As of 9:30 am, March 12. the two southbound lanes of Pacific Coast Hioghway at Big Rock in Malibu are open and the northbound traffic is using the median. K-rail barriers have been put in place as the rock slide still remains active with rocks and dirt falling onto the northbound lanes of the road.

Proceed with caution, watch for workers and work vehicles in the road.



For more info on road closures & conditions, Click Here.

The Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) will conduct a Bike & Pedestrian Safety Enforcement Operation with focused enforcement efforts on primary collision factors involving motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists.

The Police Department identifies locations where pedestrian and bike collisions are prevalent, along with the violations that led to those collisions. Traffic officers will be on duty patrolling areas where bike and pedestrian traffic and collisions occur in an effort to lower deaths and injuries. Officers will be looking for violations committed by drivers, bike riders and pedestrians alike that can lead to life changing injuries. These violations include speeding, making illegal turns, failing to yield or provide right of way to bicyclists or pedestrians, or failing to stop for signs and signals.

These extra enforcement efforts will take place on Thursday, March 14th and Friday, March 15th, 2024 between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.

“We all have places to be and not everyone gets there by car. Bicyclists and pedestrians have the same rights to the road but face even more risk without the protections vehicles have. We should all be looking out for one another.”

Pedestrians

· Be predictable. Use crosswalks, when available.

· Take notice of approaching vehicles and practice due care.

· Do not walk or run into the path of a vehicle. At 30 mph, a driver needs at least 90 feet to stop.

· Be visible. Make it easy for drivers to see you – wear light colors, reflective material and carry a flashlight, particularly at dawn, dusk or at night.

· Be extra careful crossing streets or entering crosswalks at night when it is harder to see, or when crossing busier streets with more lanes and higher speed limits.

Drivers

· Follow the speed limit and slow down at intersections. Be prepared to stop for pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks.

· Avoid blocking crosswalks while waiting to make a right-hand turn.

· Never drive impaired.

Bicyclists

· Obey traffic laws, use hand signals, use lights at night (front white light and rear red reflector), and wear a helmet.

· Bicyclists must travel in the same direction of traffic and have the same requirements as any slow-moving vehicle.

· Avoid the door zone: do not ride too closely to parked cars.

· If there’s a bike lane, use it, unless making a left turn, passing, or approaching a place where a right turn is allowed.

· Yield to pedestrians. Bicyclists must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians within marked crosswalks or within unmarked crosswalks at intersections. 

🚧Topanga Cyn Blvd 🚧 Remains closed between Pafic Coast Highway and Town of Topanga. Both lanes are blocked by a rock slide. Duration of closure is unknown. Caltrans estimates the closure will last inton next week.

Rockslide closes Pacific Coast Highway in both directions at Big early Monday morning. Crews cleared most of it, but ricks keep tumbling down, so there is no estimated time that the highway will be opened.

Marine and Surf Hazards through Friday. High Surf Advisories in effect for the Central Coast with breakers of 10-16 feet. Elevated surf of 4-7 feet for west facing beaches of LA/Ventura counties.

Danny Slant interviews Penmar Park Venice neighbor Tina, whose car was recently stolen from her driveway, and then Tina with her friend Mikey, tracked down her stolen car, it was parked two blocks away at the Encampment in Penmar Park - Rose Ave. They waited to see who would come along and two homeless people , a Caucasian male and Caucasian female - both homeless living in a van and tent next to Penmar Park, walked up to the car and then got inside to go drive off again. Tina and her friend held them for the police, but the man got away. LAPD took the female into custody, but she was released less than 6 hours later, and then quickly returned back in the homeless encampment in the park. Tina notices other belongings in the car, and found Identification from another Venice resident less than 1/2 mile away, that other resident had her car broken into , and they used Tina's stolen car as the get away vehicle. That woman has $15,000 worth of professional camera equipment stolen. The homeless suspects sold that camera equipment at the gas station in Venice , some patron getting gas bought it off them for only $200 , please people if there is merchandise being sold for about 5% of what it's actually worth by people in masks at a gas station, you know it's stolen, stop buying it off them. Then a person in Fresno California came across the stolen cameras and got them back to the lady in Venice. BUT we are still trying to find the stolen home movies from Tina , they were in a bag in the back of her car, they are 8 mm millimeter home movies from the 60's and 70's and she was going to have them professionally transferred over to digital format. If anybody in Venice or anywhere else locates these 8mm home movies, please get in touch with Danny Slant, so I can return them to Tina.

Penmar Park Venice California it's been a hot spot of many homeless RV and tent campers who have tried to make a permanent place to camp in their tents , RVs and vehicles. Since the City of LA doesn't have a comprehensive plan for addressing RV dwellers , other than usually ignoring all their infractions and letting them just sit for months at a time. Keep informing your local councilperson that you want a comprehensive plan for the entire city of Los Angeles - No RV parking on city streets and No Camping in Public spaces

Saturday, March 9, Topanga Canyon Blvd - State Route 27 is *closed* in both directions between Pacific Coast Hwy & Grand View Dr. for slide removal. Duration of closure is unknown.



For more info on road closures & conditions, Click Here.

From Santa Monica Close Up:

"A collision at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Windward Avenue drew the response of Los Angeles firefighters and police officers on Friday, following reports of a man, appearing to be homeless and in a wheelchair with a cast on his foot, being hit by a truck. The incident sparked confusion and differing accounts from those involved.

The driver of the truck involved in the incident claimed he did not see the man prior to the collision. However, a witness at the scene suggested that the collision may have been intentional on the part of the individual in the wheelchair, alleging that he purposely maneuvered into the path of the truck.

Following the incident, the truck driver stopped to check on the man's well-being, at which point, according to the driver, the man in the wheelchair requested the purchase of a beer. The truck driver declined the request and instead opted to call emergency services. Responding firefighters arrived at the scene shortly thereafter, but the man in the wheelchair refused any medical services offered and proceeded to leave the area under his own power.

Firefighters then vacated the scene upon the arrival of the police, relaying the details of the encounter. The police initiated an investigation into the incident. The truck driver further mentioned that an individual associated with a nearby business claimed that the man in the wheelchair has been involved in similar incidents previously.

Authorities are currently investigating the matter to ascertain the specifics of the incident and to determine the appropriate course of action. The situation remains under review, and further details will be released as they become available."



Santa Monica Close Up is a photo blog by Santa Monica based Photojournalist/Press photographer Fabian Lewkowicz. Fabian is the former staff photographer for the Santa Monica Daily Observer Press, Santa Monica Mirror, Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Corsair.

In 2018, the Las Virgenes - Conejo region was ravaged by the deadly Woolsey Fire. Fueled by fierce Santa Ana winds and a drought parched landscape, these adverse conditions created the perfect storm for the development of a massive inferno. The Woolsey Fire torched two-thirds of the LVMWD service area igniting in the hills of Chatsworth and marching to the shores of the Pacific. For the five-year anniversary, LVMWD 's Mike McNutt sat down with elected officials, public safety officers from the LA County Sheriff and Fire Departments and LVMWD staff to ponder and reflect upon the physical and emotional impact those precarious days in November 2018 had on the communities of the Las Virgenes - Conejo region. Premiering on March 7, 2024, this is the story of how those communities came together in the face of flames, adversity, and panic, and how those memories will never be forgotten.