Operation Safe Canyons - Homeowners Issue?
Last week I published a note about the California Highway Patrol cracking down on speeding motorcycles under an initiative called, "Operation Safe Canyons".
So I ended up talking to a CHP officer tonight.. (no, he didn't pull me over).
He told me that operation safe canyon is spreading to other regions other than Malibu Canyon and the surrounding areas.
I thought I'd share what I heard.
The Las Virgenes Homeowners Federation had taken a special interest in the issue just prior to the April implementation of the operation. In an April update, the federation addressed the canyon operation and expressed its strong support. An aggressive stance against canyon carvers is alluded to in language that is evocative of a general's battle plan: "We had a very productive meeting where we discussed various "plans of attack" in place for both Calabasas and LA County.
The CHP contend that Operation Safe Canyons is about safety, pointing out that approximately 8 people per year are killed on the canyon roads.
Of course, 8 road deaths per year is not that much. And considering the CHP is using vehicle-confiscation as a tool to regain control, instead of just issuing warnings and tickets, it appears safety is not really their concern, caving into the fat-cats who're paying off the local politicians.