August 8, 2013
Local News & Culture Marina del Rey
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City Council moves on public safety plan in wake of fatal crash through Venice Boardwalk Photo by John Conkle
Suspect pleads not guilty to charges, including murder of tourist
By Vince Echavaria Los Angeles city leaders have moved to examine a variety of traffic safety measures including the placement of additional barriers on the Venice Beach Boardwalk, where a car tore through the walkway in a hit and run Aug. 3, killing a woman and injuring 16 other people. The City Council voted unanimously Aug. 6 to initiate a public safety needs assessment exploring ways to restrict and control nonessential vehicle access to the boardwalk at each intersection up to the Santa Monica border. The review will involve the police and fire departments, as well as the Bureau of Street Services, departments of Recreation and Parks and Transportation, and the offices of the mayor and city attorney. Such potential options would include removable posts allowing for emergency vehicle and maintenance crew access and permanent bollards, along with other safety measures including improved signage and lighting. The council additionally moved to immediately install temporary barriers at intersections identified as the most hazardous for non-emergency vehicles. The city action came in the wake of an incident where a motorist is suspected of hitting pedestrians as he drove down a stretch of the world-renowned boardwalk near Dudley Avenue on a busy Saturday. Witnesses said the driver appeared to be steering toward pedestrians on purpose, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said. Alice Gruppioni, 32, visiting from Italy with her husband on their honeymoon, was killed in the crash, authorities said. Eight other women and eight men were injured, according to the county district attorney. The driver, identified as Nathan Louis Campbell, 38, a
transient from Colorado, fled the scene and was arrested after he turned himself in at the Santa Monica Police Department, police said. Campbell, who was charged by the district attorney with one count of murder, 16 counts
Firefighters attend to victims at the scene of a hit and run crash through a stretch of the Venice
(Continued on page 12) Boardwalk that left one woman dead and 16 people injured.
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The 43rd Annual Gillis Beach Invitational Volleyball Tournament, known for its teams of costumed players, will take place at Dockweiler Beach in Playa del Rey Aug. 10-11.
Playa Vista Photo BY denny smith
•This Week•
Drainage system continues to draw ire of some wetlands organizations By Gary Walker Attention surrounding a drainage system at Playa Vista that apparently was installed without permission from the state Coastal Commission has not dissipated since the discovery of the network was reported in June. The underground system was discovered earlier this summer and was reported to the California Coastal Commission. The installation is now under investigation by the commission, which confirmed that it does not have a coastal permit.
“We don’t have any record of permits (for this drainage system),” said Andrew Willis, the enforcement officer for the commission. Per the California Coastal Act, any development, which is defined as a change in the intensity of use of land within the costal zone, is required to receive a permit from the Coastal Commission. “The drainage lines were constructed many years ago, at the request of the city of Los Angeles,” explained Marc Huffman, Playa
Capital’s vice president of planning and entitlements. “These drains are intended to protect the adjacent roads from flooding in the event of a massive storm, which has not occurred since the drains were installed.” Since the discovery of the drainage system in June, Ballona Wetlands environmental groups have taken turns applauding or condemning the underground network of pipes. Dr. David Kay, the president of the sand dune wetlands restoration (Continued on page 11)