Campus Alert Archive
Pepperdine

Malibu Canyon Closed Both Directions: Pepperdine Stays Open While the Only Inland Access Road Fills with Mud and Debris

CAotheradvisoryhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

On January 10, 2023, Malibu Canyon Road was closed in both directions from Piuma Road to Civic Center Way due to mudslides from the same atmospheric river system that battered Southern California, cutting off one of the two main land routes to Pepperdine's Malibu campus. The university issued an advisory at 5:55 a.m. PST confirming all campuses remained open and urging drivers to check road conditions before departing, as fog, rocks, mud, and debris would be present on roads leading to campus.

Alerts
1
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Pepperdine University
Private R2 · CA
~7,600 studentsPepperdine Emergency Notifications
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

INITIAL ALERTWebsite
Verified verbatimPepperdine Emergency Information official page (emergency.pepperdine.edu), posted 5:55 a.m. PST on January 10, 2023628 chars
All campuses are open and operating, and classes will be held today as regularly scheduled. Malibu Canyon is currently closed in both directions due to mudslides from Piuma to Civic Center Way. Road crews will assess conditions at 6am. Kanan Road and Pacific Coast Highway remain open. The University will continue to monitor road conditions, and any significant updates will be shared on the Road Conditions Hotline at 310.506.ROAD and posted on the University's Emergency Information Page. Community members are advised to regularly check the hotline before traveling to campus, especially during inclement weather conditions.
Verbatim from the official Pepperdine Emergency Information page at emergency.pepperdine.edu/2023/01/10/all-campuses-open-malibu-canyon-closed/, posted at 5:55 a.m. PST on January 10, 2023; the page title is 'All Campuses Open -- Malibu Canyon Closed.'
The advisory was posted at 5:55 a.m. PST on January 10, timed to reach commuters before they began driving to campus; the early distribution reflects Pepperdine's awareness that Malibu Canyon is a primary commuter route used by faculty and staff who live in the San Fernando Valley.
The decision to keep all campuses open despite Malibu Canyon's closure is notable: the university had PCH and Kanan Road as alternate routes; 'Road crews will assess conditions at 6am' signals the closure's temporary nature.
Context

Background

Pepperdine University's Malibu campus sits atop a hillside accessible primarily by two routes: Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) along the coast, and Malibu Canyon Road, which cuts through the Santa Monica Mountains to the San Fernando Valley. The January 2023 atmospheric river system produced the first of several Malibu Canyon closures that academic year; a March 2023 rockslide would close the road again, and a February 2024 mudslide blocked a section of PCH north of campus. The January 10, 2023 event occurred as part of the historic 2022-23 California winter storms, during which the state received more than double its average annual precipitation in some areas. The Pepperdine Emergency Information site, maintained at emergency.pepperdine.edu, has posted dozens of road-condition advisories over the years, reflecting the campus's vulnerability to Malibu's mountainous terrain and chaparral fire-and-rain cycles. The Road Conditions Hotline at 310.506.ROAD was Pepperdine's primary real-time access advisory tool during this period, predating the widespread adoption of emergency text systems for non-life-threatening road disruptions. In the Malibu ecosystem, mudslides often follow wildfires that denude hillside vegetation, and the 2018 Woolsey Fire (which burned portions of the campus) left slopes above Malibu Canyon vulnerable to post-fire debris flows for years afterward.
Analysis

Key Findings

The campus kept all operations running despite its primary inland route being closed, demonstrating Pepperdine's PCH-dependent contingency planning for road closures
The 5:55 a.m. advisory reflects a commuter-focused notification timing strategy aimed at faculty and staff traveling from the San Fernando Valley before peak commute hours
The 2022-23 winter saw multiple Malibu Canyon closures, highlighting a recurring environmental-hazard pattern at this campus linked to post-Woolsey Fire landscape vulnerability
Outcome
All Pepperdine campuses remained open. Malibu Canyon Road closed. No campus injuries. Students and staff warned to use Pacific Coast Highway as alternate route and exercise extreme caution.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    All Campuses Open - Malibu Canyon Closed - Pepperdine Emergency Information
    emergency.pepperdine.edu
  2. Official
    Malibu Canyon Closed Due to Rockslide - Pepperdine Emergency Information
    emergency.pepperdine.edu
  3. Student Paper
    Pepperdine Reopens Despite Dangerous Road Conditions - Pepperdine Graphic
    pepperdine-graphic.com
  4. News
    Massive rock and mudslides shuts down Malibu Canyon Road, portion of Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu - ABC7
    abc7.com
Tags
mudslidelandslideroad-closureatmospheric-riveradvisorycaliforniapepperdinemalibuaccess-disruption
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion