Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday approved a solution that will allow the installation of five speed cameras on a particularly dangerous stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu.

This 33-mile stretch of PCH has long been known for frequent crashes, including dozens of deaths, but it was the deaths of four Pepperdine University students nearly a year ago that prompted renewed efforts to improve road safety.

Senate Bill 1297, which Newsom signed into law on Friday, builds on ongoing state and local efforts to save lives along this stretch of PCH. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Ben Allen (R-Santa Monica), would include Malibu in a speed camera pilot program that would allow for the installation of up to five automatic cameras to detect and penalize speeding drivers.

The state requires cities in the pilot program to post clear signage about the program and a public education campaign before enforcing the regulations.

“Today’s signing of SB 1297 is a huge win for the safety of Malibu residents and its visitors,” Allen said in a statement. “We know that speed cameras can help reduce reckless speeding – a problem that has plagued this beautiful stretch of highway for years – so I’m grateful the governor recognizes the important role this equipment will play in saving lives.”

The bill has been awaiting the governor’s signature since late August, when lawmakers passed it.

In a statement, the city of Malibu expressed gratitude to the state and local partners who helped “develop this groundbreaking legislation.”

“SB 1297 is a key piece in turning around the growing number of tragedies involving students, beachgoers and visitors, which Governor Newsom described earlier this year as ‘one of the most iconic trails in California, if not the world,’” they wrote in a statement. “But far too many have lost their lives on this corridor.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Capt. Jennifer Seetoo was at the Malibu/Lost Hills station when she received news of the governor’s approval and said her phone has since been filled with happy messages from the community.

“This is not the final end; you still need the law enforcement, education and engineering side,” she said. “But this is a step in the right direction.”

Seetoo pushed for Malibu to be included in the state’s speed camera pilot program, which was limited to Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach and San Francisco, when the measure was approved by the governor last year.

She said she was previously told Malibu would have to wait until the pilot program ended in five years.

The approval of SB 1297 was a “whole community approach,” she said.

“When elected officials, public safety and the community come together as one voice, that’s when real change happens,” Seetoo said.

Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart told the Los Angeles Times that the bill would require a lot of “preliminary work” to install cameras in appropriate locations along roadways. With the city awaiting Newsom’s approval, he said, “we are in the process of sending out requests for proposals.”

“This is very important to Malibu residents and California residents who use PCH, so we want to get it up and running as soon as possible,” Stewart said.

The mayor expressed hope that this latest safety solution will begin to change the behavior of drivers on the road, mainly by slowing down.

“Know the speed limit and do not exceed it, as speeding has a direct correlation to people being injured or fatalities on PCH,” he said.

On the evening of October 17, 2023, Pepperdine’s Alpha Phi sorority sisters Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams died while walking on the sidewalk along PCH. The car, which was traveling at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, hit parked cars and women.

According to a Times analysis, between 2011 and 2023, there were 170 fatalities or serious injuries to drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians on the Malibu highway.

Malibu authorities say 60 people have died on this section since 2010.

“Over 60 deaths on one stretch of our iconic Pacific Coast Highway is unacceptable – this is a call to action,” Newsom said in a statement. “That’s why we’re adding speed cameras to put an end to reckless driving in Malibu. These new cameras will continue the state’s ongoing safety turnaround, which includes infrastructure upgrades, increased traffic enforcement and a new education campaign.”

One of the 60 roadway deaths was 13-year-old Emily Shane, who was killed in 2010 because a driver was speeding while walking on the sidewalk along PCH.

Her father, Michel Shane, made a documentary about the incident and has since pushed the California Department of Transportation to implement safety measures.

On Friday, Shane and his wife, Ellen, told the Los Angeles Times that part of AB 1297 should be “seen as a starting point.”

“The government has decided it is time to look at what we have all been living with for so long and (now) fix it,” Michel said.

This October marks the one-year anniversary of the deaths of four Pepperdine students whose families recently filed a lawsuit against the state and local agencies they say were responsible for the deadly roadway.

“It’s not about (families) getting something, it’s about them causing change and making sure (students’) deaths are not senseless,” Michel said.

Ellen added that these latest changes make the deaths of all 60 people, including their daughter, part of the effort to bring about positive change.

“We don’t want other people to have to deal with the pain, grief and loss that is so unnecessary and that we and so many other people have had to deal with,” she said.

Michel Shane and others continue to advocate for more safety measures on the Pacific Coast Highway, such as an overall reduction in road speed limits.

He said PCH won’t change overnight, but he sees commitment from the city, the community and members of the PCH task force, which includes Allen, Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) and Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey, to improve Horvath’s safety.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.