City Of Malibu Draws Up Its Own Shopping List of 130 Immediate PCH Fixes

If Caltrans can’t come up with a list to fix PCH safety hazards … the City of Malibu has one.

That’s the essential message from the city … which has just published its own comprehensive list of traffic safety changes for PCH.

Public Works Director Rob DuBoux has drafted a list of 130 items … 

Coincidentally … Caltrans and the city drew up a list of 130 items back in 2015 … that mostly sat ignored.

Two months ago … Caltrans promised state legislators to conduct a comprehensive traffic safety audit on PCH immediately … 

But Caltrans engineers later said they can only audit 2 and a half miles of the 23 miles of PCH in city limits this year.

Now … the city public works director has told the city council exactly what and where improvements should be done.

Some small things 

Relocating bus stops.

Restriping there side off the road.

Adding bike lanes at signals.

Some of the city’s recommendations are major … things like realigning Westward beach Road with a new bridge at Zuma Creek … to clear up the tangle of intersections where fatal crashes have happened. 

State officials tells KBUU News that have been caught off guard by the city’s comprehensive traffic safety audit.

And they have not seen the city’s list of projects,

But in fairness … the local Caltrans office has hundreds of miles of highways and freeways to handle … while the city has one major street … PCH.

We will examine the city’s proposal for PCH over the next several days … bring you details on that.

The city council will mull overt the list next Monday.

 

Three Highway 1 Crashes In Malibu Area Leave One Dead, One Critically Injured

At least two PCH major crashes to report this morning.

We got late news Friday … about a drunk driver causing a three car smashup at PCH at Las Flores Canyon Road.

One person was criticality injured … described as in critical condition with life-threatening injuries.

That person was airlifted from the scene.

One other person incurred minor injuries.

Video from the scene showed one overturned vehicle mangled so badly … that firefighters had to use heavy hydraulic equipment to break into the wreckage to save one person.

Sheriff’s deputies arrested one driver … for drunk driving … and said he was already facing DUI charges from another incident.

That was Thursday.

On Saturday night … there was a serious crash on PCH on Los Angeles … near pacific Palisades.

LAPD has not released any information from that one.

And then in Santa Monica … a woman pushing a cart was struck and killed early Saturday morning by a vehicle.

The crash was at 1:50 a.m. on Lincoln Boulevard a block south of Ocean park Blvd

A vehicle heading south on Lincoln Boulevard struck a woman in her 50s who was pushing a cart, police said.

She was pronounced dead at the scene and appeared to be homeless.

The motorist stayed at the location and cooperated with police, who said there were no signs of impairment.

 

Cornucopia Farmer’s Market Almost Leaves Park, Almost Crosses The Road

The Malibu Farmers Market almost moved out of Legacy Park yesterday.

But not back across the street and into the library parking lot.

Almost all of the stalls at yesterday’s Farmer’s Market were in the street … just Ione vegetable monger was in Legacy Park.

The boss … Debra Bianco … says she is still waiting for the LA County Fire Department to approve his map for the Library Parking Lot.

She says the stalls will be moved into the parking lot in a week or two.

The city of Malibu does not comment on zoning violations.

But the city has reportedly leveled thousands of dollars in fines against the Cornucopia Foundation … the nonprofit company that has the city permit for a farmers market in the library parking lot.

The city allowed Bianco to operate out of Legacy Park for more than a year .. while the parking lot was occupied by construction for the new Santa Monica college buildings. 

The land under the park has a valid and binding deed restriction … that prohibits commercial activity in the park.

And the man who holds that deed looked the other way … while the park was temporarily used for the market.

He wants the park returned to park use … as is his legal right. 

The city … stuck in the middle… has ordered the Farmers Market out,

And it has fined Cornucopia for operating without permits.

Bianco has asked the city to waive the fines … but it is not clear if the city council has the legal ability to do that.

It would reimburse Cornucopia the amount … but that may jeopardize the city’s deed for the park.

‘That iis a 35 million dollar gamble for the city council to consider.

Bianco told KBUU News yesterday she will comply with the city orders .. just as soon as the fire department okays her map.

City officials agave been telling Bianco for more than a year to get that done. 

Stay tuned.

 

Mountain Lion Raids Chicken Coop, Returns To Bite And Claw Miniature Pony

A miniature pony was mauled by a mountain lion late last week at a ranch above Paradise Cove.

The pony was one of two equines living in a paddock with a high fence … above Ramirez Canyon and West Winding Way.

The property is called Rancho del Cielo … its owner is Sparky Greene.

NEWSCART B70024 SPARKY ONE 

“Tuesday morning, we discovered the cat had gotten into my chickens, and the chicken coop is pretty well fortified. We’ve never had a problem with anything, any kind of intrusion with anything. But the cat just ripped through the hardware cloth, and it was pretty dramatic. It left absolutely nothing the chickens were gone.

“Then on Thursday morning, I discovered – and it’s quite a distance away on my property – at least a quarter-mile away – my pony had some serious bites and claw lacerations.”

A State Fish and Wildlife biologist investigated … confirms it was a mountain lion … and has met with the horse owner. 

Jessica West is the state game agent who responded to the mauled horse.

NEWSCART B700023 CFW 33 

“Nothing in particular will be done with this particular lion. Really, our approach in these incidents is to work with that person who experienced the property damage or depredation as it’s also referred to in this department. 

“Kind of work with them to prevent it from happening again, because something important to consider is that is that, even if it was just as one lion, if that lion does eventually move on, there’s always a potential for another mountain line to take its place or show up in the area.

“So it’s really trying to do things from a holistic standpoint, and realize that there are always going to be lions in this area.”

The state wildlife ranger tells KBUU the fact is … mountain lions are here in the Santa Monica Mountains … they attack sheep and goats and sometimes horses … and the only thing the state can do is work with owners to prevent future attacks.

NEWSCART B70022 MTNLION STATE 

“Really it’s about trying to find out about what it happened, who actually found the animals, had anyone actually seen the incident occur, did anyone actually see the mountain lion???  And then, at that point try to see the animal housing practices, to find out if they have any form of fully enclosed shelter infrastructure.”

The state biologist says she met with the owner … Sparky Greene.

He’s in the process of building a cougar-proof corral … while the pony is healing at a vet.

NEWSCART B70001 MTNLION PROACTIVE 

“I checked out his exposures with a really great discussion about preventative measures going forward. He was really wonderful to work with, he had already taken some good proactive steps.”

Jessica West … a biologist with California Department of Fish and Wildlife. 

They are in charge of wildlife in the Santa Monica Mountains  … although it’s the national Park Service that is doing research on the 25 to 30 mountain lions roaming around up there.

Dog owners … chicken owners … anyone with animals needs to be aware that all of Malibu … all the way down to the beach … is mountain lion country.

Up at Rancho el Cielo. … Sparky Green says he’s been up in the mountains for three decades and has never had a mountain lion get into his critters.

NEWSCART B70025 SPARKY 22 

“This has been a tremendous learning experience, because what I thought might have been secure, is not secure. A mountain lion can lead from just a standstill up to 15 feet high. 

“So what’s gonna be necessary as I’m going to need to have a place at night close to enclose the horses… basically stalls that are completely enclosed. 

“What is really clear is that … we don’t have our livestock or animals really properly secured … we are inviting problems. 

“And it’s really an invitation for the wildlife to come in and have breakfast or dinner. 

 

SCOTUS To Review Grants Pass and Boise Lower Court Decisions On Homeless Crimes

Police in Malibu … California ;… all across the western United States have been working under an interpretation of the U-S Constitution that prohibits the arrest of people simply for being homeless.

The Ninth Circuit Court … in a pair of decisions from Boise and Grants pass Oregon … has rule that the Constitution prohibits people from being charged with crimes for begin homeless.

Local sheriff’s deputies say the Boise decision has tied their hands … leaving them to rely on persuasion and social workers to try 

On Friday ,… the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to decide whether homeless people have a right to camp on public property.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom finds himself in the unusual position of hoping the conservative high court will overrule the generally more liberal Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Newsom hopes to aggressively act against homeless encampments.

The governor says “California has invested billions to address homelessness, but rulings from the bench have tied the hands of state and local governments to address this issue,” 

“The Supreme Court can now correct course and end the costly delays from lawsuits that have plagued our efforts to clear encampments and deliver services to those in need.”

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Wood burning ban in effect for Malibu.

Unless your wood stove is your only source of heat …