In Manhattan Beach, the stretch of Sepulveda Boulevard that cuts past taco joints and strip malls has become a place of flowers, candles, and anger. Families who have lost sons, along with shaken neighbors, say a run of recent pedestrian deaths has turned late-night walks and quick store runs into anxious calculations. Without faster fixes from the agencies that control the road, some residents openly worry the corridor is on the same slow, deadly trajectory that turned parts of Malibu’s Pacific Coast Highway into a statewide cautionary tale.
Among the names on those roadside memorials is Ford Savela, 18, a Mira Costa High School senior who was killed after being struck by a suspected speeding driver on Jan. 7, 2025. A memorial for him still stands at Sepulveda Boulevard and 3rd Street. His parents say his death did not receive the public attention they expected at the time, and his father told NBC Los Angeles he fears the corridor could require many more tragedies before major changes arrive. Friends and classmates describe Savela as a civic-minded student who had been accepted to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and was honored at a vigil this winter.
A cluster of deadly collisions
Just a month before Savela’s collision, 72-year-old Michael Kawasaki was struck and killed on Sepulveda Boulevard, according to Manhattan Beach News. Four months after Savela’s death, Loyola High senior Braun Levi was fatally struck in a suspected DUI crash on May 4, 2025, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. The fact that these fatal crashes unfolded within a few blocks and within months of each other has intensified demands for quick engineering fixes and tougher enforcement.
What the city says it is doing
Manhattan Beach officials say they have launched a fast-track dialogue with Caltrans and are working through a list of potential safety measures, including brighter, more visible crosswalks and changes to how traffic flows along the corridor. The city notes that the Manhattan Beach Police Department has conducted DUI checkpoints, increased visible speed and DUI enforcement, and set up surveillance cameras to capture visual data meant to inform engineering changes. City staff says tri-weekly meetings with Caltrans are intended to accelerate approvals for measures that would normally crawl along on state-controlled highways, according to a public notice from the City of Manhattan Beach.
Why residents point to Malibu
For many residents, Malibu’s Pacific Coast Highway is the nightmare scenario. Malibu endured years of deadly crashes before emergency declarations, and a push for automated speed cameras finally spurred state-level action. The City of Malibu has documented dozens of PCH deaths over the past decade and highlights the passage of Senate Bill 1297, which authorizes speed-safety systems along Malibu’s 21-mile stretch of the highway. That pattern, significant action only after repeated loss, is exactly what families living along Sepulveda say they are desperate to avoid.
Legal status and enforcement
Authorities say the driver involved in Savela’s collision was arrested days after the January crash and later charged with murder, hit-and-run causing death, and reckless driving, according to Manhattan Beach News. In Levi’s case, police arrested a woman on suspicion of driving under the influence and homicide, per the Los Angeles Times, and prosecutors say those investigations are still active. City officials emphasize that footage from cameras and detailed collision analysis are being used to build the case Caltrans requires to approve physical changes along the corridor, according to the City of Manhattan Beach.
For grieving families, the conversation has shifted from memorials to demands for concrete engineering changes and faster state-level decisions. City leaders say they are pressing Caltrans and gathering the data needed to justify safety upgrades. Neighbors, meanwhile, say they will keep the flowers, signs, and public pressure in place until Sepulveda feels safe again, according to NBC Los Angeles.
