LOCAL NEWS Malibu Search and Rescue responds to vehicle over the side on Las Flores

The driver, who SAR said swerved to avoid a co ote, su ered minor injuries in the Sunday morning incident e Malibu Search and Rescue responded to a vehicle over the side on Las Flores on Sunday, March 12. e incident occurred early in the morning. Malibu SAR said the driver swerved to avoid a coyote. e Los Angeles Sheri ’s Department and LA County Fire Department also responded to the incident. e victim su ered minor injuries. When an animal runs out in front of their vehicle, many drivers rst reaction may be to swerve to avoid it —don’t. Swerving can cause you to lose control, drive o the road into the ditch, or across oncoming lanes.

SAR Team Leader and Public Informa- tion O cer David Katz said over the years they have had several cars go over the side of cli s on narrow mountain roads, and the drivers state they swerved to avoid a coyote, but they can’t con rm that in every case.

“We’ve never actually witnessed this as being the case so we can’t verify if that’s actually what happened, and we are usually a bit skeptical about this explanation given the lack of skid marks consistent with avoiding an animal,” Katz said. “But, if the choice is an accident on a narrow canyon road vs hitting the animal, the choice to most would be clear. Avoid the accident by all means necessary. In this particular incident, the driver was extremely lucky to walk away with only minor injuries as the vehicle ipped multiple times down a steep cli .” e Malibu Search and Rescue is an all-volunteer organization comprised of the Los Angeles County Sheri ’s Department Reserve Deputy Sheri , civilian volunteer specialists, and incident support personnel. e MSAR jurisdiction is 187 square miles of the Santa Monica Mountains from the Los Angeles/Ventura County line to Paci c Palisades, the east face of the Santa Susana Mountains, and the contract cities of Westlake Village, Agoura Hills, Malibu, Calabasas, and Hidden Hills. ey can also be sent anywhere in Los Angeles County to assist other LASD teams.

Malibu Arts Commission addresses Malibu Arts Center results

Commissioners propose to name the Malibu Arts Center after longtime resident and actor Dick Van Dyke

The Malibu Arts Commission reviewed the Malibu Arts Center survey results on Feb. 28 and received 512 responses; 441 responses were from Malibu residents; 383 were from full-time

Malibu residents; 51 percent were from individuals over the age of 60.

The survey was collected from Dec. 6 through Feb. 6. Ninety-five percent of responses want an arts center in Malibu. Eighty-six percent want a theatre/auditorium; 78 percent want a film and screen; 71 percent want an art gallery; 65 percent want an event space; and 52 percent want an art studio.

As for operating the arts center, 214 respondents were in favor of a nonprofit with board members; 194 of respondents were in favor of the city with oversight by the commission.

Acting Community Service Director Kristin Riesgo said the next step would be to provide a recommendation to City Council and hope to add their 2023-2024 work plan.

Riesgo said City Council will have a special meeting on March 22 and will review work plan prioritizes.

Malibu Arts Commissioner Vice Chair Fireball Tim Lawrence said he has spoken to City Council members Doug Stewart and Paul Grisianti and said in an effort to encourage an arts center, he proposes to name the arts center after longtime Malibu resident and actor Dick Van Dyke.

“I think that this could solidify the direction and the desire for the community to have this and that’s to attach Dick Van Dyke’s name to the Arts Center,” Lawrence said. “I don’t think there’s a person on the plant that doesn’t love what Dick has done in his career and what he has done for this community in many ways.”

Commissioners agreed with naming the Arts Center after him.

During public comment, Planning Commissioner John Mazza addressed the survey and said

Planning consultations and rebuild resources

The Fire Rebuild team is available Monday through Friday at City Hall for complimentary one-on-one consultations about any fire rebuild project. Contact Aakash Shah at ashah@malibucity.org to set an appointment for a meeting by phone or online. For ideas about how to get started with your project, as well as numerous handouts, forms and resources, visit the Rebuild webpage at Malibucity.org/rebuilds.

Night-time lane closure on PCH from Big Rock to Tuna Canyon

The right northbound and southbound lanes of PCH will the survey doesn’t cover the entire Malibu population.

“We can’t force people to do the survey, we can’t control how many people do it, the best we can do as a commission, is put out there a general what it is that people want, and the response that we got is not from everybody, but we can’t move forward without anything, there’s no way to do a survey and get everyone’s opinion in Malibu,” Lawrence said. “We’re a Hollywood town that has no theater, no movie theatre — none of that, and we want to bring that back; and we felt that putting out a survey was a smart direction to go.” be closed from Big Rock Drive to Tuna Canyon Road weekdays, 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., through approximately March 23 for Southern California Gas Company gas line repair work. e work is required to enable Caltrans to proceed with slope restoration work on the coastal side of PCH south of Big Rock Drive. Crews will replace and relocate two steel gas lines, requiring digging a trench that will be covered by a steel plate during the day. Some daytime work may be required. Residents and businesses near the work site may notice noise, vibrations and dust. Be sure to check Quickmaps, LA County Public Works road closures map or other apps or websites for trafc information before getting on the road.

Night-time lane closures on PCH in various locations for pavement

Mazza said the Arts Commission needs to push the proposal and get “general acceptance.”

Commissioner Julia Holland said the survey was an initial survey until the council does a real survey.

“I know I was admin about it but I said ‘let’s just do one,’ just to get the conversation out there and get peoples awareness and I feel like we accomplished that,” Holland said.

For staff updates, Riesgo said the upcoming items include the City Council’s review of the commission’s mid-year report and commission assessments for fiscal year 2023-2024.

Caltrans’ closure of one lane of PCH at various locations from Malibu Lagoon Bridge to Corral Canyon Road in Malibu for nighttime pavement repair work began March 13 and will continue through late May. Work hours are Monday through Friday, 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. e schedule is weather-permitting and subject to change. e project involves removing and replacing damaged pavement and installing new lane striping, which will increase the life of the roadway and provide a smoother ride. Residents and businesses in the vicinity can expect noise, dust, and lights. Changeable message signs will be in place. Caltrans will post updates on Twitter at @CaltransDist7. ose without a Twitter account can see the information online at https://twitter.com/caltransdist7. Please drive cautiously, and watch for workers and work vehicles in and around the roadway. Under California law, tra c nes are doubled in construction zones.