LOS ANGELES — Changes are coming to the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu thanks to new legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Senate Bill 1297 was signed into law by the governor on Sept. 27. In a video posted on Instagram, the governor said, “the Pacific Coast Highway has frequent issues around safety that we have been trying to address for years and years…these speed cameras will help with our enforcement.” 

The bill was first introduced by Sen. Ben Allen, D-Santa Monica, and passed with bipartisan support in the California Senate. The bill calls for five speed cameras to be installed in areas that have been accident prone or are high risk along PCH.

When Allen introduced the bill he said, “the City of Malibu has about 10,000 people and yet it is in the top 25 small cities in the countries with with regards to fatality rates for crashes.”

He also added that “the office of traffic safety ranked Malibu number one in total injuries and fatalities number one in pedestrian injuries and fatalities." Since 2010, 61 people have been killed on PCH. Last October, four Pepperdine students were hit and killed by a speeding driver.

In December of 2023, California’s Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin visited PCH.

“It’s very rare that someone in my role comes out specifically to a corridor, to a project location like this. But I’ve seen the data, I’ve seen the information and the recent tragedy that took place on Oct. 17 led to me to say, no, this has to become a top priority,” Omishakin said in December.

Since then, the California Department of Transportation has held several workshops inviting Malibu residents to discuss which safety improvements they want to see along the PCH. Michel Shane said the introduction of this bill is welcome news.

Shane’s daughter, Emily Rose Shane, was killed by a speeding driver on the PCH in 2010 at 13 years old. Shane writes a column on safety along PCH and has produced a documentary about the safety problems along PCH, 21 Miles in Malibu.

 “We are sitting on what could potentially be a lot of money and having the people that cause the problem pay for it. For me that’s just desserts,” Shane said.

In a statement released after the governor signed the bill, Allen said, “I’m grateful that my colleagues and the Governor saw the proven track record speed cameras have to slow down traffic and agreed to let the City utilize these tools to better the lives of motorists and pedestrians in the region."

The changes and installation of the cameras will begin in the new year.