City Of Malibu: City Manager Updates August 20, 2021

Press release from the City of Malibu:

August 20, 2021

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

With the re-opening of City Hall, the City has resumed public counter hours. Appointments are not necessary, but can be made on the webpage or by phone. The Senior Center is closed out of an abundance of caution due to the COVID-19 Delta surge. 

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY DEPARTMENT - Appointments: 310-456-2489, ext. x390Permits: 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, for walk-ins and appointments. Other times by appointment only.Environmental Health: Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00 AM -12:00 PM, for walk-ins and appointments. Other times by appointment only.Geology/Coastal: Monday and Wednesday 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, for walk-ins and appointments. Other times by appointment only.

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT - Public counter temporarily closed. Call for appointments: 310-456-2489, ext. 391 

PLANNING DEPARTMENT - Appointments: 310-456-2489, ext. 485 Public Counter: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM for walk-ins. Other times by appointment only.Biology Counter: Tuesdays, 9:00 AM -11:00 AM. Other times by appointment only. 

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 August 17, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) confirmed 34 new deaths and 4,046 new cases of COVID-19. Other key updates from the County’s COVID-19 Dashboard as of August 17, 2021 include the following:

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) announced that, due to increased COVID-19 transmission and the even more contagious Delta variant that is spreading fast in Southern California, facemasks are required while indoors in public settings and businesses in the County, regardless of vaccination status, starting July 18. Further clarification was provided with an updated Health Officer Order, effective July 23. For more information, see the Updated Health Officer Order. 

The City tracks Live Fuel Moisture (LFM) as an important part of determining current fire conditions for our community. LFM is the percentage of water content to dry matter in live vegetation. As of August 15, LFM in the Santa Monica Mountains is at 57%, down from 62% on August 2 and 70% on July 1. LFM can be as high as 200%, and 60% is considered critical. Fuels are currently as dry as they typically are in September. Currently the Santa Monica Mountains have the lowest fuel moistures out of the four areas that Los Angeles County Fire Department takes regular fuel samples. The Los Angeles County Fire Department Forestry Division conducts sampling approximately every two weeks and posts the results on their website. For current and forecast fire weather conditions and warnings for the Malibu area, visit the National Weather Service, Los Angeles/Oxnard website (type "Malibu" or "90265" in the search box). 

The City will host the annual tabletop exercise with the City’s response partners and partner agencies. Due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic City staff will be participating virtually. The annual multi-agency exercise is an integral part of the City’s fire season preparation with response partners to coordinate communication and response actions. This year’s scenario will mirror the current conditions including; drought, live fuel moisture, and resource availability. 

September is National Preparedness Month, and the Public Safety Office will be hosting events all month to encourage community members to get prepared for wildfires, earthquakes and other disasters. All events and participation instructions will be promoted individually on the City website, social media, Nextdoor and e-notifications. 

As part of the City’s National Preparedness Month activities that City will send a test message to all residents. Residents do not have to register to participate or take any special action prior to the system test. If you do not receive the test message or would like to update your Everbridge information please contact the Public Safety office at PublicSafety@MalibuCity.org. Residents who wish to add additional phone numbers, emails and home addresses to the Everbridge System can create a profile online.

The City is partnering with the Malibu Foundation and the Malibu Labor Exchange to provide free Spanish language emergency preparedness training on Saturday, September 11 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Malibu Labor Exchange, adjacent to the Malibu Library. Ensuring that non-English speaking people who live or work in Malibu have access to the City’s emergency information and emergency preparedness efforts is an important part of the City’s whole-community approach to emergency planning, and is required under California law. Trainings will include Emergency Alerting Systems, Fire Extinguisher Use, Assembling an Emergency Go-Kit, and Bleeding Control and Heat Illnesses. Attendees will receive a free emergency hand-cranked radio and a first aid kit. Register in advance.

All residents, employees, business and organization leaders, students and other Malibu community members are urged to attend the annual Community Fire Season Briefing being held virtually on Thursday September 23 at 6:00 PM. LA County Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Drew Smith, a Fire Behavior Analyst, will give a presentation on local Live Fuel Moisture, expected weather patterns, and what that means for fire conditions in Malibu. The meeting can be viewed live or later on-demand, and questions can be submitted in advance or during the briefing. Meeting details will be posted on the City website in advance. 

Preparedness Month ends with the City's annual Public Safety Expo on Saturday, October 2, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. At the Expo, you can attend trainings, including Crisis First Aid, see presentations, ask questions, find volunteer opportunities, learn about emergency preparedness services and products and more. Participating organizations include public safety and emergency response partner agencies, volunteer organizations and emergency services and products vendors. RSVP for classes online.

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. 

On September 18, the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s County Committee on School District Organization will continue its public hearing on the City’s petition to form an independent Malibu Unified School District (MUSD). Please save the date to attend and give public comment in favor of an independent MUSD. The agenda, viewing and commenting instructions will be posted in advance of the meeting on the City website, social media and e-notifications. For more information on the community’s efforts to separate from the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District, visit the webpage.

During its regular virtual meeting on August 23, the City Council will discuss overnight parking along the westside of Trancas Canyon Road from PCH to Tapia Drive, a location where vehicles are observed to be parking for extended periods of time. The staff report, viewing and commenting instructions are posted on the website. 

The City Council will hold a virtual study session during the regular meeting on Monday, August 23 at 6:30 PM about the 2021-2029 update of the General Plan Housing Element. The Housing Element establishes goals and policies for providing housing for all income levels, consistent with the California Housing Element Law. No legislative action will be taken at this meeting. For more information visit the Housing Element webpage. 

The Planning Commission will hold a virtual public hearing on Thursday, August 26, at 6:30 PM to consider the Malibu Inn Motel project environmental document, code amendments and project entitlements. The viewing and commenting instructions are posted on the website. For more information about the project, visit the webpage. 

On August 9, the City Council held a public hearing  to consider the Sea View Hotel project environmental document, code amendments and project entitlements as well as the Planning Commission's recommendation for the project. After its deliberations, the Council directed staff to come back on August 19 with an amended resolution and Development Agreement. On August 19, the City Council continued the public hearing to September 13 to allow for additional time to review the proposed modifications to the Development Agreement and to allow for additional public comment. Viewing and commenting instructions will be posted in advance on the website. For more information about the project, visit the project webpage. 

The Malibu Senior Center will offer additional outdoor fitness classes beginning Wednesday, September 1. Classes will be held at Malibu Bluffs Park and include Stretch and Strength, Line Dancing, Gentle Mat Pilates, Tech Help, and Park Walks. For more information, please call (310)456-2489 ext. 357 or visit our Senior Center web page.

Local artists are invited to submit original paintings (oil, acrylic or watercolor) to be featured in the Malibu Arts Commission’s new fall art exhibition to be displayed at Malibu City Hall October 4 through November 24, 2021. “An Eye to the Future” will feature the artists’ vision of what the future holds. The deadline to submit is August 25. Visit the Malibu Arts Commission web page for submission and exhibition details. 

Submit your nominations for the City’s 2021 Jake Kuredjian Citizenship Award now through September 10. The annual award recognizes an individual or group that has made significant contributions to enhance recreation resources for the Malibu community. Submit nominations and find more information, including a list of past award recipients, on the webpage.

The City will hold a Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) and Electronic-Waste collection event at City Hall in the upper parking lot on Saturday, August 21 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Drop off your paint, motor oil, household chemicals, and electronics to be safely and properly disposed of for free. The accepted materials are listed on the website. 

The City of Malibu is launching a new mandatory organic waste recycling program to help Malibu businesses and residents reduce their carbon footprint and the impacts of climate change. The program also meets mandatory requirements established under California Senate Bill 1383. Businesses are required to sign up for service starting October 1, 2021 and residents will begin services automatically on January 1, 2022. To learn more about what to expect as a business and resident, visit the webpage.

The City is partnering with Los Angeles County Water Works District 29 and West Basin Municipal Water District to host a free, virtual firescaping workshop on Wednesday, September 15 at 6:00 PM. Participants will learn landscaping and property maintenance best practices that can help protect their properties from wildfires and improve resilience while reducing water use and benefiting the environment. The workshop is specifically geared toward the Santa Monica Mountains. Register online.

The City Public Works Department released two Request for Qualifications/Proposals. The deadline to submit bids for Construction Management Services for PCH Median Improvements and PCH Signal Synchronization is October 1, 2021. See bid details.  The deadline to submit bids for the Storm Drain Master Plan project is September 16, 2021. See bid details. All bid details and applications are listed on the City Bids webpage.  

The Malibu Park Drainage Improvements Project has begun and the contractor started work in the Morning View area. Work will include temporary lane closures with flaggers directing traffic.

The 2021 Annual Street Maintenance Project has begun and the contractor will begin installing speed humps along Birdview Avenue at the end of the month, weather permitting. Work will include temporary lane closures with flaggers directing traffic.

Caltrans plans to have overnight closures of one lane in each direction of PCH from Malibu Lagoon Bridge to Corral Canyon Road for a pavement preservation project starting Monday, August 23, Monday through Friday 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Expect traffic delays. 

There is one event currently permitted. The City posts a weekly report of approved event permits on the website. To sign up to receive an email or text message when an updated Event Permit Report is posted, visit the e-notifications page  (scroll down to the "Special Event Permit Report" category).

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.