Roundabout Vote Today At 2 At City Council

The controversial issue of roundabouts and lane reductions on Pacific Coast Highway goes before the Malibu City Council today.

In an unusual 2 o’clock meeting … the city council will decide on a plan from traffic engineers to change the 55 mile per hour almost-freeway … into a curvy city street … with a 25 mile an hour design speed. 

Opponents are aghast.

They say it will create a massive traffic jam the next time Malibu needs to evacuate during a fire.

Michel Shane is the traffic safety crusader campaigning for the traffic circles.

He says the first responders will direct escaping traffic out.

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“You can drive over it, and the police will open up the lanes. 

“They learned from everything. “They learned from Woolsey that the big mistake they made was keeping the other lanes coming into the Malibu empty.

“That’s never going to happen again.”

Other opponents say they are not opposed to traffic circies in general … just traffic circles out in western Malibu … where the road is straight and cross traffic is light. 

Here are some of the oponents’ letters … as voiced by a KBUU reporter. 

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“I could see them working well in the eastern part of Malibu which is more dense and more deadly.”

“My concern is that these unnecessary interventions, once placed, will become permanent fixtures.”

“Please don’t make West Malibu a test site.”

“Where are the engineering studies showing the need for these changes??”

“Where are the traffic counts and records of accidents for the Encinal/PCH intersection??”

Other objections include people who don’t want a half mile of one lane traffic in Western Malibu. 

They see that as an excuse to increase beach parking … and oh by the way increase the use by creating a pedestrian magnet. 

The roundabout markings would be mostly paint and signs … but there would be plastic bumps and ridges bolted into the pavement. 

Those will wear out and have to be removed in a year or so … regardless of wether the city and Caltrans decide to make the roundabouts permanent, 

Michel Shane.

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“With all the argument going back-and-forth, everyone seems to forget that this is a test to learn from it. That’s one thing you gotta take away from this is … that it’s a test to learn from..”

But it would be a change … a drastic change … to PCH.

Some people cannot approve change.  Some people just want something … anything … done to reduce the death toll.

The meeting is at 2 today at Malibu City Hall. 

There is also an appeal of a house approved for an ocean bluff in the same location … PCH at Encinal Canyon … on the agenda.

Surprise! Caltrans Board Meets This Week At Malibu City Hall

The most powerful state agency you’ve never heard of Will be meeting in Malibu today tomorrow and Friday. We’re talking about the California state transportation commission … the 13 appointed people who allocate funds and set policy for the State Department of Transportation … better known as Caltrans.

The California Transportation Commission allocates major funds for every single state highway, passenger rail, transit and active transportation improvements in the entire state. 

The also formulate and evaluate overall state policies and plans for California’s transportation programs.

Don’t like the speed limits on PCH?  Talk to the state transportation commission. 

And of all random things … the State Transportation Commission this month will hold its meeting … at Malibu City Hall.

The commissioners will be touring the Malibu area and the Agoura Hills area … of all things … at the exact same time that the Malibu city council will be voting on the Caltrans roundabouts on PCH in western Malibu.

Their business sessions … they have 147 items on the agenda this month … will be tomorrow and Friday … at Malibu City Hall. 

No items at or near Malibu this month … for the state Transportation Commission.

The public comment period is the very last thing on the agenda … Friday morning … at the Malibu City Hall. 

Rebecca Grossman Loses Appeal To Get Out Of Murder 2 Convictions

The state Court of Appeal yesterday upheld the murder convictions of a prominent socialite from just over the hill. 

Rebecca Grossman had argued that she wasn’t;t guilty of second degree murder for wiping out part of a family as they crossed a street in Westlake Village … as she played vehicular games with her boyfriend. 

Grossman’s attorney had tried to convince the appeals court panel that the socialite should have been convicted of manslaughter, rather than second-degree murder.

The jury did not buy that … and neither did the panel of judges,. , for the 2020 deaths of two young brothers as they were walking with their family in a Westlake Village marked crosswalk.

Grossman remains in prison for killing 11-year-old Mark Iskander and his brother, 8-year-old Jacob. 

The boys’mother … Nancy Iskander … interviewed yesterday by ABC7.

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“My initial reaction was of course grateful and thankful, right?

“It’s something we’ve been praying for. 

“It’s another step for me to take my family and move on and moving on without the boys is still something that I struggle with every day.”

The Islander wife and husband were crossing the street with the four children … in a crosswalk .. when the speeding cars plowed into them.

Grossman kept driving until her damaged car shut itself off … down the road. 

The Grossman’s are being sued for significant damages by the islanders … the trial is coming soon.

The couple have been caught in the act of trying to hide their financial assets.

Grossman was sentenced to 15 years to life last year for their deaths.

She is the wife of renowned plastic surgeon Peter Grossman.

Man Killed In Palisades Highlands Condo Common Area

A dead man was discovered in the driveway of a condominium complex in Palisades Highlands yesterday.

It was first reported as a hit and run … but after investigation … that has been changed to a homicide. 

The body was so in the 17100 block of Palisades Circle, near a complex of townhomes, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

LA County Proposes Takeover Of Regional Brush Removal Oversight

L A County is studying the creation of a joint powers authority … a superagency … to take over fire reduction efforts in the Santa Monica Mountains.

In essence … it would give the LA County and the Fire Department much more control over the alphabet soup of government agencies that current ly manage fire prevention in the mountains above Malibu.

County supervisor Lindsay Horvath tells KBUU … the Joint Powers Authority would have oversight of all of the city county and state government fire prevention policies in the Santa Monica Mountains.

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“We know what the impact of the fires ha ve been historically, and we know that there will be fires again in the future.

“So working across jurisdictions to adopt preventative measures, to make sure that we’re investing in meaningful infrastructure and working collaboratively to protect all of our region, is important.

“So creating this JPA sets the table for all of us to have those important conversations on the ‘how,’ and it creates an opportunity for us to work together and make investments in th is kind of protection … vegetation management what have you … to make sure that our region is as protected as possible.”

REPORTER: “So would this JPA have control over things like the MRCA, the city of Malibu? Things like all these different subdivisions of government that we have?”

HORVATH: “The goal is to create the table so that we, the Joint Powers Authority, would have the authority to direct each of those actors that you mentioned.

“And that all actors in the region show up and participate to keep our region safe.”

County supervisor Lindsey Horvath tells KBUU the Joint Powers Authority could force the MRCA or California state parks to do control burns, or maybe even hire goats, to prevent fires in the Malibu area.

“We could hire goats.

“We know that we are going to be doing some prescribed burns.

“We are going to be employing a lot of different interventions because we have to. We have to keep our community safe.”

County supervisor Lindsay Horvath … interviewed yesterday by KBUU.

One Malibu city council member … Doug Stewart … says he was briefed on the joint powers authrotuy concept yesterday,

He says local and state governments have a much more aggressive view toward wildfire prevention today … than there was a few years ago.

State Wants To Turn Over 7 Percent Of Its Beaches To Native Americans

Could portions of the Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu coastline be turned over to the control of Native American tribes??

It’s a distinct new possibility.

The state of California yesterday unveiled a plan to bring at least 7.5 million acres of land and coastal waters under the care of Indigenous tribes.

The LA Times reports that represents roughly 7% of the state’s land and coastline. 

Why seven percent?

The federal government promised to turn 7 percerntof California coastline over to Indigenous tribes for reservations … when California joined the union in 1850.

Congress ultimately rejected these treaties even though the Native Americans  upheld their end of the agreement to relocate.

In Los Angeles County … the state owns just a tiny percentage of of coastal land … almost all of it in Malibu.

The new state policy requires California to hand over ownership of state land to tribes if requested …. Or at the least … let tribes participate in managing the land. 

State parks are included … such as the state parks along Malibu Creek … and on the beaches at Malibu Lagoon and in the Point Mugu area. 

Supermarket Rumors Denied By Chains

Rumors sweeping the internet yesterday that a supermarket chain was closing its store in Malibu.

We checked with Kroger ,… they have no plans to close Ralphs.

We checked with Albertsons … they have no plans to close Pavilions. 

The other chain … Whole Foods … was not available. 

Of course … news items like this always start with rumors… 

And sometimes they come true.

We will keep you posted.

Malibu May Sneak Out Of Heat Wave With Fogbank

The hottest day of the week will be today on the beaches …. With highs of 83 forecast.

But in the inland mountains … tomorrow and Friday will actually be hotter.

The San Fernando Valley may hit 103 Friday Friday.

With the ocean 62° at Malibu … huge crowds can be expected.

And tomorrow morning … dense fog may form.

This weekend … temperatures will drop significantly.

Next week … cooler but still above normal.