Malibu’s City Council is keeping its local emergency in place for the city’s stretch of Pacific Coast Highway, tossing out bids for a storm-drain repair that turned out to be in far worse shape than expected, and letting a separate fire-risk emergency quietly expire as conditions improve. The decisions keep extra coordination and purchasing powers in place while engineers redo the drainage plan and state agencies press ahead with long-term safety upgrades on PCH.
Council Extends PCH Emergency, Citing Grim Crash Numbers
The council unanimously voted to extend the PCH emergency declaration, first adopted after the October 2023 crash that killed four Pepperdine students, to preserve expedited coordination with state agencies. According to the City of Malibu staff report, the declaration cites UC Berkeley’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (SWITRS data) showing 22 deadly crashes on PCH in Malibu from 2018 to 2022 that led to 23 deaths, and California Highway Patrol figures showing 49 fatalities there from 2012 to 2022.
Mayor Pro Tem Says Emergency Stays Until State Fixes Highway
Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Silverstein, who first brought the declaration forward, told his colleagues the city is likely to stay in emergency mode until Caltrans delivers changes to the highway, saying, “We’re going to be in an emergency until Caltrans actually fixes it,” as reported by the Santa Monica Daily Press. Council members pointed out the declaration must be reviewed every 60 days under state law, which keeps the item on the consent calendar until the risk subsides.
Inspections Blow Up Encinal Canyon Storm-Drain Plan
The council also rejected all four bids for the Encinal Canyon Road 60-inch storm-drain repairs after the apparent low bidder and city reviewers found the pipe had deteriorated beyond what engineers assumed in the original design. A City of Malibu staff report says crews discovered an offset joint about 15 feet into the corrugated metal pipe that cut vertical clearance to roughly 40 inches, and another section with about 41 inches of clearance. That means the spiral-wound PVC liner specified in the plans is no longer a workable fix. The apparent low bidder, The Adjul Corporation (DBA Lee Construction Co.), had listed a bid of $377,825, and the project will now be redesigned and put back out to bid.
Fire Emergency Expires As Moisture Levels And Rainfall Climb
The separate fire-related emergency was allowed to lapse on its scheduled January 23 end date after staff concluded that weather and fuel-moisture thresholds for termination had been met. The Santa Monica Daily Press reports staff said live fuel moisture rose to about 98 percent, and Malibu had recorded roughly 7.72 inches of rain by late November, satisfying the city’s criteria for ending the declaration. Public Safety Director Susan Duenas told the counci lthat staff will continue daily encampment removal operations and can quickly reinstate the emergency if conditions worsen.
What’s Next: Redesigns, State Work And Ongoing Enforcement
City staff will revise the Encinal Canyon repair scope to match the newly documented condition of the pipe and then rebid the project, while keeping up daily safety and encampment operations until local fixes and state interventions arrive. State officials and partners have already launched a coordinated safety effort for the 21-mile corridor. The CalSTA “Go Safely PCH” campaign and Caltrans investments include near-term infrastructure upgrades and about $4.2 million in work on items such as speed-feedback signs, enhanced striping and other corridor improvements, according to CalSTA.
