Malibu's Affordable Housing Mandate

Given the State and regional housing crisis, it was inevitable, as was the moral imperative, that Malibu finally will have to face up to its civic responsibilities and build affordable housing.

The message from Sacramento was quite clear: that there will be no more municipal muddling and whining by NIMBY locals, conservative City Halls and private real estate interests.

The hope now is that the housing be well designed as a point of pride for Malibu and be imaginatively developed for those who serve it; foremost for its public-school teachers, first responders, city hall employees and hopefully also seniors.

This after a hidebound Malibu for decades purposefully dodged pursuing and producing affordable housing, even when proposed as temporary shelter for the burnout victims of the disastrous Woolsey Fire.

In a binding agreement with the State, Malibu must now adopt a development plan by September 23, 2024, specifically for at least 79 units of affordable housing, including 47 for low-income households; a plan that further must be approved by the courts.

If not, the city of Malibu will face legal penalties that in time most likely include an abrogation of its zoning and development prerogatives, the essence of home rule, and the usurpation of its bureaucracy and its sweetheart relationships.

In a refreshing expression of public service, Mayor Steve Uhring declared in a statement that the agreement “reflects the shared goal of the City and State of California to address housing needs effectively in our community.”

Let us hope this includes the heretofore recalcitrant City Council free market majority of Grisanti, Riggins and Stewart.

The timing could not be better, as the city just happens to be launching a community outreach initiative to determine the future of five vacant parcels it owns, totaling 61 acres it owns.

Repeated no doubt would have been similar past efforts where identified were such uses as community gardens, passive parks, a car tow lot and, if funding could be found, a public swimming pool and a cultural arts center.

But now the initiative to be directed by a consultant team could cut to the chase, actually earn its fee, and focus on the one or more parcels that would be excellent sites for the mandated housing: the downtown chili cook-off. site, West Malibu Trancas or Pt. Dume Heathercliff properties.

Given the agreement’s deadline, it is high time for Malibu to cease its interminable obfuscating, identify the housing site or sites, and start the development process.