Candidates Address Fire Safety, Development in Point Dume

The Point Dume Community Association played host to the latest City Council candidates’ forum Wednesday night, as six of the seven council candidates answered questions at the Point Dume Marine Science School auditorium.

Missing out on Wednesday’s action was incumbent John Sibert, who was home with the flu. The six other candidates fielded questions regarding fire safety, sustainable development within the city, and issues of parking.

Candidates revisited their positions on several topics that have faced them throughout the campaign, but an issue that has not been prevalent in recent forums, fire safety, came to light Wednesday.

Each of the six candidates on hand seemed convinced that fires and natural disasters will inevitably occur in the city of Malibu and in order to be safe during these occurrences, it will take more than community organizing by City Council.

“The most important thing in the community is to have a plan,” said council candidate Skylar Peak. “People need to work with the fire department, get to know their neighbors and come up with a community plan.”

“We as a community need to come together,” said council candidate Hamish Patterson. “We’ve turned over most of our lives to civic government to protect us and our children. We as a community need to come together. It’s the person that lives next to us that’s going to help us during these emergencies.”

Proactivity served as a key sticking point for each candidate, including Andy Lyon, who commented that the community has become accustomed to reaching out to each other after an emergency situation.

“The community always come together after a fire,” Lyon said. “Its before the fire that we need to come together. We need someone to do these drills so we are ready. You can only be so prepared when 50 mph firestorms come down a canyon.”

“One of key things is brush clearance,” pointed out council candidate Joan House. “If I’m elected, I will put someone in charge of brush clearance for the entire community.”

Council candidate Missy Zeitsoff, whose son is a firefighter, said that those elected into office must make fire safety within the community a priority.

“The new people on City Council need to start organizing with the fire department and the sheriff’s department,” Zeitsoff said. “We need to get them to communicate with each other.”

Hans Laetz commented that whatever the course of action, the city’s current approach towards fire safety has failed in the past.

Laetz shared a particular incident where incoming firefighters from outside cities were unable to navigate through Malibu because the city was unable to provide them with maps.

“I’ll never forget that day talking to those firefighters,” Laetz said. “It was an embarrassment.”

Despite his absence, Sibert’s voice was not lost at Wednesday’s forum.

While some council candidates spent time criticizing the current City Council, namely over the Malibu Lagoon project, Sibert’s wife, Blanca, offered a closing statement in her husband’s absence.

“Listening to these candidates tonight, my husband has taken a lot of potshots,” said Sibert’s wife. “You would think this City Council hasn’t done anything, and I’m here to tell you otherwise. My husband is a very dedicated man. I think his reputation speaks for itself.”

In addition to the buzz created by Sibert's absence, House created somewhat of a buzz with her answer to a question about parking issues at Point Dume Headlands Park.

House said that the city was wasting money paying thousands of dollars for a shuttle bus that transported visitors from Westward Beach to Cliffside, then back.

That specific shuttle has not operated in over a year. 

Candidates also addressed the lingering issue regarding commercial development within the city.

Peak commented that it “doesn’t make any sense” to add square footage to Malibu when the city cannot fill the available space it currently has, and Zeitsoff said the city has “lost it as far as smart and sensible growth goes.”

Patterson then offered the audience some lasting words of advice.

“People need to go down to city hall and just stare at these people,” said Patterson, referring to city officials. “Just stare at them. They’ll stop doing some of the things they’re doing because they know we’re looking at them.”