City Of Malibu: City Manager Updates June 25, 2021

Press release from the City of Malibu:

June 25, 2021

All fireworks are prohibited in Los Angeles County, except permitted displays conducted by state-licensed pyrotechnicians. Possession or use of illegal fireworks can result in a fine of up to $1000 or one year in jail. Fireworks are extremely dangerous and can result in severe injuries and burns and cause structure fires and wildfires, especially in high fire hazard areas like Malibu and surrounding communities in the Santa Monica Mountains. If you see fireworks being used, please call 911. For a listing of legal, public fireworks displays, visit the LA County Fire Department's webpage. 

Staff continues to work with homeowners to rebuild. Here are the current rebuild statistics: 

With the re-opening of City Hall, the City will offer public counter hours starting June 29. To schedule appointments, visit the webpage or call 310-456-2489.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY DEPARTMENTPermits: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM -12:00 PM, and 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM for walk-ins and appointments. Other times by appointment only.Building Plan Check: Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00 AM -12:00 PM, walk-ins and appointments. Other times by appointment only.Environmental Health: Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00 AM -12:00 PM, walk-ins and appointments. Other times by appointment only.Geology/Coastal: Monday and Wednesday 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, walk-ins and appointments. Other times by appointment only.

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTTuesday and Thursday, 8:00 AM -12:00 PM, walk-ins and appointments. Other times by appointment only.

PLANNING DEPARTMENTPublic Counter: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, and 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM for walk-ins and appointments. Other times by appointment only.Biology Counter: Tuesdays, 9:00 AM -11:00 AM. Other times by appointment only. 

The Department is now offering two ways to submit your digital application, digitally or in-person. In-Person Submittals by Appointments - To schedule an appointment to submit your digital planning application, please call the Planning Hotline at 310-456-2489, ext. 485. Digital Submittals - The Planning Department continues to offer electronic application submittals. To initiate your submittal with the Planning Department, please fill out the Initiate Submittal Form and email it to mplanning@malibucity.org. For more information about the digital submittal process, view the guide. An online submittal portal is coming soon. 

The Fire Rebuild team is available Monday through Friday at City Hall for complimentary one-on-one consultations about any fire rebuild project. Contact Aakash Shah at ashah@malibucity.org to set an appointment for phone or online meeting. For ideas about how to get started with your project, as well as numerous handouts, forms and resources, visit the Rebuild webpage.

City staff continues to monitor and respond to the pandemic by participating in regular briefings and conference calls with partner agencies and issuing alerts and notifications regarding changes to the situation. On June 23, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) confirmed 10 new deaths and 314 new cases of COVID-19. Other key updates from the County’s COVID-19 Dashboard as of June 23, 2021 include the following:

The City of Malibu and Kaiser Permanente will host a free COVID-19 vaccination event on Thursday, July 8, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM at Malibu City Hall for people who received their first vaccine dose at City Hall on June 17, or for anyone to receive a first vaccine dose. City Hall is located at 23825 Stuart Ranch Road, Malibu CA, 90265. No appointments are needed, first-come, first-served while supplies last. The vaccine is free regardless of immigration or health insurance status. Everyone 12 and older in the County is now eligible for vaccination. People under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. For more vaccination information for LA County, visit the Department of Public Health webpage. 

The City Council voted on June 14, 2021 to reschedule the consideration of the formation of a Homelessness Task Force until the July 12, 2021 City Council meeting. The item was rescheduled to give the Council time to review numerous documents about the City’s past and ongoing work to address homelessness in the community prior to considering the formation and mission of a Homelessness Task Force. The documents are related to the formation and work of the City’s Homeless Advisory Group, which was involved in the development of the City’s Homeless Strategic Plan, and include community survey results, community outreach efforts, meeting agendas and minutes. These documents are posted the City’s homelessness webpage for the community to review. The agenda, staff report and viewing and commenting instructions for the July 12 meeting will be posted on the website prior to the meeting. For more information on the City's efforts to address homelessness, visit the webpage. 

Live Fuel Moisture (LFM) is an important component in determining wildfire fire conditions for Malibu. LFM is defined as the percentage of water content to dry matter content in live vegetation. LFM can be as high as 200%, and 60% is considered critical in terms of fire risk. As of June 14, LFM is 74%, down from 82% two weeks earlier. Current conditions are trending into critical range by early July, earlier than previous years. The Los Angeles County Fire Department Forestry Division conducts sampling approximately every two weeks and posts the results online. 

Fire weather conditions - Elevated fire weather is forecast for interior portions of Los Angeles County Saturday through Wednesday due to hot and dry conditions, but fire conditions are less severe in the coastal areas including Malibu, with lower temperatures, higher humidity and mild wind forecast. See local weather conditions, forecasts and hazards.

As part of Malibu’s ongoing efforts toward community-wide wildfire preparedness, the City continues to offer its no-cost Home Ignition Zone Assessment Program with Fire Safety Liaison Chris Brossard. Chris will visit your home and give you a checklist of simple, often inexpensive steps you can take to harden your home against flying embers, a major cause of homes igniting during wind-driven wildfires like the Woolsey Fire. To schedule an appointment or for help with wildfire preparedness, email Firesafety@malibucity.org or call 310-456-2489, ext. 387 or visit the Fire Safety webpage.

The City Council will hold a virtual public hearing June 28 at 6:30 PM to consider modifications made by the California Coastal Commission (CCC) on the City's Local Coastal Program amendment to prohibit pesticides citywide, as part of the City's efforts to protect wildlife, habitats, people and pets from toxic poisons. See the notice of hearing. The staff report, viewing, and commenting instructions will be posted prior to the meeting on the website. For more information, visit the project webpage. 

Video is available of the virtual public workshop the City held on June 23 to give community members the opportunity to learn about the state-mandated Housing Element process and give their input on how major issues will be addressed in the 2021-2029 Housing Element. The workshop covered how City policies, plans and regulations help to further the development, improvement, and preservation of housing in order to meet the existing and projected needs of the community. Watch the workshop (meeting starts at 7:32). For more information about the Housing Element, visit the webpage.

On June 15, City staff responded to the comments provided by California Coastal Commission (CCC) on April 22 for the City's Local Coastal Program (LCP) Amendment for its Hosted Short Term Rental (STR) Ordinance. See the City's comments. The STR regulations cannot go into effect until the Amendment is certified by the CCC. On November 2020, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 20-51 and Ordinance No. 472 (Hosted STR Ordinance) to establish provisions to regulate short-term rental of property citywide which include, but are not limited to, requiring the presence of an onsite host during short-term rentals, primary residency requirements and multifamily restrictions. For more information, visit the webpage. 

Following the most recent Los Angeles County Public Health Order, the City has relaxed COVID-19 restrictions at the Temporary Skate Park and Malibu Community Pool. Face masks are no longer required for participants utilizing these facilities, and capacity limits have been removed. Additionally, reservations are no longer needed for skaters and the Lap Swim program. Expanded facility and program hours have also been implemented. The Temporary Skate Park is open 8:00 AM to sunset daily (currently 8:00 PM). For more information about the Skate Park rules and hours, visit the webpage. For Lap Swim schedules at the Community Swimming Pool, visit the Aquatics webpage. 

The Public Works Department is currently performing the Annual Tree Maintenance Program within the City’s public right of way with completion expected by the end of June. The maintenance work proposed for each year is prioritized based on the condition of the trees assessed by a licensed arborist, and the need to remove dead or unhealthy trees and trim trees to help protect public safety. The trees identified for this Fiscal Year are located in western Malibu. 

Recently, the Public Works Department distributed informational flyers to property owners within the Civic Center Water Treatment Facility Phase 2 area in order to keep property owners informed about the project background, the proposed assessment district and the project timeline. For more information, visit the CCWTF Phase 2 page. 

There are no approved event permits occurring in the upcoming week.  

The City maintains a robust e-notification system so the community can stay informed about all the City’s activities. Sign up to receive messages by text or email on the City’s e-notifications page. 

For questions or comments, contact the City Manager at SMcClary@MalibuCity.org.

See Past City Manager Updates 

This press release was produced by the City of Malibu. The views expressed here are the author’s own.