Newsom Passes Speed Cameras in Malibu – PCH Safety Pushes Forward, But Not Without A History of Pushback

Friday, the City of Malibu announced that Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 1297, co-authored by Senator Ben Allen and Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin, into law.

SB 1297 is a key component to turn the tide on what Governor Newsom described earlier this year as, “one of the most iconic drives in California, if not the world. But far too many have lost their lives along this corridor.”

The law authorizes the installation of speed feedback signs and speed enforcement cameras along the 21-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway within the city limits of Malibu.

While the City of Malibu was awaiting the Governor’s final approval on SB 1297, former mayor Steve Uhring said officials were already identifying vendors and locations for the speed cameras after the bill is signed.

The landmark legislation signed into effect by the Governor comes after years of ongoing delays by CalTrans, state and local city officials, whose engaged in political stonewalling of efforts to push forward with critical safety strategies to enhance safety on PCH.

According to Senator Ben Allen at the Emergency PCH Task Force meeting on November 14th, 2023, PCH was excluded from being considered for the pilot program AB645 for political reasons.

TRAGEDY TAKES A TOLL

On October 17th, 2023, at approximately 8:30 PM, 22-year-old Fraser Bohm’s red BMW spun out of control on PCH resulting in the quadruple homicide of four female Pepperdine Students.

Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir, and Deslyn Williams, Niamh Rolston, all seniors at the university’s Seaver College of Liberal Arts, were killed on impact.

Fraser Bohm, who was arraigned on four charges of murder and four charges of gross vehicular manslaughter, bonded out of Los Angeles County Inmate Housing Reception Center in Downtown Los Angles at approximately 8:31 PM.

Shortly after the tragic accident, Senator Ben Allen and Assemblywoman Irwin jumped into action to co-author SB 1297, narrowly tailored to the unique traffic and safety hazards on PCH.

Just days after the horrific accident, residents filled city hall pleading to city officials to find immediate solutions to decrease the dangers on PCH.

At the meeting, LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath announced that California Highway Patrol would increase their presence as a result of the deadly crash.

Malibu Daily News immediately contacted Captain of CHP West Valley, Denis Ford, to obtain details on how they would be increasing patrol in the aftermath of the horrific accident.

Captain Ford gave Malibu Daily News an explanation of the process:

“The subject of CHP performing a traffic enforcement function in the City of Malibu comes up every couple of years. CHP had the responsibility of traffic enforcement in Malibu until it became an incorporated city in the early 1990s. After that, the CHP Malibu Area was dissolved and traffic enforcement was contracted to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) along with all other law enforcement functions.

Currently, traffic enforcement in the city limits of Malibu is the jurisdiction of LASD. CHP can and does take enforcement action in the city limits, but not as part of a regular patrol function. Several miles of the city must be traveled by CHP officers in order to access CHP jurisdiction outside the city limits.

If the City of Malibu wishes CHP to provide traffic enforcement on a consistent basis, as 2400.6 VC states, a reimbursable services contract would need to be completed. CHP officers have been more visible in the area recently, I can confirm that. Our presence there is the result of my decision to augment LASD while they were dealing with the aftermath of last Tuesday’s horrific crash.

In the long run, the decision of bringing CHP back to Malibu rests with the Governor and is an expensive decision for the City.”

Upon learning the increased patrols were only temporary and not a permanent safety strategy for the dangerous conditions on PCH, Malibu Daily News asked Captain Ford if any City officials had inquired about the process to secure CHP full-time. The answer was no. Captain Ford was not in communication with any Malibu City officials to begin talks of a long-term contract to bring PCH back to Malibu full-time.

Malibu Daily News immediately contacted Mayor Steve Uhring, informing him that his staff at City Hall failed to immediately facilitate contract talks, despite the recent tragic accident that took four lives. Uhring immediately contacted Captain Ford, initiated and expedited the process of negotiating CHP services as a part of the overall safety strategies on PCH.

The tragedy stunned the Malibu community forcing the hand of local officials who had been previously impeded by bureaucratic red tape.

However, despite efforts by Senator Allen, Assembly Member Irwin, Mayor Steve Uhring and Council Member Bruce Silverstein to expedite safety measures on PCH as result of the tragedy, the pro-development majority council members, Paul Grisanti, Marianne Riggins, and Doug Stewart, voted down yet another opportunity to strengthen the City’s position to bypass CalTrans and expedite additional safety measures on PCH.

This was the second appeal by Mayor Uhring and council member Bruce Silverstein since the emergency ordinance was adopted at the November 13th City Council meeting shortly after the horrific crash.

The majority of immediate emergency traffic mitigation was on an already overburdened law enforcement due to a staffing crisis at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

After the tragic crash, additional CHP patrol cars and motors were temporarily on patrol, and subsequently contracted to begin service in January.

SEVEN YEARS TO SAFETY

To date, the City has invested approximately $39 million in traffic safety projects on PCH, including safety measures to prevent vehicle crashes and intersection improvements. An additional $8 million has been set aside for future safety projects.

The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Signal Synchronization Project, is the most significant measure to date to improve traffic safety and mobility on PCH. The project, in development for several years, finally began construction in December 2023 and slated for completion near the end of 2024.

The project will make PCH a safer “Smart Corridor” by installing communication lines between the existing traffic signals on PCH from Topanga Canyon Boulevard to John Tyler Drive to synchronize the signals to existing traffic conditions. It will allow signals to be controlled remotely by the Caltrans Traffic Management Center to lower traffic speeds and reduce congestion.

The $34.6 million project is fully funded through Measure R funds administered by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

PROMISE TO THE PEOPLE

Uhring and Silverstein who were elected in 2020, are currently running for re-election with PCH Safety as one of the important issues that faces the community.

Both council members have been the most active and vocal of city officials which has ultimately led to forward momentum in spite of the efforts to hold back essential emergency protocol by the pro-development council members Grisanti, Riggins, and Stewart.

Recently, council member Bruce Silverstein received an endorsement by Barry Stewart, the father of Pepperdine student Peyton Stewart, who was one of the four women killed in the crash last year: