The deadly collision happened just after 7 p.m. Sunday on Vista Del Mar near the shoreline.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a car was traveling southbound when it crashed and side-swiped another vehicle.
The impact caused the first car to veer off the road and roll down an embankment, slamming into two pedestrians who were walking a beachfront path.
A 25-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The other victim, a 70-year-old man, suffered minor injuries.
A local couple told Eyewitness News they've been walking that very path for 40 years.
"Cars go zooming by so fast all the time. It's just inevitable that somebody's going to go over the hill," said Val Schnabl.
It's unclear what caused the initial crash, but police said drugs and alcohol were not being considered as factors. All the people involved cooperated with the investigation.