official says officials are committed to “completing more than $20 million in planned capital improvements at the plant.”

The new agreement also requires yearly audits of Hyperion by an independent, third party, and increasing the number of water testing sites in Santa Monica Bay.

Several miles of beaches in the Manhattan Beach to Dockweiler beach area were closed when the sewage gushed out. 

This story is based on reporting by the Los Angeles Times.