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Planning Commission approves Caltrans PCH safety package with conditions after hours of public testimony
Summary
After hours of public testimony for and against the Pacific Coast Highway package, the Malibu Planning Commission approved Caltranss CDP 25-009 with dark-sky lighting requirements and a condition requiring Caltrans to obtain and consider Pepperdine and public-safety input on a controversial sidewalk segment before any building permit is issued.
The Malibu Planning Commission voted 4-1 on Nov. 3 to approve Caltranss Coastal Development Permit 25-009, a $55 million package of roadway and safety improvements along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu, but added conditions aimed at limiting light trespass and ensuring Pepperdine University and first-responder input on a contested sidewalk segment.
The project, which Caltrans described as a capital preventative-maintenance package across roughly 15 miles of PCH, includes new and upgraded sidewalks, curb ramps, repaving, median work at select locations, upgraded bike lanes, turn-pocket lengthening, radar feedback signs and a reduced set of new light poles. Commissioners approved staff amendments that require Caltrans to use fully shielded, 3,000-Kelvin fixtures "to the maximum extent feasible," to limit light trespass to adjacent properties and to pay for city inspections to confirm compliance.
The commission also approved a condition that the proposed sidewalk between Malibu Canyon Road and John Tyler Drive along Pepperdines frontage may proceed only after Caltrans gathers input from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Pepperdine University and considers that input before any building permit is granted.
The hearing drew more than a dozen public speakers and representatives from community groups, local government and Pepperdine. Justin Orenstein, transportation deputy for L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, cited multiple studies by Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and local law enforcement documenting PCH safety problems and said the measures before the commission stem from a January 2024 road safety audit done after the deaths of four Pepperdine students. "These improvements will save lives," he said.
Opponents, including local residents and dark-sky advocates, urged the commission to remove some lights and to avoid an isolated sidewalk segment that they said would be a "sidewalk to nowhere" and could increase pedestrian exposure without a contiguous network. "To be a dark-sky compliant 3,000 Kelvin is not enough," one commenter told the commission, urging fully shielded fixtures and minimal off-highway illumination.
Speakers with personal experience of PCH trauma pressed for urgency. One family member held up an empty chair as a reminder of lives lost and told commissioners that the project's safety elements and the funding timeline are linked: "In 10 days, this $55,000,000 disappears forever," she said, urging approval with conditions rather than rejection that could delay or forfeit the funds.
Commissioners debated three options for the Pepperdine sidewalk: remove it from the scope, approve it only if Caltrans meets Pepperdines safety and access concerns, or approve Caltranss proposed design. After extended discussion and targeted straw votes on lighting locations, the commission adopted the staff-recommended resolution as amended. The roll call was: Kamens Yes, Mazza No, Peake Yes, Riddick Yes, Chair Leonard Yes.
Caltrans staff and city officials said they will work with Pepperdine and public-safety partners on the sidewalk design and that city staff will verify the lighting after installation. The project remains subject to applicable state approvals and final permit steps; the commissions action authorizes the city-level CDP with the specified conditions.
