City Council - Regular Meeting

December 8th, 2025 special meeting in the Maliba City Council is now called to order. Mayor, your microphone details. The December 8th, 2025 special meeting in the Malibu City Council is now called to order. Inerson participants, if you would like to speak, please submit your request to speak form to the clerk. Remote participants, if you would like to speak, please join the Zoom webinar meeting printed on the agenda and raise your hand in Zoom when the item you wish to speak on is called. May we please have a roll call. Council member Conrad here. Council member Stewart here. Council member Yuring here. Mayor Prom Silverstein present. Mayor Riggins here. You have a quorum. Uh do we have any remote speakers for close session?

No, we don't have any speaker slips or any raised hands on Zoom for the close session items. Okay, that'll close public comment. We'll now recess to close session to discuss the items listed on the close session agenda. We will reconvene at 5:30 to begin regular session and hear the close session report. Thank you.

Thank you so much. How are you? Good. Hey, wait a minute. I'm not I'm going to

All right. Nice to meet you. Good. Yeah.

[panting] All right. Thank you. There he is. Come on. All right, everybody, welcome. If you could please take your seats.

Kelsey, we're good to go. All right. The December 8th, 2025 regular meeting in the Malawa City Council is now called to order. In-person participants, if you would like to, please submit your request to speak form to the clerk. Remote participants who would like to speak, please join the Zoom webinar meeting printed on the agenda and raise your hand in Zoom when the item you wish to speak on is called. May we please have a roll call. Council member Conrad here. Council member Stewart here. Council Yuring here. Mayor Prom Silverstein present. Mayor Riggins here. You have a quorum. Okay, we'll now take the pledge of allegiance, please.

Ready? Begin. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. May we please have a close session report? Yes. At 4:30 p.m., the city council met in open session, the recess to close session for the items listed on the posted agenda. All five council members were present and no reportable action was taken. May we please have a report on the posting of the agenda. The agenda for this meeting was properly posted on November 26th, 2025 with the amended agenda posted on December 5th, 2025. May we please have an approval of the agenda?

I'll move to approve. I'll second. Okay. Um, are there any Remind Kelsey? I'm sorry. Mayor, did the council want to consider reordering any items on the agenda this evening? I would like to request that we move item 7B to right after or right before item 4 A at after 6:30. That's the school separation. No problem. I'll second that. I'll agree to it. Okay. Yes. I would like I'm I'm good with the school separation going first. I'd like to make sure that we get seven the uh 7A Do you want to do 7A right after 7B?

Yes, please. Okay, thank you. Everybody good with that? When were we when are we going to start then? After what? Yeah. Tell me where we are again. Then we'll go through the close session. We'll go through our presentations. Um either at or after 6:30. Then we'll start our main agenda. The first item being item 7B followed by 7A followed by the remainder of the agenda. Sounds good. All in favor? I I

none opposed. Great. Uh okay. So consent calendar. Um I have two speaker slips. Do we have any um raised hands on Zoom for close uh consent? No, there's no raised hands. Okay. Uh does anybody in council want to pull any items on consent? None. Mayor, do you want to hear the public comment first? Yes. I just wanted to see if there was any. Okay. So, our two public speakers, I have Caleb Cider. Cedar.

Cedar. I apologize. Thank you. And Azie. So, Caleb, if you'll come up, followed by Azie. Is it okay if Aussie goes first? Of course. Hi, how are you? Hi, I'm good. What would you like to say today?

Um, I am here to um talk about the trees that [snorts] um some people are planning to rip out and tear. I think that it would be like maybe a better idea to help them. you like some people said like they're going to fall down and but and like but if you could like help them not fall down protect nature and not destroy it. [snorts] [sighs] Um, I think the maybe the like the birds have lived there for like maybe 30 years and many generations of the birds has lived there. So maybe just like don't tear it out and try to find another way.

Well, thank you. Thank you. [applause] Okay. So I am going to ask we do have um well this is a very admirable speaker. Keep in touch. You may want to run for city council. Good job. [laughter] Um we do have a um decorum in our city council. So what we've adopted is we just do silent jazz hands. So no clapping even as uh worthy of a speaker deserves it. So um our next speaker Thank you very much. Very good. Thank you Caleb. Do I even need this?

It's up to you.

Yeah, I do. Hello, [clears throat] I'm Caleb, age 11. I go to Malibu Elementary School. And I would like to add on to what Aussie said about the people taking out the trees in Cross Creek. Um, [snorts] so [clears throat] the like Aussie said, the birds have lived there for many generations and the trees have been there and I understand that it ruins some people's shopping and like yeah, but like maybe like the trees are more important and those birds apparently like to live in non-native trees like the ones that they're currently living in in Cross Creek and um nest there and like we were going to replace them I heard with um native trees like [clears throat] I don't know if that is what we should do because they say they like non-native trees also I was going to say that like a little bit of the Lorax here the trees can't speak for themselves neither can the birds and I'd like to speak for them like a little Lorax action and um uh yeah cuz Yeah, the trees are there and we're going to take them out for shopping and stuff like that. And hopefully the birds will find somewhere else to nest or not. Some more Lorax action with the birds just leaving and finding a place with less smog as in the Lorax, but there's not much smog here, but there is a bit. Um anyways, yeah, I hope you guys try to consider that cuz yeah, they're this is happening and um people in the next generation do care about these trees. Me and my brother at least do and yeah, I hope you guys can too. Thank you. [laughter]

You've got a whole family of city council keepers. This is great. Um, so that'll conclude public comment. We're back up here at council. Should we pull one before? I would think we should pull one before and we'll ask staff to come up and I think they could give us some good information. Can we do the other rest of the calendar? Sure. So, do we have a motion to approve the remainder of the calendar but one before? I'll make a motion to approve. Second. I'll second. All in favor? Hi. Hi. All right. So, staff, please tell us your plans for

U. First of all, I'd like to thank our speakers and thank you members of the council. Um, just to give some background for the community and the council. We've done a full review of the site with our arborist and a certified wildlife biologist. So, um, this process was not undergone without much thought and consideration. We've just also spoken with the community development department. we can certainly do an additional review to make sure that we are limiting any potential impact to the nesting birds in that area. Um, but right now it has been recommended by a certified wildlife biologist to uh remove the trees during this period of time because it is the least impact to those birds and the wildlife. And it is under the recommendation by the arborist to remove the trees because of the impact um by the birds. And so we're trying to do it at this point in time so that we don't have any potential damage to both pedestrians or vehicles because the the trees are currently compromised. [snorts]

Okay. Any council questions? Yeah. Did you say the trees are compromised? You mean they're they're rotting. That's why we're moving. We're getting rid of them. Correct. They are at a point in time when they've been compromised to the point where they could have limb drop which could be potentially hazardous to the community. Okay. There's no benefit of trying to trim some of the limbs off and keep the trees that you guys thought through that. Correct. Yeah, the arborist actually recommends full removal. Um the amount of removal that would be necessary would compromise the trees to the point where we would just be looking

one last question based upon the comments of their my two young friends there. Um they they and I I assume you guys have done more work on it than I have. Uh that these birds like to nest in these non-native trees. Are we putting non-native trees back to to give them a nesting place or we doing something different? So, we have approximately 20 acres of uh alternative nesting sites that are along the Malibu Creek that is already existing. And then the city is going to be replacing them with native trees because we uh we are we only plant native trees on city property. But what we also are doing to add to additional nesting future nesting sites is to plant additional tall growth trees in Legacy Park uh very close by so that they would have alternative nesting in the future.

Okay. That's make sure these we're not we're doing something to help these kids out. Thank you very much, Bruce.

Um, so the report says that the birds that are nesting there are double crested cararants. Um, I am sure I'm just naive and and and wrong, [clears throat] but I thought I'd seen egrets there from time to time in the past. Are have egrets nested in those um trees? We do have nesting egrets in adjacent trees in the ficases that are farther into the parking lot that currently nest there. In the past, years ago, they have uh frequented that tree and they probably do roost in that tree from time to time, but they are not currently nesting in that tree. We have done a flyover with drone footage to verify that.

Okay. So, when we had the appeal of the uh wetland, um I had done some research and I I learned that egrets were a protected species in California and that you're not allowed to do certain things that would interfere with them. Um are we comfortable that there's no California wildlife protection issue here with the egress? Um, yes, we've spoken to the national uh the federal wildlife biologist that's in charge of the migratory bird treaty in this area in this region. We've also spoken to state biologists and then we have also referenced this through the city biologist and a certified wildlife biologist with the state.

Okay, great. Thank you. And one last question, are we going to replace the trees with mature native trees or are they going to be like saplings that are going to take 50 years before they look anything like what's there now? So, we will be replacing them with native trees, but they will be smaller. What we do find is that 15gallon potted trees are the most likely to be successful and require the least amount of maintenance and have just are the most likely to succeed in the long run. So, they will take time to grow, but with the alternative trees in the area, they should not have any issues finding a nesting site. Thank you, Doug. Did you have questions? No, Bruce. Uh, and Steve covered it. Thank you. Okay, Haley.

Um, yeah, I was just, um, thank you for the speakers. It was charming. U, I was on the call about the trees and I was impressed with the staff's thorowness about all this. It really, it was like an hour long and you guys really took a deep dive and I was worried that we weren't replacing the trees with other trees or uh, like maybe five oaks somewhere for those two Norfolks. But I'm sure you have a plan, right?

Yes. So, we'll be planting an area in the adjacent property in Legacy Park. The goal with that area will be that those trees will have their full lifetime to grow and then in the future, uh, the nesting birds could choose that as an alternative site, but again, there are a number of trees currently that are available as alternative nesting sites in the area. Okay, great. Thank you. There are I mean I was wondering about the burn trees from Franklin Fire or was it broad broad that's at the bluffs. Will those be replaced at some point? I know it's not on this

but those maybe you're referring to the trees that are on MRCA property. Um a lot of that open space belongs to them and not the city. Gotcha. Thank you. And for the two nor folks that are coming out by the shopping center, um let's say a tree a limb does fall, whose liability would that be on? Who owns that? That would be the city's liability because it's because it's our tree. I see. All right. Thank you very much.

I just want to make one comment, not a question for the staff. Um, I just want to echo that the two young speakers today were were amazing, very articulate, um, very well thought through what they had to say. Um, I'm often in a position, I have been in a position when I before I was elected where I would stand there and make some objections to what the city was going to do. Um, sometimes I was dissatisfied with what came of it. Other times I was satisfied with the answers. I I suspect we're going to approve this and I hope that you were satisfied with the answers because um having asked the staff questions, I'm satisfied that this is the right thing to do. I wish there were alternatives that that made sense as you've identified, but it sounds like these trees have um have have outlasted their their their life. Um not quite. But in any event, I I appreciate you're coming here and having the courage and the uh clarity to get up here and speak. very brave and and much appreciated and I appreciate the staff's um diligence.

And I wanted to add we do an owl box if they're interested for children. It's a beautiful little competition. I think it's a competition and um young lady in the hat at the end of your aisle could explain more to you because if you're interested in birds and trees, we are friendly. Thank you. Well, you know, um Bruce said it very well about uh making comments before the council, and I can tell you as a person who's done it before I was on the council, it's a it's scary, and I appreciate the poise and eloquence that they had far beyond their age. Thank you. I know the grandfather must have had some influence on that, too. Um, but the other thing I think we have to make very clear, uh, we talked about MRCA's, uh, trees. There was a very tragic incident this summer at MRCA property, uh, at King Jullet Ranch. We certainly don't want to have anything like that replicated here in the city. It's hard enough to see it happen uh, in a nearby area, but it would be very tragic to have it happen to someone in our city and it be our fault. So, understand we do this reluctantly. Do we have a motion?

I'll make a motion to approve the staff report. Do we have a second? I'll second. All in favor? I. Any opposed? And when your children get ready to run for council, if they need a campaign manager, keep me in mind. [laughter] Okay, that'll conclude our [clears throat] consent calendar. We're going to go on to our ceremonial presentations. Our first one up is our Franklin Fire remembrance. And um I am going to let Bruce say some words first and then we'll go forward. Is that okay or do you want to do it in the other order? That's perfectly fine. I appreciate that. Perfect.

So um you know the first city council meeting in December of last year, 2024 took place on Monday, December 9, basically a year ago year ago tomorrow, but a year ago on this day of the week. Uh that was the reorganizational meeting at which um Halen, Steve and I were sworn in as the um winners of the 2024 general election. It was a celebratory meeting. We each had family members in attendance to swear us into office. After the meeting, there was a reception in the multi-purpose room which lasted till about 10:00. The Franklin Fire began less than an hour after the reception ended and it reached the property surrounding City Hall, this building, a couple hours later. Uh, my house, which stands between City Hall and the area where the fire began, was burned in the Franklin Fire. The house was not burned to the ground because members of the fire brigade spotted the fire, were able to get firefighters onto the scene and worked together with the firefighters to extinguish the blaze and save the physical structure of the house. I remember the firefighters telling me how proud they were to have saved the house because they had thought for sure they would be unable to do so when they first arrived on the scene. Members of the fire brigade were less celebratory, telling me they thought they had failed because the house had caught fire in the first instance. I assured them I was grateful for their efforts and saw them as heroes who had accomplished many great successes throughout the evening, including one member of the fire brigade who woke up and saved a family on my block whose house had burned far more severely than my house burned. It literally knocked down the door, got them out of their house. Although my house was safe from burning to the ground, firefighters on the scene told me I should be prepared for the fact that everything in the house is a loss, even though it might not appear to be the case at first blush. They explained that the smoke and other

debris from the fire had destroyed all of our belongings and that it would be unsafe to live in a house until it underwent repairs. And to this day, we're not living there. I'm here tonight in an Elvis t-shirt. You can't see it. Oh, maybe you can. Um, it's the first item of clothing somebody gave me after the fire. At that time, I had only a few items of clothing I had taken from my house in a pillowcase when my wife Mindy and I fled the house with our dog shortly after 11 p.m. on December 9. The suit I wore to the city council meeting that night. All other clothing in my home was destroyed. Mindy and I have not slept in our own mattress and our own bed since the night of the fire. Instead, we moved from one temporary dwelling to another throughout December and January until we finally found a condominium that we could rent. And we're now in the search of another place to live for next year. In the years since the Franklin Fire, our insurance company, California Fair Plan, has refused to honor our claim for the loss of our belongings and also refuses to pay for anything beyond the most obvious damage to parts of our house that burned. Financially, we would have been better off if our house had burned to the ground because California Fair Plan would then lack the ability to avoid paying our claim in full and could then we could then go on with our lives. Since the Palisades fire, I understand that California Fair Plan has abused and failed to honor its obligations to hundreds, if not thousands of other Southern California residents whose homes have been destroyed or materially damaged from smoke and other fire debris. And there are mass actions pending against California Fair Plan to remedy their unfair and fraudulent business practices. So much for the doom and gloom, which I'm not some which is not something I'm accustomed to speaking about. On a positive note, the Franklin Fire brought out the best in many of our residents in our community brigade, arson watch, cert

volunteers on patrol, our partner agencies such as LA County Fire and the sheriff's departments, and our elected representatives at the state level, including Senator Ben Allen and Assembly Member Jackie Irwin, who worked tirelessly after the fire to lobby the governor to have the Franklin fire included in a declaration of emergency, which triggers the availability of various ious insurance tax and other benefits for those impacted by the fire. The other positive of the Franklin fire, which is not noted enough, is that the burn scar from the fire saved Malibu west of Sarah Retreat and also parts of Ventura County from being decimated by the Palisades fire, which lacked fuel to continue to burn westward as a result of the Franklin Fire. Early in the progress of the Palisades fire, models based on wind patterns projected that the fire would burn through Malibu, all of Malibu, and into Ventura County, possibly as far as Point Magoo. The models did not, however, account for the burn scar from the Franklin Fire, which served as a firebreak, and which also shows that prescribed burns can have a meaningful impact in stemming the spread of wildfires in the Santa Monica Mountains. Also following the Woosey fire, I had thrown myself into seeking to help my friends, neighbors, and community members who lost their homes in the fire. Um, I helped organize and worked on donation centers, and I learned as much as I could about insurance issues and other legal matters affecting those who lost their homes. Uh, I also helped to negotiate material reductions in fees charged by lawyers who were suing at that time. Uh, basically I got to learn intellectually what it was like for people to lose their homes in a fire. That was helpful going into the Franklin fire. But more important to me, my personal loss in the Franklin fire further prepared me to be of help to my friends, neighbors, and community members following the Palisades fire. Because not only did I at that point understand in my brain what they were

going through, I knew in my heart what they were going through and do to this day. I believe that made me better able to help as a council member with the post palace age recovery effort. It's hard to see a silver lining in a wildfire, but the things I've discussed provide some glimmer of that lining. With hope, lessons learned from the Franklin fire and a month later from the Palisades fire will help us to become more resilient and fires safe moving forward so that events like this will be a thing of the past. Thank you, Bruce. Sure.

Um, so I'm going to go down to the lecture. We've got several different groups that we're going to be giving certificates to. Um, you're going to join me down for [clears throat] the one. Mhm. Okay. our first group. [clears throat]

I'm going say a few words first though. So, a general note, the Franklin Fire erupted on Monday, December 9th, 2024 at approximately 11 p.m. near Malibu Canyon Road and station boundary just outside the Malibu city limits and quickly drew grew due to the strong Santa Ana winds. In the early hours of December 10th, the fire expanded to several hundred acres, which prompted mandatory evacuation orders and road closures to prevent loss of life and property in the city of Malibu. In addition, the extreme fire weather had prompted Southern California Edison to implement power public safety power shut offs, resulting in widespread power outages, disrupting service to more than 40,000 customers. After 9 days of firefighting operations, the Franklin Fire was declared fully contained on December 18th, 2024. The fire burned 4,037 acres, destroyed 20 structures, and damaged 28 structures. Thankfully, there were zero fatalities. And I also want to extend our heartfelt um words to Senator Ben Allen, Assembly Member Jackie Irwin, and Supervisor Horvath through those uh two weeks after that were so helpful in uh being here for our community and making sure that we had the resources and um everything that we needed in order to protect our community and recover. So our first group here is arson watch Deborah.

Yes. Please say your last name for me. Rubener.

Rubener. [laughter] Um plus 13 members. Several addition seven additional arson watch members would have been here tonight. However, they lost their homes in the Palisades fire and are currently displaced. Arson Watch volunteers have long served as the eyes and ears of our community, patrolling more than 185 square miles of the Santa Monica Mountains to help prevent wildfires and report fire starts to the fire department. their dedication, regularly logging thousands of volunteer hours, often working under red flag conditions during the Franklin Fire and every time Malibu is threatened by fire makes them a vital part of Malibu's wildfire preparedness and response. And thank you guys for just being willing to drive around in all hours of the day and night on roads and everything else. It's uh immeasurable what you have done for us and continue to do. Beautiful.

Are we allowed to clap for presentations? Yes, we can clap for presentations. [applause] [cheering] Thank you. And behalf on behalf of the county, [applause] the county has also provided a beautiful certificate for our watch. And if you'll all join us up at the front here, we'll take a group photo with everybody. Perfect. Thanks, Marian. Thank you. Photo time. Now, let's have the crowd.

Yeah. Just uh squeeze in a little more. Think family wedding, right? Yeah. There we go. Are you ready? One, two, three. Great. Thank you. Terry and don't leave yet because we're going to swap certificates.

Ready? One, two, three. Great. Thank you. Thank you. [applause] Okay, next group up is going to be community emergency response team or cert. Thank you. Yeah, a lot of these people wear multiple jackets. Um, so don't be surprised to see several of the same faces up here. It's crosspollinate permanent picture. So come on around on both sides. [laughter]

There's another side. Okay, I'll go over there.

Okay, so [snorts] team leader is Richard Garvey. The Malibus team has become an integral part of the city's emergency operations, including taking roles in the emergency operations center, conducting search training courses for residents, and helping distribute emergency information and supplies during disasters, including the Franklin Fire, creating in partnership with the city a system of radio repeaters that enable them and the city to communicate during communication blackouts as we often have during major fires and public safety power shut offs. Their incredible skills, knowledge, community relationship, and dedication to training and community service are an inspiring model community government partnership. Thank you. [applause]

And we also will be coming over to do a group photo. Thank you very little tighter that way. Ready? One, two, three. Great.

[laughter] One, two, three.

Ready? One, two, three. Great. [applause] Now, the next one is a very uh unique thing. You would not think we would be honoring another city, but for it today, it's the city of Calabasas, city manager Kendon Mike, and Calabasas City Council member Ed Albrech. [applause] So what a pe a lot of people know um when the Franklin fire was threatening city hall and it had to be evacuated the city of Calabasas reached out to us in the early hours of the morning and offered their facility to serve as our emergency operations center. This timely assistance [snorts] unlike my speaking uh was provided when our EOC team needed it most. With power and cell service down in most of the city, it was critical that our emergency operations moved to a location that was safe and had functioning infrastructure and the city of Calabasas provided that for us. Uh they are a good friend in need and we hope in the best of times also. So, thank you very much. [applause] Thank you.

And if you'll join us up here, we'll take a quick photo. The county has also provided a ready. One, two, three. Ready? [snorts] One, two, three. Thank you, [applause] Chris.

All right, I get to do the next one. Community brigade, come on down. [applause]

[applause]

We're going to come over here first and then we'll move over.

All right. So, um, this is so mentioned Keegan Gibbs and Brent Woodworth. You guys are the leaders. Yes, official titles.

That'll work. Leaders. Okay, cool. Following the devastating 20,000 2018 Woosey fire, community members organized in an effort to find a way for residents to play an active role in fire preparedness and response in Malibu. They went through a rigorous process with LA County Fire Department and the Los Angeles Emergency Preparedness Foundation to be trained and become adopted by the fire department. They train residents to help their communities prepare, respond, and recover from wildfires and other disasters, especially by doing home wildfire hardening assessments, public safety education, and mop-up firefighting support when professional resources are stretched. We all know they do more than that. Their support of firefighting operations helped save lives and homes during the Franklin fire and are in an incredible inspiring example of what grassroots activation can be in emergency preparedness and response. They're all heroes. Let's give them a round of applause. [applause] We're not going to say anything. They don't get to say something.

No. All right. So, we have a certificate of recognition to the community brigade from the city and there is one from the county and we're going to go get pictures taken. So, thank you all. Thank you. [applause]

[snorts and laughter]

over there. Move in a little bit. Children. Oh,

they're kidding. Barely. We need a little bit little bit tighter. There we go. You can't see the camera. You're not in the picture. [snorts] All right, that's good. Ready? One, two, three.

Okay, don't go away.

Ready? One, two, three. Great. Thank you. [applause]

The community brigade absolutely were literal lifesavers both in the Franklin and in the Palisades fire. So, um, thank you guys so much and ladies. Um, it's amazing to see people come together and, uh, volunteer their time in this way. Our next group up, [laughter] you can be there soon enough, Hans. And is Diane with you?

So, our next honor goes to Ku Hans. Lettes has built an incredible along with his wife Diane because I know all the hard work she does in this has built an incredible resource for the community by establishing and running KU KBU Malibu's only radio station nearly single-handedly. KU is a lifeline to the Malibu community which is extremely vulnerable to fire and always faces major dangerous challenges with power and communication blackouts during emergencies. Hans and Diane and KBU FM stayed on the air with backup power satellite connection providing roundthe-clock emergency information for Malibu during all disasters including the Franklin fire and has a strong partnership with the city to broadcast the city's emergency information. Hans continues to build out KBU FM abilities to reach even farther into

everywhere. Malibu's mountainous mountains and build stronger and stronger communication connections and his knowledge of emergency activities, city affairs, and the local community communication systems and much more are a huge benefit to the city of Malibu. Thank you. [applause] I'm going to come up here, [applause] take some quick photos. [laughter] Definitely. There you go.

Are you ready? One, two, three.

Ready? One, two, three. Great. Want [applause] [applause] me to keep going? Yes, keep going. Okay. Next up, Los Angeles City Fire Department, [applause] Battalion Chief Joseph. Do we have somebody from LA City Fire? Yes. Yes. Thank you again. I'm going to ask you to say your last name for me. And Julie

and Julie. Um, the Los Angeles City Fire Department has Malibu's eternal gratitude for being one of the responding agencies that came to the Mal to Malibu's aid during the Franklin Fire, protecting lives and homes. They also were instrumental in fighting the fire at the doorsteps of Malibu City Hall, preventing it from being damaged or destroyed, which would have been a severe blow to the city and its ability to serve the community. Thank you so much for coming today. Thank you very much. [applause] [applause]

Ready? One, two, three.

Ready? One, two, three. Thank you. [applause]

Okay, now next up, I think some of our favorite people. Los Angeles County Fire Department Assistant Chief Drew Smith, [applause] and Megan Curry, who we could not do live without. [applause] The county fire department with Malibu is is was Malibu's constant and close partner dedicating their incredible bravery and skills in protecting lives and property in Malibu during the Franklin fire whenever any fire threatens our community. In [snorts] addition, their year-round support in our fire preparedness and coordination and planning for the city and the community is invaluable and uh we lean on you in such great ways. So, thank you so much for being our partner. [applause] We're going to come over here. Okay. Ready? One, two, three. Great. Okay, ready. One, two, three.

Thank you. [applause]

Thank you.

Thank you very much. Okay, now we're on to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Captain Dustin Carr [applause] and Sergeant Chris Sodderland along with many other deputies. The sheriff's department and the city are in constant coordination on all matters of public safety day and night in our emergency operations center and in the field via radio during any fire, including the Franklin fire. During a fire, lives depend on our partnership with the sheriff's department and their bravery and skills to quickly and safely evacuate residents. Keep the city safe and secure. Keep streets safe and open for evacuees as well as emergency responders. Keep the city and the council and the community informed and in countless other ways. Um, these uh men and women of the sheriff's department do a great job in our community and I just want to say thank you to you and appreciate you so much for being here. [applause] Oh yeah.

Get a little closer together. Okay. Ready? One, two, three.

Ready. One, two, three. Thank you. [applause] And our final certificate is going to one of our other volunteer groups, the Malibu Volunteers on Patrol. [applause] Come on up and join me. The VOPs are involved in assisting the city, the sheriff's department, and the community in proing protecting public safety during every emergency from winter storms and flooding to fires to public safety power shut offs. They direct traffic, assist motorists who are in traffic collisions, patrol and report to the sheriff's department on incidents on the ground, which is critical to crucial to situational awareness for our first responders. They assist with safe and fast evacuations of residents, their dedication to serving the community and public safety, and their high level of training and coordination are exemplary. And I will tell you, I know this man right over here, Mr. Russo gives his cell phone out to people and gets calls day and [applause] night.

And we'll just come up here for photos.

Yeah. A little closer. Ready? One, two, three.

Ready. One, two, three. Great. Thank you. [applause]

And I just want to say a big thank you to all our paid professionals and our our community volunteers. We honestly would not be such a great city with all the wonderful people in our community. So, thank you. [applause] We have the um our wonderful supervisor Horvath has sent a representative to say a few words on behalf of her. [applause] Madame Mayor, honorable council members, and residents of Malibu. Thank you for having me here tonight on behalf of LA County Supervisor Lindseay Horvath. My name is JC, the emergency management leazison for the office. Tonight's an important reminder that our community is still healing from the Franklin fire. The reality is recovery is not linear and we know that many families and local businesses continue to rebuild and recover. The response to the Franklin fire was a true whole community effort and we recognize the incredible partnerships that protect Malibu. Tonight's recognition is about supporting one another as we continue to recover, rebuild, and prepare for the future. To all who served, responded, and kept our community safe. On behalf of Supervisor Lindseay Horvath and the LA County SD3 team, thank you. [applause] We're done.

So, we're going to shift gears a little bit tonight. Um, now we've got a happy proclamation. Um, this one is declaring December 13th, 2025 as Dick Van Djk Golden Day. Whereas the city of Malibu honors longtime Malibu resident, legendary entertainer Richard Dick Van Djk in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the entertainment industry and his devoted commitment to the community of Malibu. And whereas born on December 13th, 1925 in West Plains, Missouri, Mr. Van Djk is on the cusp of his 100th birthday, has enjoyed a career spanning more than seven decades across stage, screen, television, music, and live performance. And whereas in that time, he has earned six Emmy awards, a Tony Award, a Grammy award, and many additional honors, including the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, induction into the Television Hall of Fame, and the Disney Legend Award. Kennedy Seni Kennedy Center honors and among others which is a testament to his talent, versatility and enduring appeal. And whereas his performances in beloved classics such as Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Dick Van Djk Show, and Bye-Bye Birdie have left an indelible mark on generations. And whereas beyond his professional achievements, Mr. Van Djk is cherished as a dear neighbor and valued member of the Malibu community. He has demonstrated generous support for local causes and supports arts education in our local school, helping to nurture creativity, culture, and opportunity for Malibu's youth. And whereas in 2025, Mr.

Van Djk with his wife have launched the Van Djk Endowment of the Arts, affirming his long-standing belief in the power of the arts to unite and uplift communities. Now therefore, be it resolved that the city council of the city of Malibu declares December 13, 2025 as Dick Van Dyke Golden Day in honor of his extraordinary career, his milestone 100th birthday, his enduring generosity, and his impact on our community and the world. Presented on the 8th day, December 2025 on behalf of the Malibu City Council. I believe Karen El Harden. [applause] [applause] Whoops.

Can I say a couple? You may say a brief statement. Yes.

Fabulous. Thank you. So, um, Mr. Van Djk could not be here tonight. Uh, and Scott Talal of the Malibu Film Society, who's been organizing Vandy Days, was going to say a few words, but he had to head off for a screening. So, I am filling in for him. And I just want to um accept this on behalf of uh Dick Van Dyk. Wait, I have some words here. Sorry. Sorry. Okay. Um, I know that it means so much to Dick and to this community that loves him. this past weekend showed how deeply he's woven into the commu into the fabric of Malibu. More than 300 people came to city hall for the film screenings organized by the Malibu Film Society. We had Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the documentary that was just released, the West Coast premiere. Families, students, and longtime residents all showed up because everyone has a Dick Van Djk story. singing in Ralph's or carolling at Big Rock or bumping into him at the farmers market. Um, and especially our students who remember how freely he gave his time and talent to lift up the next generation. And I just want to let everybody know that the celebration is continuing this weekend. So, Saturday on his 100th birthday, we will be having a celebration at the tree lot, which is at the lot or better known as the chili cookoff lot. All day long, uh there'll be cake, music, and a community birthday card designed by a Malibu High School student who is benefiting from um the investment that the Van Dyes are making in uh in arts education in Malibu. So, on behalf of the Ed Foundation, um thank you for declaring uh Saturday Dick Van Dyke Day. And Scott had one last request as he ran out the door and that was for

everyone to sing happy birthday to Dick Van Djk and I will record it. Um, and of course it will be recorded here and we'll send it over to Dick and Arlene. And he also asked that Maryanne lead it. Oh boy. Okay, everybody with me? Let's do it. Let's do this. [applause] [cheering] with your best maybe stand up because it gives you better projection. Yeah. All right.

One, two, three. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday [singing] to you. Happy birthday, dear Dick. Happy birthday [singing] to you. [applause]

Okay, let's go take a photo. [snorts] [cough and clears throat]

Ready? One, two, three. Okay, I believe now we will have another proclamation provided by one of our commission members.

Yes, our parks and recck commission chair will present the surf legend of the year award. [applause] Good evening, Mayor Rigggins and council members. Um, it's my honor and privilege as chair of the parks and recreation commission to present the first Malibu Surf Legend Award. Uh the recipient of this award will be chosen annually by the parks and recck commission and it was created to honor someone who has demonstrated achievement in surfing which may include participation in competitions, mentorship or influence in the sport andor promotion of ocean safety and environmental awareness and someone who is a positive role model for the current and future surf community who demonstrates sportsmanship, integrity and community spirit. The first recipient of this award is Randall Cradi. Miad [applause] Randall was a Malibu resident for more than 30 years and he was chosen as the inaugural recipient since he truly embodied every element of the award criteria. Um, I'm going to quote from correspondence we received on his behalf. Randall was a beloved figure in the local surf community known for his daily presence at Surf Rider Beach where his energy lifted spirits and brought people together. He embodied the spirit of surfing both in and out of the water. His passion for surfing led him to become a successful surfboard shaper who was widely respected throughout the region. He lived the endless summer lifestyle in Malibu. His joy and authenticity in surfing have set a positive role model for generations. He played an integral role in uniting the local surfing community. Consistently encouraging others to embrace the ocean

and the sport of surfing. He reminded everyone that surfing is about connection, laughter, and freedom. Whether mentoring young surfers, promoting appreciation of the ocean's beauty, or simply inspiring others to live in the moment, he exemplified the best of Malibu's surf community. Randall is truly deserving to be the first recipient of this award, and he sets the bar for future recipients. He will continue to inspire surfers for years to come. Um, this award will be accepted tonight by Randall's parents, Miss Carol Smith and Mr. Lawrence Mian. since Randall tragically passed away in his home during the Palisades fire. And I also want to express my sympathy for their loss and the loss to our community. You want [applause] to take it out for the pictures. Would you like to say something?

Sure. here. Focus.

Hi, Chris. Oh, first of all, I want to say thank you for all the friends and the family that turned out for this presentation tonight. And um I'm his mother. This is Larry, his father. And I just want to give a backstory to this. Larry and I have been divorced for 32 years. And during those 32 years, we never had any contact at all until this tragedy happened. Um, and the day that we deter that we were told that Randy had passed away, um, that was the day that we kind of had a a reconciliation of sorts. Anyway, it's been it's been a good thing. It's been a a good thing that's come out of a tragedy. Um, we accept this very first Malibu Surf Legend of the Year award on Ry's behalf, knowing how overwhelming it would have be would be to him and most likely not fully understanding why he was receiving it. He was a very humble person. As his parents, we are happy knowing we raised a child who cared so much about others and was so loved by this community. Randy would be happy knowing his mom and his dad are standing here together accepting this award for him. I can't tell you how many years Randy would ask, "Do you think you and dad will ever be together in the same room?" [laughter] My answer was always, "Not a chance.

[laughter and gasps] There are so many people who made this honor possible. Chris Weisner, Ry's brother from another mother. Exactly. Who initially proposed to the Malibu Palisades Rotary Club that this award, excuse me, Chamber of Commerce.

Oh, I'm sorry. Chamber of Commerce. I stand corrected. that this award be established and presented to Randy, the Malibu Parks and Recreation Department, who also recommended Randy receive the first annual award, and the Malibu City Council, who approved it. Thank you all. This will become a part of Ry's legacy. And what better way to be honored by a community known around the world, not just for multi-million dollar homes and celebrities, but also for the surfing culture Randy was so happy to be a part of for so many years of his life. We thank you all so very much. [applause] [applause]

Thank you for everything. Okay. You want to come up front? Thank you. Take some pictures. I'll bring it. Don't worry.

Take a picture. [clears throat]

Ready? One, two, three. Don't go away.

Great. Don't go away. Sorry. One more. Thank you. Thank you. Well timed.

Thank you to all the community members. I think that we had a lot of high spots and a celebration of life tonight. So, um, just want to thank everybody. [applause] Now, we're gonna get a presentation from our public works director on wastewater updates. Good evening, favorite subject.

Good evening, mayor, council. And that's a tough fact to follow there and to talk about sewers. Great fun. Anyway, um, but it but it's been a couple months until since I've talked about the wastewater projects. There are two of them that I want to talk about and give you a quick update today. One of them is our civic center water treatment facility phase 2 project. Um last time I brought an item up to council, I made a presentation on some of the items that we were looking to to modify with uh the regional board on the on theou. Um after that meeting there was a a clear indication that there were some typos and there's issues with theou and so the regional board paused all those modifications and and since then we've been meeting weekly to go over all those items and and I want to say that we're very close on concluding all this. I was hopeful that we would have something this for this meeting but it didn't it didn't come up. We're very close on getting that resolved. I'm I'm hopeful that we'll get something back and ready and up in front of council sometime between January and February. So, keep an eye on that and um I'll I'll provide an update and give council um the the new changes we have on that. Uh the second thing that I want to bring up is our progress on our PCH sewer. That's that's going really well. Our consultant has completed our preliminary design report. We we met with the ad hoc committee a couple times now. Um there is um one or two remaining little issues that were that were getting cleared up and and trying to get a resolution on trying to find a good path forward. So make this project more feasible for everybody rebuilding on the coast and on um their homes on PCH. Um, so I'm it it's the last little thing is the

interimm solutions on how we're going to deal with property owners that are currently building and and the time period between uh um them being in their house and when the sewer is connected. So we're we're working on the final little details on that. Same same kind of time frame. I look in January, February when that will be completed. Hopefully sooner and I'll I'll bring a presentation back to council on that. So, I just want to give everyone a quick update where we are. Uh, my staff is working weekly, daily on both of those projects, trying to get them going and moving forward in the right direction. So, I just want to give an update.

Thank you. Um, do we have any questions from the council? I have one. Um, when you say thank you, Rob. Um when you say time frame January, February, that means that you'll have a cost and a timeline or a plan.

Yeah. So, um, for the phase 2 project, yeah, I I'll have a hopefully a revised that will be that we be kind of I'll show council the elements of theou that have been changed and modified and that will have some targets and some schedules to go along with that too. Um, costs for phase two will be [clears throat] kind of further developed during the the design process of that. So, we'll have more of an idea later on what that final cost are. Um, same with uh the PCH sewer. Yeah, we're going to have cost. I've got a lot of cost associated with septic systems and uh seaw walls and I'm going to present that to council. I think that was that was brought up during the last time. It was kind of they wanted to know that information. So, it's it's my plan is to have all that to the council so they can have full discussion on it.

All right. Thank you. Go ahead. Uh Rob, I know um the people that are trying to build their homes that are looking to this sewer to be uh a replacement for a septic system are in a quandry right now about what they can do or not do. Is there anything you can state tonight as guidance for them about what to do in the interim until we can get something worked out?

I I I I say yes. I I say I both Yolanda and I have a have have a very good idea on how we're going to approach them. So those those properties are in that solution to get a hold of myself and Yolanda and and we'll help them through. There is some there are some solutions that they can go and do and and um but it's going to be very indiv individualized kind of solutions for every every property. Every property is a little bit different. Every property has some different um repairs or different ideas on how to get the septic. And so um both Elon and I will kind of definitely walk through those options with property owners. Okay. And [snorts] then the second part of this, I was down on Malibu Road at their HOA uh meeting a few weeks ago, and I think one of the questions they have is what's what about us? Uh we were all looking at trying to do the rebuilds, but we also have the other uh people that need to be taken care of. What can we guidance can you give them?

Yeah, like I said, for phase two, which includes Malibu Road, I'm hopeful we'll have that answer in January, February of when that will go in. So that's coming too. They're they're in like they're in a race to see who's going to get done. But but I think the P8 sewer will definitely be done. I want to get that done sooner because that affects a lot of properties properties being rebuilt. All right. Thank you, Steve.

Just a quick note, Doug. Yolanda put out an email today, I think it was, or came out yesterday. I'm not sure which day it was. They talked about some things we're going to be able to do with the uh the homeowners on the beach going to be able to do with their sewers. So, uh it so we're getting close to come up with real tight answers for everybody. So, thank you, Rhonda.

Yeah, Steve and I both sit on that ad hoc for the the sewer and uh we've definitely been pressing staff uh so that we can get information out to u because we know the property owners are are depending on that information to be able to move forward and be able to put through their fire rebuilds. So, um, we we're happy with what staff's going to be bringing forward to us and, um, we're definitely staying on top of them to get this project going as quickly as possible.

Any other comments? Anything else? And then Yolanda, you're going to give your update during that present. Okay. Okay. Uh, so since we're at 6:45, um, I am going to ask for a tight five minute break and then we'll come back and do 7B. Mayor, the city manager reporting commissioner updates were next on the agenda. You were reordering to hear them before 4A unless the council wants to reorder the agenda again. Candace, go for it. L, you also have two commissioner updates. Okay.

Thank you. Good evening, Malibu. As we begin to close out this extraordinary year, I want to extend my heartfelt wishes for a joyful holiday season to our city council, dedicated staff, and resilient residents. This has been one of the most challenging years in Malibu's history. And yet, time and again, I've witnessed the remarkable spirit that defines this community. neighbors helping neighbors, tireless public servants working around the clock, and a collective determination to rebuild what the fires took from us. I'm deeply grateful for the hard work, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment everyone has shown as we've navigated the long road to recovery together. While we stand still have much work ahead, we can be proud of the progress we've made and the foundation we've laid for moving Malibu forward. May this holiday season bring you peace, hope, love, and unity. May it offer moments of rest and renewal, a chance to reconnect with loved ones, and a renewed sense of respect for one another and for random acts of kindness. Above all, may you find joy in the days ahead and carry that light with you well into the new year. And this is my holiday wish for you all. But with that, we have some updates uh to share with the community from each department. This weekend, everyone talked about the celebration of Malibu's own ambassador of joy, Dick Van Dyke. Um and we're so happy to share all these great moments with him. And since our last council meeting, we celebrated another major milestone. Not quite a hundred years, but feeling like it in our two decades long effort to form an independent Malibu Unified School

District. The Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District voted unanimously to approve three foundational agreements for Malibu School District separation. And you'll hear more about that this evening and council will take a vote. Uh, in economic news, the city continues to support our local business recovery. As a true signal of our recovery, I'm happy to report that Malibu's small business community is growing strong with over 25 new businesses opening over the past six months. And we encourage all Malibu business owners to participate in our local business survey to help guide the city's efforts to strengthen and support our local economy. So, please go to businessup supportalcity.org. org and fill out the business support survey. Um, from community development, uh, we'll have an update from Director Bundy. So, I'll let you make all those updates, Director Bundy. Thank you. Um, from public safety, your voice matters. Please take the city of Malibu evacuation plan survey and help to shape our disaster response. Please share your thoughts on improving the city's evacuation routes, alerts, and transportation options. The city of Malibu maintains a proactive servicedriven approach to addressing homelessness. In addition to new and more prominent signage related to the very high fire severity zones and language on Malibu municipal codes camping and encampment res regulations, the city's also installing security cameras and strategic locations throughout Legacy Park to assist with enforcement as well as introducing private security patrols throughout city-owned properties and facilities. We are also looking to add additional uh guards at the Malibu Public Library. Um, but I did want to share that recent homeless count numbers show a steady decline in homelessness year after year.

In 2023, the homeless count was 71. In 2024, the homeless count was 69. And as of October 25, the homeless count is down to 21 individuals. So, we continue to work collaboratively with the community on this. from community services. They have an excellent array of seasonal programs and events planned for you. On Thursday, December 11th from 11 to 12 here at Malibu City Hall in the Surf Rider Room is a senior emergency and preparedness and safety workshop. Saturday, December 13th at 9:00 a.m. here at Malibu City Hall. There is a breakfast with Santa for ages two uh and up. They'll require $10 per participant and children under two are free. Registration is required. And also on Saturday is a dog obedience workshop from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Malibu Blust Park. It's complimentary. And at uh 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. A lot going on on Saturday. There's a caffeinated verse open mic poetry and featured readers event with Malibu poet la Laurate Charlotte Ward at Malibu Library. Um, RSVPs are not required. Thursday, December the 18th from 12 to 1:30 at Spruus is Happy Hoola Days for Seniors. It's $5 per participant and pre-registration is required. And finally, get a beautiful holiday tree and support a great cause at the Malibu Education Foundation Holiday Tree Lot on the Ayoki lot or chili cookoff lot. It's open through December the 14th, Monday through Thursday 3 to 7:00 p.m. Fridays 3 to 9:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. And that's all from me. Um, Director Bundy, would you like to give an update? Thank you.

Thank you, city manager Bon. Wanted to start. Good evening, city council, and thank you for uh this time. Wanted to start with normal operations. Just a quick update. Uh we started looking at um about two weeks ago we talked about uh the streamline process for generators. Um this week we bring to you uh the streamline process for residential HVAC change outs and for window change outs and replacements. This means that there's not a dual process. You don't have to go through planning and then through building. Um the streamline process is you go directly to building and safety to get your permits. that has been added to the portal and so we will also hope that this will continue to streamline the process for normal operations. So, more to come on that regarding Malibu uh rebuilds update. Wanted to provide you with what is going on right now. Uh an update on our numbers. We have a seen 190 uh property owners that have submitted through planning. 125 of them have received planning approval. Uh today we have 18 permits issued, but we're working and finalizing four more permits. uh hopefully in the mid of the week. Uh so I'm hoping our numbers go up really quick. Uh we have 33 families that are under review. Um with that um we also got a question regarding the specific zones if we um started to look more into depth how many of them are beach property. So what I'm going to try to do uh every two week kind of bring you an a brief update on where this is located. Uh we have uh 77 uh beach um on PCH properties that have submitted uh 35 of them are under planning review and 32 under safety. We

have issued one permit and we're very close to issuing the second one. A lot of those applications are coming um are out of the Lacosta and the other ones are in Carbon Beach. One is to also provide you where our neighbors are. So we still comparing how many uh are coming in for for them. They have 12 issued. So we're pretty much to the part uh with them. And then uh continuation with um our director Duval mentioning about on-site wastewater treatment systems. We continue meeting with the board and this is um I think great news for our beach room properties. Uh at the beginning of the rebuild back in April um the with the uh water board we were stating that every property that has been destroyed in its beachfront property needed to have in advance um on site waste water treatment system automatically. Um we were able to get uh clarification and uh and now we can say that um it does not have to be an advanced treatment system. is not automatically required. Uh this is a lot of what our community members and families were asking. So if the system is functioning properly and there is no signs of failure, the city does not require to be replaced uh for an advanced treatment system. So this is a great update that happened this week [applause] and uh we will continue um we will continue uh the communications with the water board in uh regards to what are the next steps when the sewer line comes in and what are those temporary measurements. So more to come to everybody.

The next one is we want to start by thanking um supervisor Lindseay Horvitz for uh bringing an item to the board of supervisors, an item to uh have fee waiverss for fire rebuilds. This [snorts] was approved and passed. So we are very thankful for um for her leadership and also for continue looking at a Mali and see how she can continue helping out. What this represent is that uh all of our families uh that have um that um that are going to get their fire uh fire reviews waved. How we're participating on this effort. We are working um with the LA County Fire Department and they're relying on the city verifying waiver list uh to process uh their own fee waiverss and also uh for us ensuring consistency and accuracy and also ask uh for us is to avoid that the same uh questions are asking for the family. We already have the vetted list of of those families that qualify for a fee waiver. So, we're just passing that information to the fire department and we're hoping that that is also helpful and streamline the process. The next one is we are very uh pleased to share with all of you that CLR uh staff representatives will join us at the Rebel Center um starting tomorrow. So, every Tuesday uh we will have a CR representative from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Rebel Center. uh their on-site presence will allow us to provide direct support to the property owners uh specifically the loan the ones that are loan um PCH that were affected by the flyers. Uh having a person uh somebody in person um can help us also uh ensure in uh their guidance and encroachment permits and any other

question that they have on constructibility. We are also hosting a geotechnical workshop on Wednesday the 10th. Uh this section uh uh session will be uh to introduce our new geotechnical um engineers that are have been on board and are right now reviewing the projects. Um so we hope that this is a a discussion a discussion and it will improve the coordination on our fire rebuilds and um have the coordination also with all of the design professionals um inviting all of the families um for a December 11 gathering here at city hall uh city hall. We're calling it gathering of hope. We encourage all of the families to join us this Thursday. Um we're trying to um have a non-technical community gathering more a s uh session for us to um enjoy each other's company have a connection uh and so we will have a special holiday um uh crafts for the kids. Uh we are also trying to have uh stations for uh gingerbread uh houses making. So something different that we would like to have our families do on December 11th. So we um we're extending that invitation to all of our families. And then uh lastly uh city hall and the rebuild center will continue uh working through the holidays. Uh the city hall will have limited services on inspections and code enforcement from December 22nd, 23rd, 29th and 30th. Um

rebuild center. We also have uh in-person staff that will continue doing uh rebuild uh rechecks and responding to to the needs of our families. And with that, that concludes the presentation. Thank you so much. Thank you. Do we have any follow-up questions from council?

I have a question or two and some comments. Um on the wastewater treatment systems for the um beach where it has not failed. First of all, that's a great that's a great result. I hope it's as good as it sounds. Who's going to make the decision of whether it's failed or reparable? The city has um registered practitioners that are certified through the city. Uh we have a list of those practitioners in our website. Uh so the practitioners actually the ones that go out there that are hired by the families. Uh they provide us a report and uh that is uh the document that we're going to be looking for.

So it's it's going to be the professionals, same people that inspect all of the systems in the in the town. Then it comes to your department. You approve it. At that point, the waterboard's out of the picture. They don't get to disagree with us. That is correct. That's great. That's really great. Um, I just want to say thank you so much for everything that you just reported, for what you guys are doing. I mean, when I came on to council, I came on very critical of the staff, very um, desirous of seeing change. Maybe too much on my part, but what is going on now, what I'm seeing from your department and from you and and your people, it's been it's just really great to see. It's it's it's terrible that it had to be in this circumstance, but it's really great to see. So, thank you. Thank you. [snorts]

Thank you so much for everything. Um, thank you for streamlining the HVAC and the generators and I appreciate the small project separate track because that's what I'm hearing. That's really an improvement. Yeah, that is correct. Then the next one that we're uh working on on the streamlining all the um tenant improvements. So there will be more news to come in the next council meeting or sooner. Repeat that. Sorry. What a streamlining uh tenant improvements for commercial properties. Ah very cool. So like a small business or business they need a mop sink or a pizza oven or something you guys will work together to streamline the process. Yes.

That's amazing. making our priority commercial businesses. That is amazing. That is the next step. Yes. Thank you. I appreciate that. You know that. Um I was curious. So basically what I'm hearing is you guys have a list of uh septic companies that you approve or you like in the city that are licensed that are licensed and registered with the city. Thank you. Um, and then they go and they inspect the septics and they will report back to you guys that the septics are in workable condition. They don't have to be replaced. That's sort of what I'm hearing.

That is correct. And that person that that uh licensed geo that licensed septic company is hired through the homeowner. That's awesome. Thank you very much. Just wanted to double check. Yes. the process of that because I'll probably get questions later. Thank you. You're welcome. Anyone else? Can I make two more comments? Yeah.

Okay. First of all, I just want to say I I have been in contact with lots of people that are working to rebuild um including some of the most ardent critics in the past. This one was I I I think people should know what I was told by one person which was really heartening to hear was that although some members of the staff some are still being more difficult than um we would like Yolanda has been consistently modeling the right behavior the right the right approach and turning things around and and I think that um if anyone disagrees with that or if I if anyone has problems with the staff I want to hear it not necessarily at the meeting I want to hear it But that was the question I asked and I was told exactly what I just said and that was really pleasing to me. Yan, did you want to say something?

I think this is um team effort. So it starts from everybody on city staff. So I'm just I'm just one person in the middle of everything. So you're modest, but you're doing a great job. And the other the last comment I'll make is sitting here listening to Candace with the beginning of her presentation. It's like if anyone ever wondered why she was an ambassador, we certainly know now. Okay, so we'll go on to commissioner comments. Uh we have Kevin Shankman and Bill Samson.

Good evening, mayor, members of the council. Um just a quick update report. Um at our November 20th meeting, the commission voted to recommend certain amendments to the mobile home rent stabilization ordinance. Um those amendments uh update the ordinance, which hasn't been touched in about 34 years. Uh make it a bit more robust and also address uh concerns that have been raised at the uh at the state legislature. Um we're we are asking that uh that the council take up that recommendation at its first meeting in January so that we can head off legislation um that will otherwise uh be sent to the rules committee um in midFebruary um that would otherwise take away our local control. Um, the commission also continues to investigate historical complaints of rents being raised far in excess of what the ordinance pro uh allows. Um, and we are having some difficulties in that respect. Um, getting the information and documents that we need uh in order to accomplish that. I hope to uh resolve that um and that we don't need to bring that to your attention at a later date. Um, and if if Vice Chair Samson has anything to say, please.

I'm just as Christmas decoration. Thank you. [laughter] Uh, can I ask a question? Yes. Uh, Kevin, uh, I appreciate that the city can pass an ordinance or change its regulations, but how is that going to change what the state legislature does?

Sure. Um, so I I I'll try to give the very short answer here. Um last year a cons um a concern was expressed by lobbyists of the mobile home park um trade organization that it is intuit that that it is unfair that a mobile home owner can um get the advantage of rent control on the one hand in its relationship with the park owner and then uh and then lease out that mobile home and and subleasase the space at a market rate. So it it exploits rent control on on the one side and um and is not subject to rent control, excuse me, on on its transaction with a sub lesser, I'm sorry, a subtenant. Um and the amendments that we will we hope to present uh to the council in January um address that and and the reason is because the the park owners association in their lobbying efforts to the legislature uh used Malibu as the poster child of how this is wrong. um their idea of how to correct this situation is simply eliminate rent control for those units where a mobile home resident is not actually residing in the um in the mobile home for perhaps a variety of reasons. Um and uh the commission voted to take a different approach um to how to solve that um that situation which has some intuitive inequity to it. But if the legislature passes a law, it's going to trump what we do. Correct.

Uh it could. Um I am confident that if we take care of this on a local level that uh we can convince the legislator or legislators um who have advanced this in the past last year um to back down. All right. So the intention would be not to have not to have the legislation passed but to preempt it from being presented. Correct. Correct. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Kelsey, can we have a break now? Did you want to hear a law enforcement update? Yes, I do want to hear a law enforcement update. [laughter]

Thank you, Sergeant Sodelin. [clears throat] Good evening, city council. I have the crime statistics for the month of November for the city. So in the month of November, there were 15 part one reported crimes. So that brings the total to 245 for the year. That compares with 414 the same time last year. So that's a 40.8% decrease year-over-year. Uh a couple notable arrests and incidents. Uh on December 3rd at approximately uh 700 p.m. um right down the street here at the library, a security guard that works for the uh the library approached a transient who was smoking on the property, which is prohibited. Uh an argument ensued and the suspect threw bleach on the security guard. Uh the deputies responded um detained the suspect and he admitted to the uh crime and he was arrested for assault with a costic chemical. Um the security guard um was not seriously injured, so that's good. On December 2nd at approximately 2:30 in the morning, deputies were patrolling PCH uh in the area of Sea Vista Drive when they heard a loud high-pitched screeching from tires coming east of the from the east of them. Uh they drove down Pacific Coast Highway and at Seagull Way, they observed fresh tire marks in a circular pattern in the roadway. Uh they kept driving and from a distance they saw a vehicle doing donuts uh on PCH. They uh were able to catch up to that

vehicle near Porco Canyon and pulled the vehicle over. It was a Chevy Corvette. Um when they contacted the suspect uh and detained him for reckless driving, they also found out that his license was suspended and so he was arrested for those violations and his Corvette was impounded for 30 days. Um, another [clears throat] incident on December 1st at approximately 1:15 in the morning. Uh, deputies were patrolling PCH near Tuna Canyon when they observed a bicyclist um riding a bicycle without the proper safety uh equipment on it. And they conducted a traffic stop on the bicyclist. And while they were talking to the bicyclist, they observed a bulge in his clothing. And when they searched him, they found a 15-in machete concealed in his waistband, and he too was transient, and he was arrested for the felony weapons violation. So, it's good proactive work by the deputies that are out there patrolling 24/7. Um, finally, uh, the holidays are upon us and so please don't drink and drive. Please have a plan. Uber, Lift, taxi. Um, our black and white taxis only go one place to jail. So, we're going to be out there. So, please have a plan. [laughter] I'm available for any questions if you have any.

Any questions? Taylor or Bruce, go on. So, I'm a broken record on this with the um unhoused people that are camping. Um, I like the story of the bicyclist who was not wearing proper safety equipment because that is a misdemeanor and they were stopped and then as a result of the stop they ended up being searched and other things were found. Why is that not capable of being done with the misdemeanor of camping in public? Which is something I asked about a couple weeks ago and I was told we don't do that, but sounds like you do. Um, I will refer back to the comments we made the last time. Uh, it's the posture of the county not to, uh, criminalize homelessness.

We're not talking about criminalized homelessness. We're talking about criminalizing an activity which applies to people who are unhoused and people that are housed. I can't go camp in the library parking lot.

So, I think the distinction needs to be made between setting up an encampment, which we absolutely will enforce, and camping. And by that I mean the way the municipal code is written, someone we could detain somebody for simply falling asleep in their car, whether they were tired and pulled over to because they were tired and didn't want to drive anymore. The way it's written, we could detain them for a crime, which is not the intent of that law, but that's the way it's written. And so I want to be careful that when the deputies do out go out in enforcement that it's very clear um what they need to do and what their um capacity is out there.

I appreciate that. I I I think the law is clear enough already to avoid that. But we have an amendment a group of amendments. I'm hoping we will get them brought forward at the next meeting or two that will make it even clearer for you. May maybe we should talk before we put them forward and see if if they'll provide the sufficient clarity that you guys need because it's it's going to be more than just somebody falling asleep in a car. Clearly. Absolutely. So, thank you. Yeah, [snorts] we'll try and schedule a meeting with either you or the captain. Sounds good.

Yeah, I have a I thank you very much. I have a few questions on that. Um, so what happens after the guy with [clears throat] the machete is arrested? because we've had a few of these incidences with machetes and I'm gonna guess he's the same person or there's multiple people with machetes running around Malibu. Um the machete seems to be one of the more common weapons that Great. So there's multiple people use. I just wonder like you arrest them and then what? So, we arrest them, we do the report, the detectives file it with the district attorney, and it's up to the district attorney whether they want to proceed with uh criminal charges or however they want to proceed with it.

I see. Um, so it's up to the district attorney. Okay. And then would you happen to have information on the accident at Deer Creek and PCH or I do. Um, it was a um double fatal collision. Mhm. Uh it occurred on PCH in Deer Creek in Ventura County, so just over the county line. And um from what I've heard, the uh one of the deceased was a Paradise Cove employee, longtime employee. I was going to hope to adjourn in his name, but I don't know his name. Um which is okay. It might be private. Maybe we'll just say the Paradise Cove. Yeah, I yeah,

I would I don't have the information on whether the next kin was notified, but from the reporting I've heard they were worked at Paradise Cove. So, okay. And then did I hear that a library Oh my gosh. A library security guard got bleach thrown on. Correct. And that's a that's a crime. I'm just wondering what then So, we have to wait for the district attorney. The same process. Correct. Okay, thank you.

Can I ask a follow up on that? So, when you say you arrest the person, does that mean you take them to the Lost Hill station or some other location and book them and do all those things or does it just mean like issue a ticket at the site? No, this uh that's a felony and that um they are booked into jail. Okay. And then they have to be released on bail or armor cognizance, what have you. Okay. Okay. Thanks. Real quick one. uh you know when they you say the DA makes the final decision whether to release your do they do you do they inform you of this I mean you do you keep track of

there's a matrix on whatever crime that we booked them for whether it's a sight and release uh whether it's no bail whether there's bail um right now there's zero zero bail policy is in effect in Los Angeles County so a lot of things that used to we would hold them on on bail become no bail bill and they get a citation to appear in court at a later time. Okay. Thank you. Okay. Thank you, Sergeant. You're welcome. And I think we have Tim from MRCA. Ranger Tim. We haven't seen you in a bit.

Good evening, Mayor and respectful city council members. Nice to see everybody. I think he might need to bring it down a little closer. Yeah.

How's that? Better. Cool. I'd like to give the MRCA Ranger report for last month. Uh last month uh we uh issued 236 citations were issued involving park violations and also illegal parking throughout our parks. Uh during the red flag wind events, all West Malibu parks were closed due to the possibility of a backount wildfire incident. Fortunately, no incidents occurred. Also, extra ranger staffing were deployed to Eskanito Canyon Park to help assist on the park closures and to keep the public on the trail and off the roadway due to uh safety concerns. A total of 88 pounds of trash was picked up at our coastal area parks, including all beach access areas. Extended fire patrols were implemented during the red flag events and the holiday weekends. No incidents were reported and andor service calls were generated. And this concludes my MRCA ranger report. Thank you.

Thank you. Um also I've heard has there been a change? Are they starting is MRCA starting to clear some brush on the properties or is that Could you clarify anything about brush clearance? Absolutely. Uh they are doing there's several brushing clearance projects surrounding all areas in the west and also the eastern Malibu areas. So that's in in progress right now.

Okay. And if um somebody has a property that neighbors MRCA, what's the procedure for them to be able to get approved for brush clearance on their own properties? on their own properties. Usually, they would reach out to our resource management uh division or park restoration uh division if they want to get clearance or or if we could help them also clear their boundary areas. Okay. Uh Doug, uh just a correction on that. I believe in our discussions with uh uh Joe Edmonson, there's now a uh total approval to do within 200 feet of the residence.

Great. uh you don't need a permit. The state parks on the other hand do require a permit. You do have to interact with them. But if it's MRCA land 200 feet away from the residents, not your lot line, but your residents can be cleared without any notice. Excellent. Very good. Great. Thank you, Ranger Tim. Appreciate um you guys closing the parks on red flags. That's been huge. Um You're welcome. I was wondering would you happen to know where the money for your tickets go or is that

um yes actually it depends if it's a civil citation it goes to have to our agency and then also goes to administration like the processing servicing center that processes the citation if it's a criminal offense it we don't even get any money to that it goes straight straight to the DA or or filing process this area. Gotcha. Thank you so much. Mhm. You're welcome. Okay. Kelsey, where am I? That concludes the city manager update. If you'd like to take a recess before item 7B, which will be heard next.

Okay. Um, so we're going to reconvene at 7:30. Everybody who is here for uh 7B, please make sure your speaker slip is in before we start the discussion and we'll be back at 7:30. Thanks.

I need everyone to please take their seats. Council to return to the dis. City manager and city attorney, please. [snorts]

Just forget. Okay, we are back. Uh, we're now going to hear item 7B. Do we have our speaker slips in? We do. I'll pass them up to you in a moment. Do we have any speakers online? Uh, four. Four raised hands. Okay, if you could hold the four raised hands, please.

We're doing 7B. Kelsey, who will be doing our staff report? I believe the city managers or the city attorney's office will be presenting. We have deputy city attorney Christine Wood here. [snorts]

Um Christine, your mic's not on.

Sorry. Thank you, council. Uh, and thank you for the opportunity to present you an update today. Um, I will say offscript I was a little um I was a little touched and really encouraged um by all the reports and the um presentations today because rebuilding Malibu is what this effort is about and making sure that the families that return to Malibu have a school district that serves them. So, um it makes me and my team much more excited and fired up about doing this work. So, thank you for um that encouragement. Okay. So, um my name is Christine Wood. I'm the deputy city attorney for the city of Malibu and for the last seven years I've been um leading the strategic effort to realize an independent Malibu Unified School District. It's important to recognize that this is not um an immediate day um uh an immediate effort. This has taken years and years and generations. The Malibu community has been seeking c um separation from Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District for as I said generations. The first organized group, the Advocates for Malibu Public Schools, sometimes we refer to that as AMPs, was formed in 2011. Amps organized a petition and gathered thousands of signatures in support of separation, and that was submitted to the Los Angeles County's Committee on School District Organization. In 2015, the city took the lead on school separation shortly thereafter, and it has been established as one of the three priorities for the city ever since. In August 2017, the city officially

submitted its petition to the county committee. And after several delays to allow for negotiations between the city and the school district in June 2025, the county committee recommended to deny the petition. The decision was close. Um it was a 5-4 vote. Um yet the petition was still to the recommendation was still to deny the petition. As a result, that petition is now before the state board where we are excited about the prospect of having the state board rule on our city's petition. Meanwhile, and [clears throat] on an um parallel path, the city and the district began mediation in 2022. In the fall of 22, the city and the district entered into a term sheet that set forth the terms for separation of the um district into two districts. So the parties have been mediating pretty consistently since February 2022. The term sheet that was adopted in fall of 2022 contemplated three separate agreements. The revenue sharing agreement, the operational agreement, and the joint powers agreement. Those agreements have been drafted. They have been finalized and they have now, as of last Monday, been approved by the school district board of education. [applause] That is a huge deal. So, we're very excited that um we have gotten to that point. Um and now the city council um you will consider those agreements tonight. I want to take you just briefly through those three agreements um for anyone who u may not have been familiar with the purpose of each agreement. So the revenue sharing agreement was probably the most significant agreement because it memorializes the allocation of revenues between um the successor educational entities. So to set another

way, specifically the revenue sharing agreement provides for the allocation of property taxes from the future Malibu Unified School District to the future Santa Monica Unified School District. It guarantees Santa Monica 4% annual growth in unrestricted revenue to the extent additional funding is needed. The most significant thing about this is if Santa Monica realizes their 4% growth on its own, there will be no contribution from the city from the Malibu Unified School District. The council received a very detailed presentation on the revenue sharing agreement back in April 2024. Um, and the basis for this agreement has not substantially changed since that time. So, we would really recommend if there's any community member who wants to do a deep dive on the revenue sharing agreement that they watch um one of those um videos. Those presentations are pretty detailed. We've not discussed with the council in detail the operational trans um transition agreement or I'm sorry, the operational transfer agreement or the JPA. So, I'd like to describe those for you. Now, the operational transfer agreement addresses the functional division of assets, liabilities, and programmatic resources between the Malibu Unified School District and the Santa Monica Unified School District with a focus on allowing for a smooth transition for students and staff from a single educational entity into two separate entities. The purpose of this agreement is to provide a framework for how the parties will work together during the time preceding the formation of the future Malibu Unified School District and the reorganization of Santa Monica into the Santa Monica Unified School District and during that transition period and to provide guidance for activities which may require collaboration after their transition period. The framework of this agreement defines how the parties will work together to manage the transition of confidential data because remember there's a lot of confidential student data in their systems. The transfer of

educational services and other student related services. The um staffing assignments, the human resource services, maintenance, operations and facilities, the allocation of real property, allocation of other assets and liabilities, fiscal implications and communications. There is a lot obviously that will go into the transfer of one entity into the other. There is an important component of this agreement that addresses the allocation of fund balance um and provide some protections for Malibu in the event that the initial fund balance is too low for a reasonable level of reserves for the new district. Malibu will pre provide it with at least $7.5 million even if it's entitled share of the fund balance results in a lower distribution. That was a significant concession in the negotiations. The agreement also sets forth a creation of a new district administrative office to be in place during the transition period so the new district can have its own central location to begin operations. So that gives you an overview of the operational transfer agreement. I'll talk briefly about the joint powers authority agreement or the JPA agreement. The JPA is a body that will administer the transfer and the ongoing revenue sharing. The JPA will be comprised of representatives from both Malibu and Santa Monica as well as one neutral representative. Initially, the JPA will be responsible for facilitating the transition, but on an ongoing basis, the JPA will oversee property tax transfers each year, including the facilitation of any significant variances to the RSA formula that results in unexpected distribution amounts. We tried to make sure that the JPA could handle anything that we could not foresee. um and we gave them the power to um address those things if they came up and had a significant impact on either district.

So now we present to the council the three agreements and our recommended action is to authorize the interim city manager to execute the three agreements on behalf of the city of Malibu in um concert with the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District's Board of Education. Um, I have been asked probably 20 times tonight what next steps are. So, I will describe for you. If the council approves the three agreements, there's still a question as to how to incorporate these agreements into the approval process. We will begin literally tomorrow working with the district to identify how to incorporate the agreements into the approval process. Um the specific process will require some additional state and county approvals. There's a possibility that SQA may need to be involved. Um there will be maybe a SQA process. Um but the most the one thing that we are really sure will need to happen is special legislation that will support the implementation of the school district separation. Um before I take my seat, I just like to take a point of personal privilege and really thank um the team that has assisted the school separation effort. um for literally some for the last seven years. Um and without that work um we couldn't have done this. There's been a phenomenal team that um really kind of created the city created somewhat of a shadow school district um that really supports this work. They've built budgets. They've identified educational programs. They've held visioning seminars with the city community to make sure the vision for Malibu Unified reflects um the local residents and what what they want. Um so I just want to thank personally our um our first consultant to join the team was Latana Kirk Carter from Kirk Carter and Associates. [snorts] [applause]

I'd like to also thank Kathy Dominico. She is our property tax expert. [applause] Kathy along with the district's um financial consultant were really the architects of the revenue sharing agreement and the formula. Um because these are basic aid districts that operate on property taxes, it was really key to have someone who understood property tax flow. Um and she was a key part in making sure this agreement happened. So thank you Kathy. And then finally we have our superintendent um in the form of Mike Matthews. [applause]

I really don't think he needs any introduction. Walking around with him is like walking around with another mayor. But um Mike has been very instrumental in a lot of things. I mean he does a great job in making sure we're able to um interact with and understand the culture of the Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District having been an administrator there for several years. Um and he's just been a real key in those negotiations. So, um, I thank you council for trusting us with this effort. Um, I want to point out we will not have a school district next school year. That's the one thing I can tell you for sure. We will not have a school district next school year. We will have a district soon. And that's what this milestone represents. That the Malibu Unified School District will happen at some point, not next year, but at some point very soon. Thank you. [applause]

Okay. Uh, do we have any clarifying questions from council? I just have one comment. She left off one of the key people in the Thank you, Christine. We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you. [cheering] Thank you, Council Member Stewart. I'm going to have some comments later, but I just one thing. We have probably an hour or more of public speaker slips here. I'll be shocked if this is not approved tonight unanimously. So, please keep that in mind when you're speaking. [applause]

Thank you very much. Um, and with that, I am going to take a little liberty. Um, so for people who are here either with their children or have to get home for bedtime, um, the Alfano family, would you like to go first? and the Dawnfelds. Josh, I saw a speaker slip for another speaker. Do you have a speaker slip for your own? Okay. So, why don't you follow the Alfano family? And Okay. And um

so I have Colton, I have Olivia and Gemma, I have Heather. And Heather, you have John and Terry Davis. Okay. I'm so sorry. We're having problems with the mic. We need to press the button in front of you. Perfect. Thank you.

Okay. Hi, my name is Heather Alfano. I have been a Malibu resident for 11 years. I have three kids in our local Malibu schools. I was recruited to help in the efforts to aid in unification back when my oldest was in preschool at Malibu Methodist 10 years ago. At that time, I heard stories of parents fighting for more than a decade to separate from SMMUSD. Needless to say, these efforts have been going on for a long, long time. There are so many reasons that we need to be independent of Santa Monica. Local control over our children is a top priority. I brought two of my reasons with me tonight. You'll get to hear from them in a second. I hope I get to see this come to fruition before my kids graduate and go off to college. All of the hours I have spent on Zoom meetings making public comments from my car or on family vacations would feel validated if you would vote yes on 7B tonight. Thank you. I know MUSD can count on you.

Uh Olivia and Jenna. [clears throat] Oh, is there one? Yeah, [clears throat] there's there's a blue stool there. Hi, my name is Olivia Alfano and my name is Jem Alfano. We go to Malibu Elementary School and I'm in fifth grade

and I'm in second grade and we are so excited for Malibu Unified School District. [applause] So, I know we're breaking to quorum here and everybody's clapping. We're This is a special occasion for little kids. Yeah, it's a um Colton and then the Donfelds.

Good evening. My name is Colton Aalo. I'm in fifth grade at Malibu Elementary. I just want to say that Malibu is my hometown and I love my school and my community. Having our own school district would would help students like me that with making decisions would actually live here and understand what we need. Thank you. Thank you [applause] Josh.

Hello. Wait, is this the right button? You You're doing just right. This button. Oh. Hi. We're the Donfeld family. My name is James Donfeld. I'm in third grade and I go to Malo Elementary School. Hi, my name is Sam Donfeld and I'm in first grade and I go to Mal Elementary School. My name is Ben and I'm in first grade with my brother at Malibu Elementary. [clears throat]

We need Mal uh Malibu to have its own school district so we can get the best education possible. Thank you for making it possible. [applause] And they're good at jiu-jitsu, too. I just saw them. Okay. Any other family? Okay. Um, so we're going to start with Karen Al Harden, followed by Kevin Keegan and Joe's still here. Okay. And then, uh, Dana Grow.

Can I just say we I mean I think we were all clapping for the children, not for what they were saying necessarily. So [laughter] go, not that we weren't also doing that, but so now going forward, now that the adults are talking, let's just stick to the jazz hands. [laughter]

That's not fair. Hello, my name is Karen El Harden, president of Malibu Education Foundation and on behalf the of the foundation, I want to express our strong support for authorizing the execution of the negotiated agreements with SMMUSD that established the financial framework for an independent Malibu school district. This is a truly historic step for our community. And while this journey has been long, emotional, and at times challenging, it's important to thank the current council for getting us to this point, and to our friends in Santa Monica who have been and will continue to be a partner in this process. We all share the same goal, ensuring that students on both sides of this agreement are supported, protected, and set up to thrive. As the nonprofit that funds critical staff programs across our four Malibu schools, Malibu Education Foundation understands how extent how essential stability is during this transition. That's why community support is more important than ever. The foundation is committed to helping bridge this moment, sustaining the AIDS, arts, and athletics tutoring and enrichment programs while partnering with the city of Malibu to ensure continuity for students and staff during this process. Tonight's vote reflects leadership, collaboration, and a belief in what's possible when we work together in good faith. We're grateful for your perseverance and for the partnership that has made this milestone possible. Thank you.

Thank you, Kevin Keegan, followed by Dana, followed by An K and you have up to four minutes.

Thank you. [clears throat] I'm Kevin Keegan, Mayor, Mayor Prom, and council members, I urge you to vote yes in support of the school separation package. residents here tonight along with community members online and neighbors who recently sent emails to you. Collectively, we represent a small percentage of the hundreds, if not thousands of Malibu residents, parents, teachers, staff, and students who for over a decade worked passionately to create change. Change [snorts] is often difficult. And in this case, it took generations of Malibu community members to create this opportunity to launch an independent Malibu Unified School District that will offer us local control and will finally prioritize Malibu students and teachers. It was the effort, time, sweat, organizing, coordination, outreach, protesting, demands, determination, commitment, resilience, fortitude, caring, and love of many, many people in Malibu, those here today, and those who came before us that made tonight possible. It now comes down to the five of you to determine whether that original vision and all the subsequent effort will turn into a new school district by and for Malibu or whether we settle for the Santa Monica status quo. As you know, education is a cornerstone of any thriving community. MSU MUSD will allow us the opportunity to finally ensure that when families enroll in the Malibu public schools that they can fully commit to the TK through 12 years here for their children. MUSD will allow us to expand our curricula in Malibu specific ways. Everything from specialty environmental studies and award-winning arts, music, and STEM disciplines to a board sports program offering skateboarding, snowboarding,

and surfing teams. Something I've already confirmed is possible. MUSD will allow us to enrich the community in a way that will benefit will likely benefit property owners. MUSD will be an exciting and rewarding school district for Malibu teachers and local control promises to improve the lives of our children. To be sure, we will have a lot of work to do to successfully launch a new school district. Tonight, I say, should a majority of the city council vote yes, let us begin in earnest. Let us organize a task force to bring together the disperate teams involved with school school separation including the FOC etc. And let's iron out our MUSD strategic roadmap. Let's not wait for whatever amount of time is left to seek the California State Board of Education's approval and jump through any new hoops the Santa Monica leadership team dreams up. If a majority of the Malibu City Council votes yes tonight, let tomorrow, December 9th, 2025, be considered day one of the Malibu Unified School District. Lastly, if we do this tonight, then less than one year after the events of January 7th walloped the city city of Malibu, we will be able to point to an historic achievement that will for forever register as one of Malibu's transformative milestones. Council members, it's up to you. Please vote yes on the school separation package tonight. Thank you.

Thank you, Kevin. Follow uh excuse me, Dana, followed by an K, followed by Mark Tapalo. Good evening, honorable honorable council members. I wanted to thank you for your service to our community and your leadership through these challenging times. [snorts]

I'd love to have a period where we are smooth sailing in this city, but it has been crisis after crisis since Woolseie, and it is wearing us out. The ray of sunshine through the haze has been the glimmering hope of a Malibu Malibu Unified School District. District separation has been a conversation that I've been following since my children were born. I now have a junior and a sophomore at Malibu High School. While they are unlikely to reap the benefits of this process, there is some hope for my daughter who's currently in the sixth grade. Um uh even though even if they don't, the future generations of Malibu youth will. I have actively pursued and been involved in non-traditional educational paths for my children during co I p participated in a stakeholder Zoom meeting with the city of Malibu to help imagine what programming for an independent district might look like. Freedom from the constraints of the SMMU USD machine opens doors that can be life-changing for our children. My Palisades animal clinic was destroyed in the Palisades fire in January, and I watched my clients with school-aged children flock to Huntington Beach in the South Bay, where the public schools have great reputations. We have the opportunity to build a program here that can draw young families to our community by creating an educational system that is progressive and suits the unique needs of our evolving world. I have heard the argument that we don't have enough kids to support this, but I truly believe that if you build it, they will come. Our kids deserve the best that we can give them. Please vote to support the youth of our community. Thank you.

Thank you. And follow Mark Tala followed by Darren Graves. Hello. as it's honest kamarask you just put down and k to make it easy for you.

Thank you. I know. I know. I make it easy on the school separation. As you know, we've been reporting on it for several months. And one thing is it must be done now. We cannot wait a year. Miss Bond, it needs to be done now. All these lobbyists, all these people, all they do is make money by fighting between the school district and Malibu's own school district. So, if you don't take care of it, I'll have to as governor of California in 2026. I'm glad the press is somewhat here. I hope they're recording. Thank you. Thank you, Mark. Followed by Darren, followed by Josh Spiegel.

Hello. Uh, if she doesn't take care of it as a governor, I'll take care of it as president. So, we should be good. [laughter] All right. So, one way or another, we'll get this taken care of. I'm Mark Zapala. I'm president of the Malibu Elementary School PTA. I'll keep it brief. First of all, thank you council members for having the backs of Malibu parents for so long, for taking over the separation process, and for spending a significant amount of time and money to get to where we are now. Uh it wasn't that long ago that cityhood was a dream for Malibu and getting that enabled so many wonderful things for us here. I think our own district is the next dream and we're on the precipice of making it happen. Our own district will allow us to have the local control that we need that allows our schools to be a reflection of the community we love. It'll be a reason for young families to choose Malibu. Not just billionaires for their second or third homes, but actual young families with kids coming to Malibu because we have something great to offer. Uh and to stay in Malibu instead of driving their kids to private schools in the canyons or PCH. I've reviewed the agreements. They are not perfect. They are as good as we're ever going to get. And they're on the table. They're ready for us now. They've been diligently negotiated by two of your colleagues, uh, and influenced by a team of very smart consultants that I've enjoyed getting to know over the last year. Uh, and they have no additional taxes for Malibu. We don't pay any more to get this. and Santa Monica, the amount we're going to pay them, it's roughly what we were paying them already. So, I think this is a really good thing for Malibu. Please vote yes, not just for our kids, but for the future generations of Malibu kids and for the future of Malibu itself. Thanks.

Thank you, Mark. Darren, oh, okay. I think he has enough time. So, but I'll I'll add your slip. Um Josh followed by Alicia Peak. followed by Craig Foster.

Hey, I'll I'll be I'll be quick. I just wanted to come up here and say thank you to everybody who's been working on this for as long as I can remember. Um this is going to be wonderful for my children, wonderful for the future of Malibu, being able to raise our kids right so that they can come back and um be future stewards of our community. And um Christine, you'll never have to buy another drink in Malibu. I promise you that. appreciate it. Look, we're we're we're six inches from the finish line. Um hopefully we can push it over. Thanks. Thank you, Alicia and the famous Craig Foster.

Whoa. I'm famous. He put two speakers. I mean, really offended here. [laughter] Okay. I'm Alicia Peak. I'm famous. I'm going to be um vice president. [laughter] Just um Alicia Peak, happy to be here today. Um I don't know about all of you, but I feel like this is a celebration. A celebration for the thousands of hours and time spent getting to this historic vote. If I say your name right now, I would really appreciate you to say to stand up so that we can properly thank you for all your time. Wade Majer, thank you. [applause]

Craig Foster, thank you. Karen L. Harden, thank you. Karen Farah, thank you. Sorry. Mark Depala, thank you. Christine, thank you. Mikey Pearson, thank you. Stacy, thank you. Please look around the room right now. Christine, please stand up. And your team, please stand up. Kevin, thank you. Please stand up. I'm sorry if I missed you, but let me tell you that all of I want to cry, you guys. All of these people right now have spent thousands of hours fighting for these kids and for our district MUSD to become real. And tonight it actually might. So I just wanted to take a minute to really [applause] thank you all. And obviously to the council members, I apologize. I know we beat you up a lot, but thank you for all that you have done on this, too. [gasps and sighs] I think the f the vote in front of you today is easy. It's a yes. It's a yes. It's a yes. It's a yes. It's time for this dream of an SMMU MUSD to come to fruition. We need you to finalize this. We all stood by and watched SMMUSD kick down the can for decades. This stops today, tonight, in this moment. With your yes vote to these three agreements, the kids are our future and we must invest in them. A yes vote here today is your investment in them and the future of a real MUSD. Thank you.

Thank you. The infamous Alicia Peak. Craig Foster followed by Carl Randall followed by Scott Dietrich.

Good evening, council members. It's uh great that I'm following on Alicia's footsteps because I think the people to be thanked more than any are you guys and your predecessors because you've hung in there. Without that, Amps wouldn't have got this done. The school district would have outweighed them. [snorts] There was no way this was going to happen except that the city, which is to say, you guys, our elected officials, put your shoulder to this. [snorts] And it's really important that all the people in our town who there's always this and there's always that and we're always mad about something. Every everybody I hope I want to make sure everybody understands this council, the council before that, the council before that stood for [snorts] this. They spent the money out of the treasury to do this. They hired amazing consultants. They hung in with more craziness than any five people should ever have to deal with from Santa Monica and they kept fighting and you got us to this point which is a watershed. So thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you and thank you. You guys made this possible and we can't thank you enough. Good night.

Thank you. [applause] [clears throat] Carl Randall, followed by Scott Dietrich, followed by Kevin Shakeman. Uh, just kind of wanted to thank mom and dad for kicking this fight off for the Randals in 1971. [laughter] We're just about there. Thank you guys. Thank you, Carl. Thank you to Carol and Carl Randall. So, Scott, then Kevin, uh, then Karen Pah. Yes. Best statement I've ever heard you say, Scott.

I'll be very brief. I can't be that brief. Um, so [laughter] it is really nice to see this community celebrating. Uh, this community deserves to celebrate after um, you know, I I I think I've been dealing with this for over a decade and there are a lot of people here that have been dealing with it for a lot longer than I have. Um and and all of those people deserve to celebrate. At the same time, and I don't want to be a wet blanket here, but this is not an end, right? Um I I've known those folks in Santa Monica probably better than most in this room. And um there are still some things that they can do to gum up the works on this to I mean, there's a pretty obvious poison pill. um not financially but um you know so I just ask that that you all stay vigilant um understand that they in that the Santa Monica board would not have done this if they thought that they had a better option um need to to keep at it um I've seen some discussion about this being effective for the 2829 school year that's nonsense there is no reason why uh legislation cannot be accomplished pushed this year um for uh and and and the new school district um be in place for the 27 school year. Um thank you.

Appreciate your optimism Karen. Followed by the way major.

Good evening. You have up to five minutes. Thank you. My name is Karen Farer. Would everyone supporting the confirmation of agenda item 7B please stand?

We're going to give Lloyd and credit over there.

School district separation. Let's take a few minutes to remind ourselves of some of the reasons this has been an official priority of the city of Malibu for the past seven years and a community concern for decades beyond that. Number one, we have two geographically discontiguous areas. Santa Monica and Malibu do not share a border. For the record, around 1980, the state of California made the creation of such a school district illegal. Unfortunately, the continuation of our district was allowed. Why were geographically disconnected communities in the same school district no longer allowed? Because they don't work well, and we're a living example. Number two, Santa Monica and Malibu have separate TK through 12 pathways. In other words, the schools in the two communities are already operating separately, except one city, Santa Monica, with 87% of the voters controls both. Number three, atlarge elections have resulted in periods as long as 6 years without a single school board member from Malibu. literally taxation without representation. Number four, we have a rural and semi-ural attendance area versus an urban one with recurrent wildfires and mudslides and the resultant restrictions at times hard closures of our primary transportation artery Pacific Coast Highway and different emergency and law enforcement agencies in Santa Monica and Malibu. This is a major safety concern. Maybe Santa Monica can do as good a job for

safety for Malibu, for Malibu students and staff, even given all the reasons why that is likely not the case. But are you willing to take the chance that whatever Santa Monica does on safety for Malibu students and staff will be enough for the next awful day when lives are on the line? Most often, our district distant school district headquarters has left our local schools and community out of sight, out of mind. Number five, the creation of separate bond districts in 2018 gave us the opportunity to demonstrate that the people of Malibu support our local schools and the continuing improvement of our campuses is the result. Not only did we replace two PCB contaminated campuses that the Santa Monica School Board wanted to keep in place, we built cutting edge facilities based on the best models from around California, designed to teach our kids for the future they will be living in. Facilities that support teamwork, communication, and cross-disciplinary thinking. Please go see Malibu Middle and High School if you haven't done so already. This milestone tonight is incredibly significant. It's taken persistence and teamwork and sacrifices to get here and I am proud to have been a part of it. But to quote the late great Yogi Barra, it ain't over till it's over. There's more work to do at the local and state levels. A continuing commitment is required. We must stay the course and judging from this evening's display, Malibu is ready, willing, and able to do that. Thank you

in advance for your vote to support it. Thank you. And Wade is our final inerson speaker. Wade minutes.

Wade, I only need seven. Wade Major and I have never been so proud to be president of AMS. It's hard to believe that Malibu achieved cityhood nearly 35 years ago. Those of us who were here at that time remember the fervor and excitement of finally achieving that long- sought dream against overwhelming odds. Since that time, however, it became evident to many that our cityhood was incomplete. Local control of municipal matters only secures the present. Local control of schools secures the future. And you've seen that today. Today, you have the chance to cast historic votes that will begin to complete what was begun three and a half decades ago. With your ratification of these historic agreements, Malibu can begin its first steps to finally securing its future. I was recently regailed with the story of a dinner that Loren Sills hosted at her home 15 years ago for the founding members of amps. The guest of honor was legendary education advocate Don Shelby who passed last year. He was at the time working for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and his message to the group was simply you will get there if you don't give up. I am humbled and honored today to report to those founding AMPs members and to our entire community that we have not given up and we will not give up until unification is fully achieved. While we're not quite there tonight, we have the chance to clear a major milestone along the way. There are far too many people to thank for getting us to this point. Many have already been thanked, but I'm going to thank them again. Special mention has to go to those previous AMPs presidents on whose shoulders I stand, Craig Foster, Karen Farah, Ruie Israel, and Norah Cohen. And again to Craig, Karen, and the indispensable Seth Jacobson for their courageous school board slate run in 2012, which eventually set the table for Craig's two subsequent terms, followed by Stacy Rouse's current term, giving us an unprecedented 12 straight years of Malibu representation on the board.

Without that, I don't believe that we would be where we are today. Very special thanks as well to that bold, visionary city council and their city staff who in 2017 made the equally unprecedented move of taking the baton from amps and allocating the money and the muscle that brought our dream front and center. Lamont, Laura Rosenthal, Skyler Peak, Rick Mullen, and Jefferson Wagner. And of course to our amazing unification dream team of Christine Wood, Lata Kirk Carter, Kathy Dominico, Terry Ryland, and the unflapable Mike Matthews, as well as all the subsequent city council subcommittee members whose dogged determination moved the needle incrementally thereafter, Laura Rick, Karen, Mikey Pearson, Paul Graasanti, and our current subcommittee, Mayor Maryanne Rigggins and Council Member Halen Conrad, and of course to the rest of this council, Doug Stewart, Bruce Silverstein, and Steve Yuring. Thank you all from all of us for having our backs through this process. The gratitude our families and children owe all of you is beyond measure. [snorts] And then of course our local amps education army that has worked so fiercely with the unification team these past several years. My way classier brother from another mother and measure mm co-chair and former PTSA president Kevin Keegan. FDA, FDAC chair, Carl Randall from the Boys and Girls Club, Casey Ernest and Suen Costanza, MEES and Malibu Middle School site council force of nature, Heather Alano, the irreplaceable dynamo, Melissa Solano, who is somehow everywhere all the time, wherever she's needed, our transportation chair, Chad Peters, our safety and security chair, Jake Lingo, Malibu Education Foundation President Karen El Harden, Malibu Schools Leadership Council President Melanie Hesser, MEF board member Jerel Taylor, MEES PTA TA President Mark Deola and Webster site council member Marne Caymans and so many more. To bring the

dream home, however, we are going to need a herculean effort from our entire community going forward. After tonight, Amps and the Malibu Education Foundation will enter a new phase. And I invite everyone watching this to visit Malibu Educationfoundation.org and ampsmalibu.com. Donate if you're able and please formally join Amps by filling out the membership form. We need you all. When Kevin and I were running the Measure MM campaign, we'd occasionally encounter someone who would ask us why they should care about the schools if they didn't have any children. So, I'm going to take just a moment to speak to those members of our community and outline why this effort should also matter to you. There are a lot of slogans about this town, whether on t-shirts, mugs, license plate frames, or official city signage. Two of the most quoted are Malu, a way of life, and 21 miles of scenic beauty because they crystallize why we live here. If you want to preserve that way of life and preserve that beauty, you want strong, locally controlled schools. To build back our community from the ashes of disaster, you want strong, locally controlled schools. To secure our local economy and support local businesses, you want strong, locally controlled schools. Because schools bring families, and families strengthen neighborhoods. Families commit to long-term, full-time residency, not second homes, vacation homes, or short-term rentals. Families care for our mountains and beaches because they have skin in the game. Parents become our leaders and model that leadership for their children who will become our future leaders and future stewards of our mountains and beaches. Everything about our way of life. Everything about those 21 miles of scenic beauty is preserved and strengthened by a strong locally controlled school district. A district which we will finally be able to design and shape to meet the demands

of our community and the needs of our children. And most importantly, it will not increase the cost to the city or taxpayers. If anything, local control will enable a far more efficient allocation of education dollars. What a previous generation started 35 years ago, you have the opportunity to send into the homestretch tonight. [snorts] By adding your unanimous vote to that of the board of education last week, you will send an unequivocal message to this community, to Santa Monica, to Sacramento, and the county that Malibu's commitment to its citizens, its environment, its families, its teachers, and its children is uncompromising and irreversible. And that when it comes to exemplifying how a community should manage its affairs, cultivate its leaders, and secure its future, we will settle for being second to no one. Thank you all. Now, let's get to work.

Thank you. That'll conclude our in-person speakers. Mayor, um I do have a couple of notes. One of the speakers submitted a slip deferring her time to another speaker, but she did actually intend to speak herself. And another speaker informed us she inadvertently submitted a slip for the wrong item. Would you like to hear them? Um Melissa Solano. Yes. And Miss Stacy Rouse of I cannot deny Miss Stacy Rouse. Those are the two slips that I have in my hand. Please ladies come forward.

Thank you for accepting my mistake. I'm the one who was looking at 7B and wrote 7A. I know. An education professional.

I know our children are in trouble. No. [laughter] Um, so, uh, council, thank you so much for everything and I echo all the words that everyone has said tonight. Um, community means so much and it's such a nuanced thing here and this is it at its best. We have all come shouldertoshoulder even when we have different ideas and come from different approaches and have a lot of questions and this is just such a testimony that we're here. Um and um the thank yous to you all and your predecessors throughout the years for making this a priority, one of the three of the city um backing it with so much time, with so much effort, with investment, not just of money, um but of all kinds into making this a reality. I I just feel like the school is mirroring what happened when the city incorporated and became a city and now we're saying we want to do our schools, too. And I know we call it local control, but it's also agency. We are wanting to say we want the responsibility together and we're ready to take it. And it has just been amazing. Um the the efforts that have been put into place to listen to people, to learn, to bring in experts, your humility and your strength in saying we don't know these things, but we will get people who do and will listen to them. You have done that. It has paid such dividend. Um, and I love the um, sentiment tonight that we've gone on to a new phase. That's so well said. I said at the board meeting Thursday night, um, I feel like it's a miracle that we voted and that it was um, a yes and that it was 7 to, um, Lori Lieberman made the motion and Maria um, uh, Leon Vasquez seconded it. That's huge. They did not have to do

that. Um, and I and I say that I mean I I know there's irony there, but also that's what keeping your eye on what's important, what you believe in, and not letting things stop you leads to. We have been the river that has smoothed the rock. And it's not over yet. Um, and there and we need to keep on not just for the reasons mentioned, but also there is a process that's beyond Santa Monica that needs for this to happen. That's why not in July. Um but it will happen. It's coming soon. And I just thank you so much and I thank you for your patience with um us at SMMUSD. Take care. Thank you Melissa.

First of all, thank you Mayor Mayor Rigggins for allowing me to speak tonight and also council members. I'll start the party. Um, good evening everyone. For decades, one simple plea has echoed through Malibu. Let us be free to lead our own schools. Let us build our own future. And tonight, after years of waiting, organizing, sacrificing, and believing, we are finally here. Our voices are not quieter for those who stood before us. If anything, they are stronger. Thank you. Many of the pioneers who planted the very first seeds of this movement are still standing with us today. They are our foundation, our trailblaz trailblazers, our proof that persistence wins. Sounds like my very own family members. That's why I get a little nervous and choked up. [snorts] And nearly 10 years ago, I never imagined I would one day call this mighty group of advocates my community, my tribe, my friends. I guess Karen and Craig saw something in me before I saw it within myself. Here I am using my voice. Thank you, Wade, for those constant reminders that I have a voice for those that are silenced. Malibu, this moment belongs to all of us, parents, educators, students, grandparents, and neighbors who refuse to settle for good enough when our children deserve greatness. Tonight I ask you as a parent, as an advocate, and as a proud member of this community, stand with us, stay with us, continue to back us because what we are building is not just a district. It's a legacy. And if I may speak from the heart for for just a moment, even if it sounds selfish, please hear the voices that have been silenced for far too long. My Latino community needs this more than

you know. This is more than policy. This is hope. Hope that our children will rise higher. Hope that opportunity will finally be equal. Hope that the next generation of leaders will come from every background, every zip code, every story. This separation is not about division. It's about ownership, accountability, and unity with purpose. It's about a future when Malibu and permitted students are no longer an afterthought, but a priority. I promise you this. I'll continue to do my part loudly, proudly, and relentlessly. It's in my DNA. That's right. But tonight, I ask you, will you do yours? Will you stand with this community near and far? Will you help us build a district rooted in excellence, equity, inclusivity, and heart? Let's not look back years from now and say, "We almost did it." Let's say we did it together. Let's build an MUSD that is stronger, united, and worthy of our children. Gracias porua po. Thank you for your support.

Thank you Melissa. Does that now conclude our inerson speakers? Yes. Thank you. And we will go to our four online. Now there's three. Um okay. First is Seth Jacobson. Seth, can you hear us? Seth, I can. Can you hear me? Yes.

Great. Um, I don't know that I can actually say anything better than the folks that came before me. Uh, I'm sitting here uh with tears in my eyes. And, uh, the only thing I would ask this council and the previous councils and all the folks in the room is what I said last Thursday night at the school board meeting, which is there's a long road ahead. We have elections. We have uh, state board votes. We have a number of really important things that have to happen and we're going to need to pull together as a community. We're need to talk to every citizen in our community. We're going to have to create a uh a beautiful and wonderful community that believes and continues to carry the uh the torch forward uh as as some of us who have done so for many many years. So, I would encourage this council uh while you uh sounds like you're going to vote unanimously that you also commit yourselves to bring the new generation of young parents and the new generation of uh of of hopefully of supporters for this forward and encourage them deeply to continue the fight and move forward because onward and on to better things because this is all about our children. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Our next speaker, Lou Lamont, Lou.

Good evening. Um, I I will be brief because so many of my friends have been so incredibly eloquent so far tonight. Um, as you know, I served on the council for almost nine years. And from our very first council meeting, Laura and I worked on this school issue. I was at the first meeting of what became amps and so many more over the years with Santa Monica schoolboard members and also with all of our residents that have been involved in this issue for years. We did everything we could and we couldn't get it done but you did. I want to congratulate you and thank you all. the decisions that you made that enabled Christine Wood, Lata Ferg, Carta, Kathy Dominico, and Mike Matthews, and all the dedicated staff people along with the support of all of your council members and so many residents is what finally made this happen. Now, I know it's only the beginning of a very long road, but passing this tonight is the way to bring this victory to all the Malibu kids and parents that deserve their own school district. You've done a great job. Please continue and pass this tonight. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Lou. You got a uh arousing of silent applause here. Howard Rsky. Howard, wrap us up. I'll be short. Congratulations to everyone. I think what you saw tonight was the real Malibu and please pass this. Thank you. So that'll conclude our public speakers. We're back up here to the DAS. Does anyone have any words they want to start with? Miss Conra,

we'll start. All right. Wow. I've been waiting for this sort of thing for at least the year since I was elected. Tomorrow, I think is the anniversary. This has been of the fires, but like some good news for this city. Not going to jinx it. I do want to extend my sincere gratitude to everyone that has worked on this long before I have and contributed to this effort for so many years. And I see so many people, council people in this room and Craig and Paul and friends of mine that have we've all been kind of through this so together. It's remarkable. Um, former ad hoc committee members, city staff, consultants that I've gotten to know over the past year being on the ad hoc and our entire city council for their continued support. And Maryanne, it's been a real pleasure, you know, working with you on this. Um, I had some doubts early on and I was like, what are we doing? And she kind of kept me on course. So, um, establishing an independent Malibu Unified School District is unquestionably in the best interest of this community. Um, I'm just grateful to be sitting in this seat after so like knowing so many people for so many years and we do have a lot of work and we will not stop trying. So, um, I know where I am.

Okay. Thank you. Anyone else? Doug,

I'll just make a quick comment. Uh we've said thank you to so many people already, but those of us sitting up here are standing on the shoulders of a number of council members. Many have been mentioned here that had they ever faltered for one moment, we wouldn't be here tonight. And thanks goes to them. I'm looking at Karen. I know that uh you we've heard from Lou and some of the other people. What what an alumni group to be before us. and I very much appreciate that. I want to thank this the the team that worked on this with the city, Christine and and the gang. Um there are no surprises in these agreements because we've been briefed and and kept fully informed not only by our ad hoc team but by the uh negotiating team that supported. So it's very easy for us to to approve it. But with that, you got to remember it to use Yogi Barra, it ain't over till it's over. And we are going to find some surprises in this. There are some things that we didn't anticipate or the team didn't anticipate. But we've been diligent in getting to this point. Nobody could have worked harder than the people that that have been named here tonight. And that's how we're going to get this over the hump and get it in place. So, you can't give up just because you have a bad day. And this is a lot to celebrate. And it's a momentous moment for us. But also I want to thank somebody uh people that we haven't thanked and that is the Santa Monica School Board. They finally realized after all this time that this is in the best interest of all of us, not just Malibu, but also for them. So thanks thanks to them for voting to make this happen. Now we need to move forward. So, uh, I think it would be appropriate if maybe the ad hoc team gave the motion if you would like.

Mayor, I'll make a motion to approve item 7B. I'll second. All right. Um, for Bruce or Steve, do you have any words you'd like to say? I just want to say thank you to everybody. I mean, this is you. I know you've participated in this thing, but when you sat through all these meetings of all the conversations we've had with the Santa Monica School Board and all of the the the for lack of a better word, um that that we had to listen to. This is a big moment. So, thank everybody very very much. Chris,

I'll just I'll start I'll just echo everything everyone has said. You all speakers, you're amazing. I mean, this may be the first significant matter that I've sat up here and dealt with. Nobody spoke against this. You were uni unanimous and I suspect we will be unanimous. So, I agree everything everyone has said. And I'll say this one time and this will be shocking. Thank you, Karen. Thank you, Paul. [laughter] I'll never say that again. So, um, you know, and just Mark Depal, I think, said it best, summed it up though. You know, these are not the best agreements, but they're the agreements that we have, and they're the best we can get. And it's going to be expensive if this goes through, but it's going to be no more expensive than it is anyway, paying tax and not having control. And ultimately, it will be way better. So, it's not going to happen tomorrow. I, you know, despite what Kevin said, it's not going to happen next year. for the year after. This could be a while. Um, but the sooner it can get done, the better. And we can start tonight.

Okay. Um, [sighs] so I just want to thank people in this room, people outside this room. I'm going to go through my list. They've been previously, but it is very important that they get named and get remembered. Um, former city manager Reva Feldman, former city attorney Christy Hogan. Those two got together and they found Christine Woods and Christine Woods put together the team. Um, Lata Kirk Carter, your wise, wise things. Terry Ryland, Kathy Dominico, the magic maven of property taxes and uh, the amazing things she can do with a spreadsheet. Uh, Dr. Mike Matthews, you you bring us just um a level head and so much wise counsel and just really appreciate you. Stacy Rouse, um you you are amazing. You are calm and guided and so much wisdom and I appreciate it. Um Seth Jacobson spoke. um are Craig Foster. You you came in and you gave this town [applause] the spark it needed and the direction it needed where we have wanted this for so many decades and you know every new voice brings something to the conversation. So listen to people even if you don't believe them. They are they will bring you those little pearls of wisdom that will get you through to the next thing. So, um, council members Laura Rosenthal, Rick Mullen, Lou Lamont, Mikey Pearson, Karen Farah, Paul Garanti, you and I were partners for two years and um, the countless meetings that we attended and uh, working with the um, ad hoc from the school district

and thank you for your partnership. my current partner Halen Conrad brought fresh experience and um ideas and thoughts and it was great being a part of this last year with you. So, thank you

um to the staff of both the school district and the city of Malibu. They have put in countless hours on this and they don't get thanked enough for all the work that they do behind the scenes and it has been the staff of both for the last seven years. uh we need information, we need a press release, we need something else done and they are there to get that out and get out accurate information. So, thank you to all of you. Um the residents of Malibu, your tenacity has kept us moving forward and have kept this on a front burner. So, thank you very very much for everything. The one thing that I I heard from the Santa Monica district is they're intent on having a full wide vote including the city of Santa Monica. I will do everything in my power and fight fight fight. And I think that that's going to be the big fight that we're going to have next is to keep it in the Malibu area as the affected area to vote for. And I just want to put it out there. So if we talks break down, that's probably what it's going to be around. So um we're going to be calling on you to to have your voices heard once again. So um to Malibu, congratulations. Let's move on to the next step. I will call for a vote. Um, and we'll just All in favor.

All right, we're going to do a roll call. Mayor, please call. Yes. Mayor. Council member Yuring. Yes. Council member Conrad. Yes. Council member Stewart. Yes. Mayor Prom Silverside. Yes. Motion carries. CARRIES. [applause and cheering]

[applause] [applause] OKAY, everybody get to work. [laughter] Thank you very much. We're on to our next item, which is item 7A. If you have not turned in your speaker slip, this is last call. Please turn it in. Thanks again. [clears throat]

Tyler, are you going to present us with the staff report? Yes. Whenever you're ready. Um, if everybody, if you could move to the outer lobby. I know that you all want to celebrate and Okay, Tyler, please lead us off.

Sure. Thank you, mayor, members of the council. [clears throat and cough] This next item is a uh uh an initiation to uh an LCP and uh Malibu Municipal Code amendment uh specifically related to uh beachfront total development square footage and clarifying definitions related to uh beachfront development. Uh just just some background on this item. uh staff or the council directed the staff to come back with this item at a few meetings over this past year uh specifically related to the total development square footage for uh beachfront properties. Uh there are also cleanups that are needed to address how beachfront lots are defined and the regulations that are uh necessary regarding beachfront development. Um, so just wanted to touch a little bit about the intent of the council to try to clear up some clear up some um, uh, concerns. There is currently no limit on beachfront TDSF and the council's initial intent was to ensure that uh, the properties that were being merged. So if let's say they were five lots that were being merged into one had some regulations in place so that there's not um a a crazy big development that would be the outcome of that. Uh there was no intent to limit or modify regulations related to fire rebuild applicants uh who are utilizing the like forlike process. Just some next steps if this initiation is to be approved um the local coastal program section 19.2.1 2.1 and Malibu Municipal Code section 1774040 require that this city council initiate these amendments which is what we're here to do tonight and if uh approved the staff will schedule a meeting with the zoning ordinance revisions and code enforcement subcommittee or Zoes once the recommendation from Zoraces is received the item will be brought forth to the planning commission uh the planning commission will provide a recommendation for the city council who

will ultimately make the final decision on any changes is to the Malibu Municipal Code. Any amendments uh to the Malibu Local Coastal Program will need final certification from the California Coastal Commission. So, our recommendation is to adopt the initiating amendments. Um direct staff to schedule a meeting with the Zo Reacies and direct the planning commission to schedule a public hearing regarded the same matter. We're here for any questions. Okay. Any clarifying questions from council? I

have a question. Uh Tyler, in my limited experience with these things that usually when we're asked to initiate this kind of thing, it's it's with a specific type of recommendation to look into, not just look at the law and see whether it needs to be changed. I I know it's a little little more specific than what I just said, but not much because it could mean all kinds of things. So, are we also supposed to be figuring out up here if we want to go forward with this at all, what direction to give in terms of more specifics?

Correct. Yeah, we would appreciate that. And um um specifically uh there was it was it wasn't very when the council directed staff to bring it back, it was kind of more pie in the sky. It wasn't like a direct hey do this at this point. So this would be the initial feedback for us to get going and then those meetings with Zoro Reacies and planning commission will further flesh that out. So So if we were to vote to go forward with something, we can specify what to look at and what not to look at. Correct. Okay. Thank you. Okay,

great quick question. Um, and I think you've you may have already as answered it. Apparently, there's not a definition for a beachfront property. I mean, I obviously the intuitive answer is, well, if it touches a beach, it must be a beachfront property. But do we not have anything that defines whether it's on a bluff or where it is in the city? There's no definition of what beachfront is except it's touches of water. not a uh something you can point to and say, "Hey, that's the beachfront definition." There's regulations regarding beachfront development. So, that's been clear and the city's application regarding beachfront development has been consistent and clear. Uh but some of the um recommendations we would like to touch on is exactly that. Uh making sure it's very clear what is considered a beachfront property.

Okay. And just to reiterate, there's no intention. So, in our discussions, and I think I agree with Bruce, we're being asked to give you some direction, um there's no intention to have a like for like uh rebuild from the fire to be touched by this TDSF. Is that correct? That's correct. Because there's a lot of concern about that. Okay. Go ahead. You want I just got to be careful what I say. Oh, why? Go ahead. Oh, sorry. Thanks. Um. [laughter] Oh, cuz Ron's racist. Yeah. I'm I'm going to have to vote on Right. Oh, isn't that weird? Is that weird? Not weird. We have some council member.

He's initiating it. I'm [laughter] curious how it goes. Um, so Coastal, I'm just curious. So, we don't have an actual definition for what a beachfront lot is. Coastal doesn't tell that to us in our LCP or anything that they've ever given us.

Uh, so there are beachfront development standards, right? and there is a consistent decadesl long application of beachfront development standards. However, there is certain um still unclear about certain properties and if they fall under the beachfront standards. One thing that beachfront standards get that doesn't relate to non beachfront for example if you're on a bluff top is you have unlimited TDSF. And so we need to be very clear about who gets the unlimited TDSF, who gets de facto 24, 28 feet height, setbacks, etc. It all changes depending on if you're a beachfront property or not.

Okay. So there's like coastal bluffs, beach fronts. We're going to You want us to decide tonight or send it to Dasis for them to decide? We're not uh uh we're not asking for anything to do with Blufftop. Um just specifically uh beachfront uh clarifications. Okay. Okay. Um, and when you say no intention for like for like, so if I have a um I don't know I mean I'll ask these questions now. So if I have a burned lot and I want to sell it, that would be this would affect my resale.

I don't believe that was the council's intent. I hope we're going to discuss a little bit of that tonight, but that's not what I got from the council. So if I could um I think there was initial concern that uh there was if someone bought a bunch of properties in the rebuild let's say who uh let's say they I bought 15 properties I the developer bought 15 properties and I want to merge all those properties into one. I have unlimited you know capabilities to develop a 25,000 foot home. I mean that is technically a possibility uh that exists uh in the code today even with lot ties and

so they wouldn't be they wouldn't be exempt from a coastal development permit so they still have to go through the process but yes there was no regulation so there's no code requirement that staff or the city could say hey you're over your limit or that would be you know uh that would be too much okay I'll have more questions after I believe TR I'm going to try and say something if I go up board stuff. Okay.

Okay. Uh now I want to be on the radio so I can't tell you how I'm going to vote. Um but I can tell you I've been aware of this this item for years. I was on the planning commission was brought up then. I've heard about it before that and that that was like eight or 10 years ago whatever the heck it was. And I can tell you that through all that time I've never heard anybody on staff. I've never heard anybody on the city council say that they want to limit this the rest or restrict put a TDSF in place is going to restrict people's ability to build rational houses on the beach. They've never said I'm concerned about a 5,000t house or a 7,000 ft house or a 9,000 foot house. Okay? They don't care. Nobody cared. Not the staff, not the city council, nothing anybody ever heard from. Now, if you come up with a 20,000 square foot house, that got my attention. All right. And and I think you're going to find out tonight that that's what we're taking a look at. And let me tell you why it's important.

I'm sorry to stop you, Council Me. Do you want to wait? Yeah, I got I got more to say. Yeah, let's hold off. And I got I just want there there's I must have received tons of emails. All right. And I believe that the people I spoke to had a misconception of what we were trying to achieve up here. So we'll see where that goes. Go ahead. Sorry. I just wanted to keep it to questions and then we'll take public comment. I know there comments and questions. I'm going to ask some questions, some additional questions.

Okay. [laughter] Um, for people that purchase more than one lot contiguous and they want to consolidate and build something on the uh multiple lots, what's the process for doing that? What is that discretionary? Are there any rights to do that? How does that work? Um, it would require a coastal development permit uh to merge any lot uh through our local coastal program. And so there is some discretionary aspect to it. Is is there a standard that if you touch various bases, you get to merge lots or is that something that is a discretionary approval in the first instance?

There's a lot development criteria that you have to meet a certain lot parameters, lot depth, lot width, lot size. Uh but if you meet those parameters, you're you're within the code. Okay. Yeah, there's there's a number of of specific requirements for people that want to do those things and then it's the application of

My other question for you is um so I I was not aware that there was a an open question as to what it means to be a beachfront property. Um, so can you give us some examples of parcels that are not on the o, you know, that are not fronting the ocean that are nonetheless arguably a beachfront property? Cuz I I that surprises me to hear that. Okay. There [clears throat] are some people who would contest that uh a blufftop property, let's say on Bird View, is a beachfront property because their parcel affronts the ocean. Uh so that we've heard that argument. Um, there are people who it's not as clearly defined by a bluff where perhaps they just have a topographical feature that mildly abuds into a beach, but they are developing on the back half of that on a more non beachfront soil. Uh, that people have argued uh is a beachfront lot and thus should be subject to beachfront development standards. And since cityhood, has the city adopted an agreement with any of those proposals that they are not restricted by the nonbeastfront rules?

It's been very consistently applied. So our our goal is to really codify the application that has been historically used. Okay. So so so that part of it is just to as you say codify the existing precedent, not to create a new president. Correct. Okay. Thanks. Quick quick clarification. Uh we had a uh something come before us a few meetings ago that used not a um lot consolidation but a lot tie in my southern accent tie. That's tie. Um what's the difference between that and a lot merger?

Uh so a lot tie you're not eliminating property lines. Uh so you're still kind of bound by um the dimensions of your property lines. So, if you take two rectangles, you're still limited to the lot width of that one lot. Uh, usually lot ties are associated with accessory development that needs to go on the adjacent lot. A common one is like a OWTS septic where they can't accommodate it on their lot cuz they have no more room, but they own the adjacent lot. And so, they're going to put the OWTS on the adjacent lot and do a lot tie. And what that lot tie does is bound those two lots together for purchasing purposes. So if they sell the lot, because those two lots are connected via their OWTS, they serve each other. Those lots have to be sold together in perpetuity. That's kind of really what the use of the lot tie is. Uh for the most part, a lot merger creates a new lot. So it takes those two rectangles and creates one larger rectangle now with longer lot lines uh and different setbacks and things like that.

So you can almost use the term lot tie and a lot merger interchangeably. No, they're they're separate things. So, lot merger merges two lots into one. A lot tied. There's still two lots that are tied. They can also be untied. Okay. Thank you. I have some I have some more questions. Okay,

I'm I understand that this needs to it seems like we need to have this discussion, but I'm very worried about what just having even this discussion does for beachfront residents value and having it at this time seems kind of insensitive and I don't want to change goalposts, which we've been told over and over we've been doing since January 7th. I do believe that we probably should have this conversation. I wish it wasn't right now. I wish it happened maybe two years ago. Um I know that that we've talked about this during 2019's July 1st meeting and it wasn't pushed but it's being pushed now. So it just feels very insensitive to me and if I if this decision um affects people's assets and their value of their homes, I'm not going to feel comfortable with this.

Is there a question? Yeah, that's is this necessary right now? Is this smart and necessary to change goalposts? I would say that's smart. Let's have public comment. [applause] Let's have public comment and then we can have that as part of the discussion after close public comment. So, we have public comment and that then forces us to keep discussing it. It's like on the table. No matter what we do, we have to discuss. We've now called the items. So, we have to take the public comment. Just making it clear. Thank you. Thanks. Do we have any online speakers? Uh, one raised hand.

Okay, if you could hold the one raised hand, please. So, we're going to start with our public comment. Uh, we're not taking any new um slips. So, our first is Carmel, followed by an K, followed by Marissa Coglin.

Um, hi there. Um, so my name is Carmel McFaden. I'm an architect with Burge Architects and I just wanted to kind of say a beachfront lot in my experience is one that fronts the beach and there really isn't any kind of confusion for design professionals. So I worked on a project on wildlife and the back of the property kind of face the ocean but that was very clear that it had a a maximum TDSF and that was based upon the size of the lot. So I we're working on a lot of um projects along PCH and those are beachfront properties. They're quite small and again they front the beach um the ocean. So th those properties are already limited with the sideyard setbacks, the height limits from um PCH and the height limits from the beach. So they they already um are limited. They can't have a basement because it would be a submarine. And um so there's always they're quite strict limits. So, I really don't think that um we need to come up with a maximum TDSF because if we use the same calculation as other non beachfront lots, we would be left with very small um allowances. So, it's kind of like a waste of time. I'm not I'm not really sure why we need to divert staff's attention from the rebuild process and spend all the time sort of analyzing this It it really there is a limited and number of staff and I really need them to review our proc our projects and get that passed. So anyway, beachfront lots face the beach.

Thank you. Please decorum an K followed by Marissa Coughlin followed by Lloyd Ahern. Okay. And Marissa,

Lloyd, get ready. You're on deck. Good evening and thank you for the school district uh bond. Mr. Silverstein may not be aware that uh today is the birthday of the gentleman whose shirt he is wearing. A good friend of mine for many years. and this is what he wanted for his daughter and didn't get to know his granddaughter. Um, I just uh want to talk about to clarify with Tyler this not applying to fire rebuilds. Correct. There's no intent to unless the council directs otherwise.

Don't do that. Okay. Uh [laughter] um the the I have a problem with the the merger of of the lots. We do need to rebuild we and as soon as possible because this supports our school district the property taxes and I think it's uh in the definition the architect was mentioning about a bluff top. I'm working on the final woolsey fire rebuild and that's almost out of plan check now and it goes with the property linings and also in a bluff top it's not beachrun because there's a setback 50-oot setback from the edge of the bluff for any development. So, I think that should be a consideration that the council looks at the blufftop setback, the property lines, uh, if it doesn't go down on the beach. Maryanne's familiar with the sand versus like bird view and um the property tax and support of the the school district on both fire rebuilds and anything that you do in the future. Now, there have been people that are coming to the city that I'm aware of that are wanting people from out of the country even who are wanting to merge a lot of the lots and put very enormous structures on them. I think just the the concern that I have is we will lose the quality of the nature of our community which it has always been. you know, we don't have like 250 foot long house or on one lot and the mergers and uh and the u what Tyler was talking about with the septic on another lot. Those are tied, but they're not they're not merged. Thank you.

Thank you, Lloyd. And you've got Bobby with an extra minute. Then Darren, then Danny Smith. Uh, good evening, city council. My name is Lloyd Ahern, and uh, think of my presentation as somewhat of a compromise with a Halen. I haven't talked to Halen in a long time, and she she was we were right in the same path right there. We have to look into the past and the future at the same time in order for this analogy to work. In 1991, Malibu became a city. The election was a landslide. The cityhood won 85 to 15. The very first thing we did and it was very smart. We called a moratorum on everything including building anything. We found ourselves in a kind of the same situation. Now, we are in the middle of rebuilding 750 homes without Coastal Commission interference. But Halen said, "Why wake up a sleepy giant?" And now we want to start a complicated negotiation with the California Coastal Commission. So far, so so far we have very few houses that have been been even started. The coastal commission has been very quiet because the governor gave us a dispensation all on all coastal commission uh rules. I think it would be much smarter for us to have a goal and this is what Tyler and and Yolanda get 35 houses kind of halfway built on the beach. Just show them we can do it. 65 houses built on the land. You guys are maxed out.

Now they want to have you come and make a rule that when I read this thing, it's got LCPs in it. U all kind all of the rules that that we've not even had to hear. So, I want to make sure we get ourselves started on something before Yolanda and Trevor Taylor have to uh start, you know, diverting their attention. Um, Governor Nuome is going to become a very busy guy running for president and we're going to have to open ourselves up to the normal mechanism of the coastal commission while the governor is busy running for president. Now, the Assembly and the Senate didn't pass this bill. The governor passed this bill. 11 months from now, he's not going to be governor. There's going to be an election November coming up. The second problem, and this is goes back to Yolanda and and Tyler, is they're doing unbelievable amount of work, and we're going to take what they're doing right now, which is a complete thing, and just divert them into this maze. And then Tyler said something really interesting in the last part of this of this presentation is this. We then have to go to the coastal commission and get permission. I mean, we we should not even be close to coming next to those people until we get all our houses built. So, all I'm asking for is let's try to get a bunch of stuff going. Let's keep Yolanda and Ta Taylor on the on the on the on the job and not waste our time.

Maybe a year from now, we'll get somebody to we'll get a a contract person to negotiate with the Coastal Commission. Thanks.

Thank you, Lloyd. Darren, followed by Danny, followed by Carly Steel. Uh, good evening, honorable mayor, council members, city manager. Um, congratulations on the school vote. That's great news. Um, but I would like to remind you, and I think we all know, property taxes are going to be needed to fund those schools for the next 30, 50, 100 years. East Malibu right now is desolate, covered in gravity or graffiti, and um actually full of unhoused people wandering around on beachfront lots. Uh I see it very often when I'm down at my parents' property. And if we decide to discuss this TDSF question, that is going to remain to be what East Malibu looks like. Um, it's casting a paw on the real estate markets and it is causing the people who need to sell in order to live somewhere uh a lot of problems because they cannot sell their properties. The two properties that are adjacent to my family's parcel are both listed on the market. They have been for a couple of years. And after item 7C was introduced on the agenda on November 24th, one of those parcels dropped their price by $200,000. it still won't sell because the real estate market sees Malibu as a problem city. The risk is much too complex for them even to consider, especially when Pacific Palisades has a known quantity for development. A developer knows that they're going to get a a property. They'll have a timeline they can rely on for building out that property and then selling it. And the homeowners in East Malibu need that type of shity in order to retain the value of their property

and offload it in order to live somewhere right now because they don't have a place to live and their insurance for rent somewhere is probably going to expire in January or whenever their term policy ends. So bringing this up and even talking about it is causing problems for people right now. If you are going to be discussing MMC and policy measures across the land and beachside properties, the one thing to consider would be the manner by which the elevation is measured for the beachfront homes. I say this because 5 weeks ago CDP um 24014 was approved for 2022 PCH. And that is a 31 foot tall house. It's not 28 feet tall. It's 31 feet tall. I say that because if you stood on the sidewalk, it'll be 31 ft from the concrete to the top of the roof because the point of measuring the elevation is the middle of PCH. Well, PCH has a huge curve in it for drainage. So, the midpoint of PCH is 3 ft higher than the sidewalk. So, if you're going to consider doing anything, I'd say maybe make a fair standard for elevation measurements. Is my time out or I don't know. I don't see a clock. But uh

the last thing I would say is please if you're going to talk about anything include like for like plus 10% rather than just like for like. Thank you. Thank you Darren, Danny. Um and are the Turners Alexa, Mason, and Wendy here? Oh, great. Thank you very much. Go ahead, Danny.

Hi, council. Um Darren makes a great point. Uh this will affect fire rebuilds. I'm going to talk about it in many respects. One undertalked about the city is currently allowing like for like plus 10%. Wonderful. Thank you. That's that plus 10% has to be based on current zoning codes. So if you change the zoning codes and you catch somebody up in this TDSF net and they're over the limit, they can't even do plus 1%. They're stuck. So let me start there. We have seen this movie before, Steve. You sat right there as the head of the planning commission in 2019 as a parade of Woolsey victims came up to you and told you how much a new TDFs TDSF restriction would hurt them. They were in tears. Okay. So, either A you've forgotten that, B you didn't understand their argument, or C you just don't care very much. And I don't think any of those options are good. This tonight is a solution in search of a problem. The fact that this never came up in the past indicates to me that the Larry Ellison type properties aren't actually that significant an issue to anyone, which means logically that it is the threat of larger structures than those, which is the boogeyman that keeps you up at night. So, let's make sure we're addressing a problem and not just a feeling we have. Here's the facts. We don't have an epidemic of mansionization on the beach. We've had the same size houses literally for 40 years, since the 80s. The three largest structures that burned down in the Palisades fire were on my beach between 7,500 and 10,000 square ft if you include garages. They were built in the 70s, 80s, 90s. Large houses have always been on our beaches. We've walked by them and driven by them every day for decades and not had a problem. They are part of Malibu. They

are a part of the neighborhood character of the beachfronts. Again, a solution in search of a problem. We should not restrict combining lots. I don't want to be pessimistic, but if we look to past disasters, up to 50% of beachfront owners are going to end up selling. For many, this is a matter of absolute necessity. All they have, their entire nest egg, maybe a generational legacy, is now a plot of sand. They have to sell. they can't afford to rebuild. If you disrupt the markets and scare off buyers, perhaps a buyer who wants to combine two narrow lots and build something that's average size for the beachfront, you've just decimated the value of that person's property. We cannot in good conscience do this. Furthermore, we need to encourage the rebuilding of this city. If someone is only interested in building on 50 ft of frontage instead of 25 ft, then we need to be encouraging them to do that for our property tax bases, for business revenue, and for the repopulation of our city. We should not restrict combining lots. Now, I don't personally think that this is based in reality, but I respect the fear and paranoia that someone could buy 10 lots in a row and build 25,000 square ft. Maybe that would change the neighborhood character. If a no vote is not in the cards tonight, and I hope it is, but if it is not, there is an idea being floated that I support. If the landside of Malibu has a total development cap of 11,172 square feet, don't quote me. It would be equitable to implement the same cap on the beachfront. not a curve for God's sake, but a max cap starting at 11,172. This would prevent the theoretical mega structures that are so feared while

protecting the vast majority of rebuilding residents and other beachfront owners from ownorous historically unnecessary restrictions. Lot combination restrictions would not be necessary. If someone wants to buy 10 lots in a row and they're only allowed to build 11,172 ft, then they got great big yards and view corridors. And who would complain about that? So, if this must move forward tonight, please, please consider narrowing the focus drastically to only the very largest of development. Thank you. Thank you. Can I say one thing to Danny before you close? We'll bring him back up. Let's finish all the public speakers first.

That'll be real quick. Okay. Uh, history is important, Danny. The the issue we had with um TDSF in 2019 was the directive we got from the city planning commission didn't want to do that. And you were the one vote for it. We got the directive from the city council to do that. So that's why it took place. I understand. Okay. So just be, you know, facts make a difference. Sure. Thank you. Okay. Carly Steel is next. Um, Cody, is Cody here? I just heard five times. Yeah, I'm just verifying. Um, Michael Cohen,

you could raise your Oh, thank you. And Robert Steel. Perfect. Thank you very much. Carly, you have six minutes.

Good evening, council. Mr. Yuring, you just stated that facts make all the difference and are very important. I completely concur with that. So, I was interested in the origin of this proposal because the timing, like Halen said, seems not the most ideal, shall we say. So, I saw that at the on the July 14th meeting, Miss Yuring said, quote, "I got some information that there is a team out of Elsagundo that is buying some of the properties in Carbon Beach. They've recently purchased five properties. This week, they bought a triple lot next to one of the properties they've already purchased. We have to keep our eyes on what is going on there. We got to understand what's going on because we might have to make some changes and decisions in terms of what we want, what we won't want to see the city be if this process continues. For example, there's no TDSF on beachfront properties. They can be as big as they want and we don't want to see that happen. So, my suggestion is we change it right now. The company from Elsagundo is an LLC belonging to Zuru. They are not planning on lot tying. I reached out to the representatives. I'm not sure if you did, Mr. Yuring, to make sure those facts that you stated in that city meeting were correct. They are not. The reason they're buying lots together is because it's far cheaper to build together. You can actually save millions of dollars. You share staging. We're all encouraged to build with our neighbors. You can share staging. You can share seaw walls. You can share return walls. That's just called good business strategy. So, I just wanted to understand why we were addressing this. Right now, there seems to be some dissent among council as to the scope of the study. I did reach out to some of you to try and get a better understanding of what the goals were you were hoping to achieve. So, Mirigans, you mentioned it's a concern about law tying and building mega mansions on the beach on Carbon. Um, Mr. Silverstein, you mentioned you're interested in a total TDSF for beachfront properties, a cap of 5,000 square ft, and employing the TDSF calculator of the landward lots onto beachfront lots. Mr. Stewart, you're interested in potentially reszoning some of these bluff, cliffside

properties, and we're not sure if they're beachfront or coastal. I think whatever our reasons are for this study, we can agree that this is not the time. And the other thing that's suboptimal is respectfully sir Mr. Yuring asking for a vote for a committee or racist that you yourself are on to study an issue you have in the past showed bias on to direct a planning commission you previously chaired about this issue. I think that does not create a you know clear trust in the fairness and legitimacy of the vote or in the findings of the study respectfully. Um so it seems like the origin is actually no pressing threat and the reason why that matters is because timing with this issue does matter. We're in the middle obviously of a sensitive fire rebuild and so something like that can have a very destabilizing effect. In response to the proposal to apply the landward TDSF calculation to beachfront lots, I think most beachfront lots in Malibu would probably be in breach of that. We're already boxed in. We're boxed in from the north by the PCH, the south by the median high tide line and the string lines, the bottom from the BFE, the top from the heights, the sides from the view corridors. We don't need another TDSF restriction. It starts to feel draconian. And if we apply that, then surely the same rule should go both ways. If the beachfront is to get the same restrictions the landward lots have, we don't get to enjoy their benefits. We don't get to have yards in the sand, basement, garages, to be truly equitable, you would need to reap the rewards as well as the negatives and the restrictions. The other thing I was confused about and I genuinely would like to hear more about is this issue of view corridors. We already have very restrictive view corridor setbacks. Nobody can walk on the PCH. It's a driveronly highway and I'm a walker. So believe me, if I'm not walking the PCH, no one's walking the PCH. So why on the most dangerous

highway in California would anyone, let alone a city, encourage drivers to sneak peaks at the water in between buildings when their eyes should be on the road. That's tantamount to encouraging people to text and drive. Instead, I feel like views can be handled safely with designated pullouts. That's a safe way we can all enjoy the views. Um, I would say we haven't really heard any fact-based reasons as to why council would like to address this issue right now and use its precious time and resources that we need you guys working on these fiery bills to undertake this study again when it's already been undertaken in 2019. Why now? Who benefits from it? What issues are you trying to address that you feel the current super restrictive codes cannot address? because they are some of the most restrictive in the world by the [laughter] way. Um that's something I' really really interested in hearing about to genuinely understand why this proposal and I would say look a vote for 7A as it's currently drafted is not simply a vote to support fellow council members studying this issue because that's what Zerasis is. It's two council members. Um it's more of an endorsement of you know as it's currently drafted feeling like an overreach and as Danny said I think if the issue is genuinely to target lot combining lot tying you know narrowing the language to looking at lots over whatever the landlord cap is again not using the TDSF calculator of landward lots but the cap which I believe Danny mentioned was around 11,000 that is definitely something that would I I think create a lot more clarity um and relief for everyone here this evening. Thank you so much.

Thank you Carla. A Roy Carol Naidorf and Josh Spiegel.

Thank you councel. I'll be uh brief. I want to speak on behalf of the MRTF, the Malibu Rebuild Task Force and we take issue with what has already been said is the timing of the discussion. We are not going to go into the merits of the demmerits of the topic itself that has been discussed at length already. But the discussion itself is the problem at this time because these guys there are extremely stretched. I want to remind everybody we have one permit on the beach front. These guys are extremely stretched and the and and a discussion as such is going to fend off buyers which will negate [snorts] activity that we desperately need to populate the schools that we just talked about. So that's our that's our position and I hope we can negate it and bring it back when the timing is right when we are not in a crisis. I just want to remind everybody that we are still rebuilding. We are in a crisis. Thank you. Carol, Josh Faggel, and Jason Ventures.

Good evening, council members. My name is Carol Najdorf. I'm co-rustee of my late uncle's estate, Armen Raha, 18904 PCH. Um, that home was formerly Buster Katon's. It's it was large. Uh he only lived in the front three buildings uh facing the ocean because that's what he enjoyed. Um and we uh we are in the situation that Miss Conrad mentioned in that um we're legacy family and uh we're not able to do much, but we heard some good news tonight that a septic tanks might be uh repairable. Sewer's on the way. Uh underground electricity is on the way. That wasn't mentioned tonight, but it's it's happening. And even Calrans is uh which is property abudded PCH another big problem for us to decide and what we're doing with the property. So I'm here to urge you to vote no, please. Thank you.

Josh, Jason, and Jacob Andrew. Hey y'all. Um normally with like planning stuff, I keep my [snorts] hands in my pocket, stay in my lane. um more interested in, you know, safety and parks and schools. Um the reason I'm talking tonight um I'm I'm just kind of blown away

that this is coming up right now. I mean, we're hearing, oh, confusion about what you can build and yada yada. What we've been doing this 30 years. We now we're worried about bluffs and we're worried about this. We're worried about No, no, no. We're not. No. What? There's no boogeyman. We don't we don't who are we worried about? This hasn't happened before. I don't see, you know, I do back the envelope numbers all the time and I I don't see a circumstance where somebody's going to come out and spend $20 million to put together six lots on Los Flores Beach and then build spend another 30 to build a 30,000 square. What are we talking about? And I just find it a little bit suspicious that we're doing it now when we've lost thousands of people on the beach and they're not around to stick up for themselves. I think that's pretty unamerican to be honest with you. Um I don't I don't have a dog in this fight one way or the other. You want to cap square footage? Great. Cool. I'm I'm behind that. If you, we've all seen what happens when you crack this door in this town. Everybody with an agenda rushes in and unless you narrow the scope to a minuscule scope and say, "Hey, we are only going to cap it at X number and that's it, everybody with an agenda is going to rush in." And the TDSF discussion that you're going to have tonight, three years from now, is going to be very different. And our beach is not going to look the way you want it to look. It's going to look this the way whoever coastal commission, the county, who whoever wants it to look and it's not going to be up to us anymore. The other thing I want to point out is for the past 8 years or seven years since Woolseie, we've had this discussion about bandwidth and we've been promised parks and we want to spend our planning bandwidth on this

Now is not the time where there is no reason to do this. Let's take a lap and uh just pass this off. There's no there's no reason for this. Thanks. Thank you, Jason, followed by Jacob, followed by Ryan Emory. [clears throat]

Good evening, city council staff and volunteers and all that are here tonight. I'm Jason Ventress, a 50-year local of the beach, and uh I really want to thank everyone for the efforts to date, but this item comes at the worst possible time when the focus should be on the rebuild of like for like and like Halen said, the moving goalpost is of real concern. Property owners have already been punished enough and we don't need more from mother nature. I mean, not more from the city council like we got from mother nature. If this passes, let's keep the positive momentum and focus of the rebuild and market Malibu as a town that cares about its citizens and is inviting to all. City council, happy holidays and the gift of all would be to make 7A go away. Okay, [clears throat] J uh Jacob followed by Ryan Ambry, followed by Jennifer. All right. Uh members of the council, uh thank you for the opportunity to speak. I'm here because authorizing this study aimed at recommending limits on total square footage for beachfront property on PCH will have immediate and severe consequences for Malibu residents that are still trying to rebuild their lives. Construction financing in Malibu is already extraordinarily difficult. Lenders see fire risk, unstable insurance markets, and soaring build costs. Under these conditions, underwriters rely on one thing: predictability. The moment you introduce uncertainty, loans freeze. These loans are not optional. They are the only way ordinary residents can rebuild. Underwriters do not lend into maybe. They do not lend into jurisdictions actively debating square footage caps. They will decline

Malibu loans until the regulatory picture becomes clear, and that could take years. And the economics of rebuilding today make this even more dangerous. Fire rebuild plus 10% no longer works when modern coastal foundations have become so expensive that two-phase builds are now the only viable path to secure financing. If you introduce uncertainty around total square footage, lenders assume phase 2 APRs may never be allowed and they will not fund phase one. that stops rebuilds immediately. In reality, the only people that will still be able to rebuild will be the billionaires. Those that don't need financing at all, fire victims, long-term residents, and working families will be locked out while only the wealthiest people move forward. That's the opposite of fairness. If this study moves forward, the subcommittee reviewing its findings will consist of two of the five council members here, the two that are already the most supportive of this study and the people they've appointed. That is not impartial. Without recusals, this is a process to validate a predetermined outcome rather than to produce an objective analysis. For Steve to reintroduce a measure last rejected in 2019, the same year residents lost their homes is genuinely shocking. Mayor Riggins, when it was last introduced in 2019, as a resident, you said, "I personally think you guys should just stop this. We have much bigger things in our city that need dealing with." And that couldn't be more true today. If the city wants to explore changes with development standards, bring forward specific language on combining multiple lots, specific language on 20,000 foot square foot homes, not a study that paralyzes every single homeowner here the moment that it's authorized. Please reject this study. Thank you. [applause]

Ryan Ambry, Jennifer, and Heather Michaels. You have a concept. I'm not sure you're on the right track. [snorts] We don't need or want super mega mansions. I think that's the new term that you're talking about. Something that's way over 11,000 square ft on the beach, whether it's one lot, five lots, or how much width of ocean you ended up accumulating. But what you have is you've created somewhat of a discrepancy because the burnout lots, some of them are so narrow you can hardly build anything on them with three-foot sideyard set back on each side for the fire department requirements which cannot be waved. And there were several people here tonight that didn't know that. Um I think you should tell them that first of all that has nothing to do with what you're proposing. But um lot consolidation is acceptable. However, the total maximum square footage is something that should apply throughout the city. You don't have to specifically study beachfront to get there. So, that's a consideration. The other is the Zerac's process is a policy. The city council can tackle this issue on its own if it wants to. if you think two people [snorts] are going to control five votes of the council, which I never seen that happen yet, but there's people brought that up. So, the super mega mansion is is really what doesn't help our school system. It doesn't really help this community be a community other than create something which could someday be a fabulous rehab or or some conversion into a bed and breakfast when some other future city

council might allow doing such. So this is a difficult thing to balance. The timing is kind of suspicious. I'll grant you that. But you should never turn your back on refining the code of the city because rebuilds are stuck by somewhat insurance limitations. Funding 110% in a good scenario. And to allow something that's unlimited and can go high density next door, you're you're relegating the rebuild as a tear down. We don't want that either. Thank you.

Thank you, Jennifer, followed by Heather and that'll conclude our in-person speakers.

Hi, council. I'm Jennifer Hoppel with Burge Architects. I want to first of all congratulate you on the the school vote today. I think that you something I know that you're all very proud of and I just urge you not to go in the opposite direction. the the school is some the school vote is something that's going to live on forever as is this. This gives a really negative tone to the end of this this um meeting. I'm here to speak about we had really eloquent speakers already tonight. I'm I'm thrilled with the um commentary that's come here tonight. Hayden, to your point, we spoke earlier at previous hearings about moving the goalpost. While I heard [clears throat] what you said that this is not intended to affect the fire rebuild victims, it absolutely will. I'm here to say when we speak with multiple people who come to our office and they are confused and they don't know which way to go and they're saying, "I I just need some advice. Should I sell? Should I rebuild? What does it look like realistically for me to rebuild this home?" And we have to tell them, I don't know, right? We can tell them what it what we know as of yesterday, but we don't know what it's going to look like tomorrow because the goal the goalpost keeps moving. And people that we know of are actively deciding to give up on Malibu and go to the Palisades because there that is a known factor. They know they're going to get something built there. They don't know if they're going to get it built here. Um and and the the comment most of what I said is already been spoken about, but when we said that is not going to affect like for like plus 10%. We have to talk about the projects on the beach that are so tiny. I have a project right now that the existing square footage is under 1,200 square ft. For him to put a million really conservatively more

likely 1.5 million on a podium just to hold it without putting a stick in the air and you're asking him to only do 1,200 square feet. That's not financially viable. He's going to sell that and he's probably going to sell it to the dreaded developer, right? We're pushing the people out that want to live here, that want to be long-term Malibu residents. They want to rebuild, but the the the roadblocks we're putting in place right now are not allowing him. That client, they're going to have to go for a CDP. He can't financially make it viable. And I'm going to tell you, I've done all the math, the max he's going to get is 2400 square feet. With the setbacks that are all already in place, it's not fair to impose yet another TDSF regulation on top of that. If you want to look at the mansionization, if you want to look at them lot mergers for massive properties, not just two, because even him, if he got two side by side, maybe he gets 4,000 square feet. Oo, we need to think about this, right? I I urge you guys to make the right decision and not do what's going to harm our community. Thank you,

Heather.

Good evening, council members. Um, I want to be absolutely clear and I think you already are very clear on where the community stands. uh the community does not want these amendments and the consequences of continuing uh this pressure or already visible all around us. Look at the streets. Look at the number of businesses that have shuttered, many permanently. Look at how many families have quietly packed up and left because rebuilding has become financially impossible. People are not coming back. Businesses are not coming back. And these proposed local coastal program amendments are only going to accelerate that that loss. Homeowners are already facing extraordinary costs and possible insurance hurdles, supply shortages, and years of delays. Adding these new restrictions on the frontage, development limitations, and design constraints at a time when people are simply trying to rebuild their lives. isn't just impractical, it's harmful, it's painful. These amendments devalue the property, undermine the recovery, and push longtime residents and local businesses out of a very out of the very community they helped to build. If the true goal is to support coastal communities, then this is just not the way. This is not the solution. This proposal needs to be withdrawn, not revised, not tabled. It needs to be removed entirely. The community is speaking clearly. This is not what's wanted. Uh this is not what's needed. We need policies that support rebuilding, support economy, e economic recovery and long-term stability, not policies that make living here entirely impossible. Uh the message from the

community has really been loud and united. Please consider these concerns and allow this proposal to be withdrawn. Uh let the community recover and the people return home. Thank you. Thank you. And our one speaker online Howard Ritzky. Howard, go ahead.

Good evening again. Really wrong times. really insensitive. And I know you guys care about the staff, but do you realize Yolanda calls people back on a Sunday night at 8:00? She calls people when she's driving in at 6:00 a.m. Tyler does the same. They don't have a lot of experienced staff. They put their hands on everything. Now you want them to deal with this and on top of that. Has anything ever gone good for us going to the Coastal Commission and asking for anything? Don't they always want more or want us to change something or want something in exchange for doing something? Please think about that. Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, that'll close public comment. Okay, we're back up to the DAS. state. You want to go first? You want me to go first? It's interesting because most of you talked about a policy that I don't think the city has any intention of implementing. None. All right. Again, I've been looking at this for I don't know how many years and nobody nobody has ever suggested we should take the rules that we use on the land side in terms of TDSF and put them on the beach. That was not the process. And you're right, I did when when I looked at the New Zealand guys buying the land and I looked at Chinese money coming into to the city, I said, "Look, I have no idea what these people are going to do." All right? And I think we we owe the residents and we owe the city some protection that says if there if they want to build, you know, multi-mansions that we there should be a limit to those. And I'll tell you why it's important. Ape Roy does a poll, does a podcast, and he he they somebody sent me a clip from one of his recent podcasts and they were talking about TDSF on beach properties. And Abe's position was he said, "Look, it's just because if somebody comes in and wants to buy four lots and build a 40,000 square foot house, how can it hurt if we let a couple of those slip through?" That was his opinion. And I think it is a problem to do that. Nobody wants to limit the size of the houses you're trying to build right now. This is all intended to deal with larger houses. And I don't know whether the limit should be 11,000 square ft or 12,000 square ft or 15,000 square feet. That's why we're having a zerasis meeting so you guys can

tell us what the heck you're looking for. Nobody's going to touch the smaller houses. Nobody's going to put the rules that we use on landside TDSF onto the beach. They don't work. can't do it. Can't do it. And nobody's ever proposed doing it. This is strictly a a process that says we want to make sure that we get done with with rebuilding Malibu. All right. I don't have 40,000 square foot houses blocking up all of PCH. That's where I'm coming from. And I'm going to take because I normally wait until everybody else has spoken, but I think there's a number of of misinformation out there that I think it's important that I address. So, um, you know, Tyler spoke about some of these, uh, bluff properties or bigger properties, things like that, properties that are zoned rural residential, but because they front the ocean, there's no, um, property between them and the ocean or there's no road between them. There are property owners, and I know this firsthand because when I worked at the city, I would hear people come in, that they think that because their property touches the ocean, it should be considered beachfront. And so, a 2 acre rural residential zoned property, they are arguing that they shouldn't have to comply with the cumulative setbacks, that they shouldn't have to comply with height restrictions, that they shouldn't have to comply with total development square footage. We need to give the staff some backup so that they understand that it is the policy of the city that they were zoned rural residential and they're subject to the rural residential design standards. This is to support staff as far as those things go. Um so making it clear that they've they have the rules, they have the precedence of what's already been previously done in the city and they can point to that and say no, this is what

this this council stands for. Um, with regard to natural disaster, the governor did not give Malibu those rights. Those rights already existed in our municipal code in our local coastal program. Natural disaster rebuilds get like for like and like for like plus 10%, you're already exempt from a coastal development permit in the city of Malibu. You have been for decades and you will continue to be going forward into the future. Nothing about this is going to change those rules. is not my intention or I believe anybody else on this council's intention to do anything to put a planning verification or like for like plus 10% into jeopardy. That we want you to build those back. That's what we're encouraging our city to build back. Um phase two, you talked about an APR for a phase two. That's not possible on a beachfront property. You're going to have to do a coastal development permit for a phase two because you're going to exceed your 10%. So,

um you can double check with staff on that. So, Um, and zoning codes. There was a question. Somebody brought up a question about zoning codes. That's not true. Tyler, could you please clarify that if somebody um wants to propose a greater than uh 10% addition, what type of review they're going to have to go through?

So, uh, for talking specifically rebuild, someone's allowed to do rebuild plus 10%, right? that's exempt from a CDP. We all we all know that once that house is built, you're then subject to the existing facilities or existing single family residents uh CDP exemption. And on beachfront properties, that is limited to a 10% addition. If you go if for an existing home, if you were to do it more than 10% addition on the beach, it would trigger a coast development per um but somebody did bring up something about the zoning codes and I I just wrote a note. I didn't do a full note. I'd hope you were. Um, what specifically do you remember what cont I took some notes, but what what was the context?

I I don't have the context. Does somebody remember zoning codes when they did their Danny is the plus 10% in jeopardy? Oh, if they institute TDS. Oh, so so um, since you're not at the microphone, I'm gonna Thank you for triggering my memory. So um is there any chance that the planning verifications are in jeopardy by the non-existent proposal of um a limitation on

only if the council decides that so I think what what Danny's trying to say is as we know the 10% must comply and so on a non-befront property if you're limit if you're already exceeded your total development square footage we're not granting you that 10%. % additional square footage. So if you put a cap, let's say 5,000 ft², just to use an easy number on a beachfront property and someone is already 7,000, they would not be granted a 10%, they would just be granted that 7,000. Okay.

Now, the council could even go as far as being explicit if they were to go that route. They could be explicit and say, you know, rebuilds under this exemption, blah blah blah, be specific, do not apply to this rule and are allowed the 10%. There's still even more caveats you can add even if you went that route. I'm not saying that just advising uh the council on the different options.

Thank you. Um, and you know, there aren't too many things that Steve and I would often agree on. And even when it comes to square footage, and yes, I did speak out in 2019 about the reduction of square footage in non beachfront properties. That was because we were already taking very restrictive amounts and they were proposing to bring them down even further. That isn't the case in this. Um, this is talking about having jumbo mansions, having not having a limitation on square footage on the beach. Um, I think that the current properties are already very constrained as many of the speakers already spoke about. You're constrained by the ocean, you're constrained by Calrans, you're constrained by the height, you're constrained by your setbacks and things like that. That isn't the intention that I have on this. Um, I'm talking about the very, very large homes that can exceed the allowable square footage that won't even be allowed on a fiveacre property on a non- beachfront property. So, that's where I am and I look forward to hearing the rest of the council.

I like to give the headline first when things like that. First of all, I'm going to vote against doing anything with respect to the beachfront properties other than um look at what it means to be a beachfront property. I'd like to understand what they are. Are are any of the properties that were destroyed by the fire ones that are even on the fence as to whether they are or aren't beachfront? Um on the east side, it's it's pretty clear.

That's what I thought. So, so make this clear. has nothing to do this has nothing to do the question of what is a beachfront property has nothing to do with fire rebuilds nothing at all it's got to do with homes that are on bluffs as as Tyler said homes in West Malibu that maybe are up um you know there's two or three properties on the beach and there's one that's a second or third one up no one I think thinks of them as beachfront properties what we heard was the staff consistently and the city council and the planning commission have consistently said no they're not but it doesn't say that in our code and I think it's a good idea to codify that. But other than that, I'm going to vote against doing anything. Possibly come back to this 12 months from now. Possibly. Now, now I want to talk about why I want to talk about the issues that everybody else has has has discussed.

I'm sorry, the the audience, you've had your time to speak. It's time for us to speak. I would just ask that you please do not have any um

Okay. Also, one other clarification, Tyler. I think what Carly was talking about was in Woolseie, we did this two-step thing, not we. I wasn't on the council, um, but where you could, um, take advantage of the like for like plus 10% and concurrently add on up to an additional 50% because that's what an addition is. That's ex that's that's exempt from the CDP. So, you could end up with a house that was 150 160% of what you started with through the um, rebuild process. What I think Carly's talking about is not the two-step process concurrently, but the two-step process consecutively. So, I thought I heard you say that on the beach you're limited to 10% for the addition, but that if I misunderstood, tell me cuz I thought you could do what what you could do in Woolseie now, but just concurrently as opposed to I'm sorry, consecutively rather than concurrently. You can build your leg for like plus 10%. And so long as you've got the ability with your setbacks and your height and everything else, add up to an additional 50% on an addition. Am I wrong about that?

No, you can't do that. It was the fact of whether it's a CDP or an APR, right? And that would be an APR. If you if you go more than 10% on the beachfront, it would be a CDP. No, no, you do your you do your like for like plus 10%.

Full stop. Mhm. Three years later, you get your house built and you immediately go in and say, "I'd like to now build an addition of up to 50% of what I currently have." You can do that with an APR, right? No. So, because if you increase your square footage by more than 10%. I build my house. Uh my house is 5,000 square ft. I want to add an extra 2,000 ft. That's more than 10%. That triggers a coastal development permit. It's not a no. It just triggers a coastal development permit. So you have to get a planning commission approval. I I think you I think what the mayor prom is saying is that the house is actually built. You build the whole house. Oh, you're just talking about processing the day after you get your certificate

years later. You can go do an addition with an ex and be exempt under the uh No. So again, it's not it would not be exempt. That's that's kind of what I'm getting. Yes, you can do that. Yes, you can submit an application. Yes, you can. Yeah. Okay, let me just take it a little bit step back. We're actually going to talk about this at our next appeal uh very thoroughly. So you can the the Coastal Commission ruled that you can you have to have substantially in order to use those exemptions. You'd have to have substantial construction taking place. Forget to rebuild. I I've got a house been sitting there for 20 years. I now want to build an addition. It was my understanding and maybe from I got this from Richard Malikica that you could build up to 50% on top of what you have under an APR for non beachfront.

Yes. Okay. So there's a different rule for beachfront. Correct. Okay. That's what I thought I heard you say. I didn't know that. It's not for clarity. It's not only beachfront. It's if you're in the appealable jurisdiction of the coastal commission.

Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that. I didn't know that. That's I learned something. Okay. So, now I I'm very empathetic and sympathetic to the to everything I heard tonight from the beachfront property owners. I want to make clear the community has not spoken. The community is all of Malibu. And there may be reasons down the line to make adjustments to the rules on the beachfront for the benefit of all of Malibu. There may or there may not be. But the fact that those of you who lost your homes on the beach are against it, completely understandable, doesn't mean that's what the community wants. We're not hearing from the community. So, but I'm still against doing anything right now. Carly, you said that I said something about a 5,000 square foot restriction. I went and looked at the email I sent you when you sent your very long email and I didn't say anything like that. I if I said something like that to someone, I don't know what I was thinking. I I don't I don't believe that

it was to me and it was in person in the hallway at the last city council meeting. You asked 5,000

I was asking you a hypothetical question. I wasn't making a statement of what I what I was in favor of. So that's fine. That that clarifies that for me. Um, so let me just look at these notes. I mean, it might make sense down the line to have an 11,172 ft limit on the beach. And I think again, that's not something anyone here is being is frightened of. But I I but I I think there is a boogeyman right now just of anything we do is a concern. people are being not necessarily rationally concerned, but but I'm not saying you're irrational, but you're very concerned. I get it. And because of that, I think this is not the right time. So, I'm going to support not doing anything right now. Actually, I would like I I'll make a motion is I would like to send to Zerasis the exclusive question of whether we should codify the existing precedent of what is a beachfront property, but otherwise instruct them that they're not to look at imposing any new restrictions on what are beachfront properties. And if somebody, by the way, it's also going to take multiple years for anyone who buys multiple lots and wants to build a 25,000 square foot home. They're going to have to go through a CDP. They're going to have to get their lots combined. We're going to have ample time to say, "Oh my god, that's happening. Let's now do something about it." So, I I'll make a motion that we send to Zerasis the exclusive question of whether to codify the staff's president of not of what is a beachfront property and otherwise drop any other restrictions.

I'll second that. Um, Trevor I'm going to guess that that's probably the direction of what this item is going to get support for. Um, that being said, does that need to go to Zerasis or is that something that it can just be a council interpretation and we don't need to to go through the full process of you don't need to go to Zeraces, but we need to put it through the point of doing it is to send it through as an LCP amendment so that it's defined in the code.

Okay. Okay. Oh, and and on the LCP amendment, there were two or at least two people that were saying, "If you go to Coastal, you're asking for trouble. We'd be going to Coastal asking to allow us to adopt a restriction, which if they say no, we don't have. They don't have the ability to in to impose anything on us, and they certainly have no ability to alter the rules for fire rebuilds. If we went to them with any kind of request for what to do for Beachfront Properties, the most they can do, the worst they can do is say no. They cannot change the rules on us. If they didn't agree with what we proposed and they want to propose something back to us, we can say no. They have they don't have the power. Again, there's a lot of fear, unwarranted fear about how these things work. That's one thing that I am certain of. Coastal can't force us to change our rules in a way that they want. We have our rules. If we want to change them, we need their permission, but they can't change them.

Can I put uh comment or two in? Um I just just Yeah, I just want to know. I mean, let's do we really need to go to Zerasis and everything just initiate the LCP? Staff is happy to propose it directly to the planning commission. Okay. and and it would be to propose the definition inconsistent with the application of what a beachfront lot is in the city and applied by the planning department that case I'll withdraw the motion altogether I mean the motion will be then to reject the proposal not do anything on this

no the the the request is that it is that you put through a an LCP amendment to add the definition to the code I think we need to get that cleaned up regardless of anything Yeah, that's something that the staff needs for Okay, but just procedurally, is that something we can do tonight because the qu the the thing on the table is sending something to Zerasis. That's why I You can No, it's a the action is to initiate the the LCP amendment. You don't have to send it to Zeraces. You can send it directly to the planning commission if you want. Can we just do it here quickly now tonight to make the to the to change the LCP? No, just we have to initiate it first. Initiate it has to go to the planning commission. So, it has to planning commission to define what a beachfront lot is. They they make a recommendation to it.

Actually, let me let me ask this. Can we we adopted a bunch of interpretations of various rules for purposes of the rebuilds? Can't can't the city council simply adopt a policy interpretation of what a beachfront property is and put that in a book. That's what I was saying. You you can adopt a policy if you want. It's not the recommendation of staff. So, it's going to take staff time. You guys are going to make a whole another report. It's going to go to planning at some point and then they're going to vote on it. It might can it be appealed this definition?

It it's a the process is that the planning commission makes a recommendation. The council then approves the the uh local coastal program amendment. Then it goes to the coastal commission for certification that's consistent with the coastal act and our l. So do you guys want to modify your motion to make it let let me ask one question of Trevor and Yolanda first. Um Tyler, I'm sorry. Sorry. We get confused all the time. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. We trade with each other. I apologize for that. Um,

is this going to be overly burdensome to you all to do to do this? Because I mean, what I'm hearing is it's really not an issue because you don't approve um in excess of TDSF construction on what is clearly not on what you know is not a beachfront lot. Um, is this something that could wait until you have more uh bandwidth or is it something that's important enough that we should get it done? Um, so the policy I think we we have it established. I don't know if that's going to need needs to be effective. Uh, it would help. I think um there are some people that have argued uh that their lots are beachfront when they're not. And so it would help us from a defense mechanism to have it. Is it urgent? No, we've we've been applying it this way for uh you know, a couple decades, but it's it is something we should probably do at some point is make it very clear.

So, I I get where the policy makers, you're you're not, but I'm asking you um if you had your brothers, would you rather clear this up now and take the time to do it or not expend that time, but have the problem of dealing with people that make the argument from time to time? This stuff takes time. So, it's not something we're going to go and put on the planning commission agenda in January. Um, it takes time to flesh these things out. So, it's not Yeah, we're not going to It doesn't sound like what I'm hearing this is like a very urgent matter. It's just something that needs to be done. So, you know, within the next year sometime we can get it done, but uh it's not going to be like the top priority. We have a lot of other priorities ahead of this. You agree with that, Yolanda?

Yeah. And uh just to add to that um when we unify the two groups um that's what we're working on. There's a policy that we need to clean up. Um we need time to do it right. And so we already have a list of things that we're going to be bringing back and going through the right processes. So we will do as council wants us to do. If this is a priority for you guys, we'll make it at the top of priority. Um but then we will ask uh to give us time to do it correctly.

Okay. So here here's what I'll amend the motion to be if if Doug will agree. Um we we should do the do what's necessary to create an LCP amendment to clarify the definition of a beachfront lot the way that the staff already is applying it. And we should direct staff that it is not a high priority to get that done that they should do it when they have the bandwidth to do so. I'm fine with that. I just I want to make a couple of comments on this real quick. Uh are you saying that if we do a definition it has to go for an LCP amendment or can it just be an internal policy? Trevor's already telling us to do it. Trevor's saying it's got to be an amendment.

I would suggest that you um

look you put my position on this. I was totally surprised to see this on the agenda. Um, as you guys know, we have a Brown Act uh provision. We can't have discussions about this. Two people can have it, but you can't have all five of us. So, it wasn't like we had a a meeting and said, "Let's bring this out." And in fact, I'd forgotten about the conversation uh back in July about, you know, needed to deal with this. There is an issue, and I brought it up when I asked the questions when we first had the staff comments. Is there a definition for beachfront property? And I've I've always thought that was the problem here because TDSF is it's a monster. If you if you take a property and primarily on the western side of Malibu, some of these properties along PCH that front PCH but also have a beach touch suddenly become you can build anything you want on it. that that's what we're trying to do with TDSF on the beach is to give you the ability to get all the space that you have. Build as much as you can on that small lot, but when you turn it over to a 5 acre parcel, suddenly you've got a compound and whatever else you want to put there. So, it's something that needs to be cleaned up. And I've known about this issue ever since I ran in 20 in 2020. Somebody brought it up to me and I thought, you know, this is something that's got to get done. But we've put it off and put it off and it hasn't bit us anywhere yet. So in terms of this being a necessity tonight, no. U the fact that you're so concerned about it tells me that this is the wrong time and even to solve it as we're talking about with the definition here probably takes it off the table for your concern because you know you're on the beach. So that's not an issue. So what we're talking about is how do we keep people from misapplying TDSF in a place that obviously doesn't

mean need mean need to be TDSF. So I'm in agreement with Bruce. This is where I think uh the right way to come out of this is yes people can have mischief and one of the items we're going to talk about tonight if we get to it is about where mischief can take place. You have to be careful what we what we put forward because we can inadvertently cause more problems than we solve. And I think just even having this on the agenda tonight has caused more problems than we solve. So um I agree with Bruce. I thank you. Oh yeah. Hey proposal.

I hate to say this but sometimes when we sit next to each other we actually get more stuff done. Um, it's amazing how sometimes people out there in the audience have no idea that we could actually work together, whether it's Maryanne and Steve or Bruce and myself [snorts] or whoever. We're here just to get the best things done for the city of Malibu. And, you know, we talk about sometimes about being pro-development, anti-development. We're pro Malibu, and that's what's needs to be driving the process. And getting you guys back in your houses is pro Malibu. Pro Malibu. That's what we want to do. So, I back it. And uh

yeah, also, you know, the personal attacks that that were from a minority of people on Steve and to some extent on Maryanne, they're they're they're misplaced. And there there's no conspiracy here. There's no intent to try to harm anybody that lost their home. We're all pulling to get you all back in your homes and to have your homes rebuilt. Um but, you know, people are suspicious and skeptical, but we're all trying. We're really no one's here trying to do anything do any harm to you.

Absolutely. And look, as I said before, everybody's trying to do things in the best interest. I don't want somebody building taking five lots on PCH and the beach, Carbon Beach, and putting a walkway between the houses. So, you have a five house compound. I mean, that's very possible to do. And you can have 5,000 square feet on each one of those lots and suddenly now you got a 25,000 square foot compound. be careful what we don't address here, but that's not the issue to be solved tonight. That's not the issue that you're you're looking for resolution on.

And unfortunately, if one gets through in the meantime, that's what happens. We've already got some on the on the Carbon Beach that don't like that. So, we're not going to get them torn down. We just don't want to have any more of them if we can help it.

Any other comments, Tra Trevor? Um, I think I have the modification to the resolution to reflect the the direction of the motion, which would be to delete section three, which would send it to Zeraces, and [clears throat] then to edit section two, deleting the the uh words to modify standards related to beachfront total development square footage, TDSF, and then um to add language so that The this this section now reads, "Pursuant to local coastal program local implementation plan chapter 19 and Malibu Municipal Code Chapter 17.74, the city council hereby initiates amendments to the LCP and title 17 zoning of the MMC to clarify the definition of beachfront lots to match the definition staff has applied in the past and direct staff to issue a notice of availability consistent with LIP section 19.3.1. Two issues. One is if we amend the MMC, do we even need to do the LCP? And the SE which because we can do MMC on our own and and my understanding is one red light applies. You need two green lights to proceed. So one red light would cut that down would cut that off. And the other question is the other the other point is I would get rid of these recitals and make some other generic recital about because there has historically been a question about this and the president has been such and such that we've decided to fix it because this has nothing to do with the Palisades fire.

We could just delete the recital. There's no need for recital. Fine. Get rid of them. But do we really need an LCP amendment if we can do an MMC amendment? I I would recommend that you do because that's the when the LCP and the LIP is applied, they're going to look at the definitions in the LIP. They apply for Mor Pro. I I understand your point and your point is absolutely true. It's just it's uh from historical application of the code, it's better to have consistency between the two and not to have to uh go divert between the So, can we do like we did this with the um the pri the the prior round after the fire, can we do the MMC amendment immediately and then also direct that there be an LCP amendment?

You can just initiate both right now. Uh we can write the resolution or the uh ordinance as such where the MMC will go into effect while the LCP so that way that's in that's in the law and while the LCP gets worked out. Yep. Does the resolution need to say that? No, no, no. That will be on the ordinance that comes back before the council. If if you uh make the motion to adopt the resolution as I as we've described it here, that would be sufficient to pursue and eliminate the recital. I think that includes the elimination of the recital, the elimination of the zerasi section, the reing of the sections and then the change to the initiation section as I read it and actual on page two on section five, you need to remove the modifying standards related to beach total billless square footage.

Also, I not a big fan of trying to write uh resolutions bring it back on consent. You want to go back? That's going to be I just making it consistent. Section five, that's correct. references the same thing that's on section two that we're eliminating. So, I'm clarifying that I Why don't we just vote to bring this back on consent at the next meeting with the changes that we just talked about so we can fly spec and make sure it doesn't do anything that we didn't intend. Isn't that what's going to be done? I I think we can just do it tonight if you put it's not going to expand. Yeah, this is this is not going [laughter] the direction it was originally proposed. All we're doing is trying to satisfy the definition of beachfront.

Okay. Um we have a motion to second. Kelsey, do you need any other direction? I just want to clarify is the motion to adopt the resolution is revised on the floor or to bring it back on the consent calendar. If you think we can do it tonight, I I'm in favor tonight. Yeah, I think we're good then. Yes, we understand. Thank you. Okay. Do we are we good with all in favor or do we want a roll call? You're the mayor. Your call. I'm fine with all in favor. All in favor say I. I. I. Any opposed? None. One last statement, please.

This is a different time, right? I mean, we're we are experiencing, you know, all the beachfront properties got burnt out. Okay. and and I forget who the heck was saying, you know, there's there are some people out there who will take advantage of a vacuum and and not doing anything. Okay, I just think encourages that. Uh and you know, I don't know how many 40,000 square foot houses you want on the beach. I

I share that concern, Steve. That's why I said I think we should look at this again a year from now as to whether we want to go forward with something. Nothing's going to happen within 12 [clears throat] months. No one can do any no one's can build can build what requires a CDP. Never say never. Nobody's going to be able to [laughter] build what requires a CDP in 12 months. This is not happening. Okay. So, um we're going I'm going to propose a change to the agenda yet again uh to move um library item 7C to the next item. Yes, please. I second that. And then resume the remainder of the All in favor? I I Any opposed? None. Great. So, we're going to go to item 7 C.

Quickly.

She's fine. She's on. of course. We're back at 10:15. Take care.

Anybody has any speaker for 7.

I thought I turned [clears throat] it on. Speaker slips for 7C. Last call. Okay. Cynthia, welcome.

Good evening, Mayor and Council. Today, we'll be kicking off the budget cycle for the library set aside funds for fiscal year 2627. So, today staff is looking for an approved list of priorities in order to build out a budget. We're not necessarily approving funds. Rather, we are compiling a list of priorities, discussions, issues that will allow the city and the county staff to prepare a recommended budget. [snorts] Before you is an overview of the annual budget cycle. So, we're looking at step one. The library subcommittee meeting subcommittee met on Friday, December 5th, 2025 to discuss a recommended list of priorities for fiscal year 2627 budget. Step two, we're looking at today, city council is reviewing and approving a list of priorities and discussion points for staff's annual meeting. Step three, city staff and library staff will meet next week to discuss a list of priorities and receive updates. Step four, in March, the library subcommittee will meet to review and provide a recommended budget to the city council. And step five, city council reviews and approves a library set aside budget. So today is the official kickoff of the budget cycle for these library set aside funds. The library subcommittee met on Friday, December 5th to discuss priorities for fiscal year 2627 and recommended prioritizing the following. [snorts] Continuing funding fiscal year 2526. Continuing to prioritize community safety with the support for the additional security guard. Continue or augmenting the city's annual allocation operation and facility improvements.

Continued support for Malibu school campus libraries. This in includes Webster Elementary School, Malibu Elementary School, Mal Malibu Middle School, and Malibu High School. Continue funding enhanced program offerings for the poet laurette program. Continue funding the tool lending library. Continue funding the library speaker series and local author series program. And continuing funding the smart start programs for staff training. Some additional continued support includes the continued support for proposals from the community brigade for community resiliency, the Boys and Girls Club proposal for community resiliency, and the Malibu Film Society. These were uh proposals submitted for the fiscal 2526 budget. Because they were submitted so late in the budget cycle, we do not have a determination from the Los Angeles County Library yet. However, it is the subcommittee's recommendation to continue recommending uh continue prioritizing these for the next fiscal year looking at 2627. So, should they be approved, it is a recommendation that these be carried over to the next fiscal year. Some new priority requests for fiscal year 2627 include continued support for the Boys and Girls Club supplies. Staff is working on determining if these funds are currently available. However, as a safety net, the library subcommittee recommends including it in the list of priorities for next fiscal year fiscal year to ensure that they are carried over. Support for a new proposal from the SAMO fund for microforests in the library. This proposal is pending submission and continuing discussions

regarding a county library extension. What you see here is a recommended item proposed by the county library for discussion purposes only. This is meant to be a discussion starter at initially, but this would be for a detached library edition. Total request estimated at $13 million 4,000 ft building with an estimated timeline of 24 to 30 months. The library subcommittee discussed this item and recommends continuing these discussions. This is a conversation starter. So what we're looking for today is lists of questions, concerns, priorities in order for staff to have more discussions about this item with the county library staff. So in order to continue the these discussions with the library subcommittee recommends discussing the following and tailoring a library needs assessment update and feasibility study RFP with the knowledge that we already have including exploration of a new library services within the community lands project. How can we work both of these projects together? Incorporating information from the parks and recreation master plan. And today we are not necessarily approving these funds. Staff still needs to discuss this with the county. We are gathering a list of discussion topics and questions for the county and any council questions could be added to these list of discussions at this time. So today staff is looking for an approved list of priorities, discussions, and issues that will allow city and county staff to prepare a recommended budget. Staff will meet with the county next week to discuss priorities and receive approval on council requests and a subsequent library subcommittee meeting will be held in March to discuss a recommended

budget. That concludes staff presentation. Okay. Any clarifying questions or you ready for public comment? [clears throat] Bruce. Okay. So the list of recommendations are on page 17. This is the recommendation discussion. I can bring this. So did we did meet on Friday, December 5th. Um the updated recommendations would be part of the presentation. So I'm happy to swing back and forth, but it does include carrying over the last fiscal year item. Okay. And do do you have a rough idea how much the total money is?

Not yet. Today we're only discussing a list of priorities and these list of priorities will allow us to build that budget and provide line item numbers to each one. Okay. So I think if you look at page four um well that was last year right but it's carrying over continuing to carry those over and then the new ones um I think the previous slide maybe oh yeah yeah we only we only spent $747,000

so Cynthia I think the previous slide had the dollar Yeah. So there's those. Well, the Malibu Film Society is on the list, so that's duplicated, but the Community Brigade and Boys and Girls Club um resiliencies. [snorts] And then the second slide has other items also that don't have dollar amounts tied to them. Where's is the addition the $13 million addition that's to the existing library? Yes. Is that what they're proposing? That's what they're proposing. That's about $3,000 a square foot. Yeah. 13 million is a total amount could be made of gold but just to be clear that's not we are not suggesting that that did not come from the I know but I'm just looking at the dollar how much per square

that's eye watering it's a Malibu price we're getting the Malibu deal okay so let's go on with public comment so our first public speaker is Charlotte Ward followed by Joe Drummond and Jan donated minute correct thank you I just want to make sure you're here and then Mike Pearson,

did you call me Maryanne? I did, ma'am. Yes. Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

Hi, council. I want to assure you that I don't have a machete. [laughter] I go the speed limit. [laughter] I don't drink. And I come in peace. I come about words and they are weightless, but they are really important in our community. And as luck would have it, I was reading in the back while you were discussing other things. Your body doesn't lie. This is by a psychiatrist some some decades ago, John Diamond, who muscle tested for strength. And when he muscle tested both sides of the brain, guess what produced balance? Poetry.

[laughter]

So I come uh asking come with my hands out to ask that we continue the budget that you agreed to for this year uh into next year. And that includes u four nationally known poets and several uh California poets and more local poets and um and then we have an open mic once a month for locals. And you can't believe the energy that the local poets bring to the podium. It is u it makes me happy. I think if you came you would feel happy too that there is such creativity in our community and um because I've just discovered how important it is to brain coordination. I know that it's a healing event also and there are a lot of people hurting in our community and I think as simple as my proposal is I think poetry will help to heal them and the cost of that [laughter] is uh the budget for next year would be the same $100,000 for um a full year's program.

Are there any questions? [laughter] I think we're good right now. Thank you so much. In Tennessee, we have a saying when we leave each other, you come. [laughter] So I invite you to come to caffeinated verse and our studio. Thank you. Thank you Charlotte. Our current poet Laurette for everyone in the audience. You don't want to follow Charlotte. She's amazing. Oh, I have four minutes. Thank you.

Hi Joe. Go ahead. You have four minutes. So, I'm here to speak about the urgent need to prioriti prioritize public safety and sanitation at the Malibu Library. As you consider how our library set aside funds are used, the Malibu Library generates 3.1 million in surplus per year and now holds nearly 25 million in designated funds. With resources of this scale, Malibu residents should have a library that is safe, sanitary, and truly welcoming for children, families, seniors, students, and voters. Right now, this is not the case. Every day, the library's exterior grounds experience illegal camping, hazardous materials, unsanitary conditions, and disruptive and intimidating behavior. I have not visited the library in years without seeing some combination of aggressive altercations, fire hazardous cooking equipment, accumulated trash and debris, or personal belongings scattered across walkways. Families routinely feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Beyond safety concerns, the library grounds now face serious sanitation issues, including recurring trash, food waste, makeshift materials, and at times even human waste. No public library should ever have to operate under these conditions. This is especially concerning because the Malibu Library is also an official ballot dropoff center, and voters deserve a secure, clean, and respectful environment when participating in elections. I want to emphasize one critical fact. The budget already allocates funds for two security guards. Maybe we even need two at night after hearing what um Sergeant Sodelin said that happened last week. Um so we have so the budget already allocates for two and the money is already there. We simply need both positions activated to provide full 247 perimeter control with nearly 25 million in reserves. There's no financial barrier to implementing the safety measures that have already been approved. I also want to briefly address community access. We were trying to to obtain a permit for the owlbox um contest and the countyy's system was very confusing. I had put in the full

permit application and for some reason it didn't go through even though and I didn't get any confirmation. So and and it provided no insurance option because you need to have insurance when you're hosting an event with with the in the public. And um thankfully community services director Kristen Ra Razgo helped us move the event to Legacy Park through the farmers market where the city offered easy resident friendly process. So if there's a simple affordable insurance option like those offered by cities such as Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Pasadena, and Ventura. This would allow Malibu residents to host small educational and cultural events without unnecessary cost or bureaucracy. This is standard best practice elsewhere and the county library should meet the same standard. Thank you for your continuing support of the Malibu Film Society, which provides valuable cultural educational programming in our community, as well as the Community Brigade and the Boys and Girls Club. And of course, please support what Charlotte is requesting, the um caffeinated verse. Looking forward, I hope we will explore using future set aside funds to establish a true Malibu community center, honoring our shoe mash origins and serving families, youth, and seniors year round and includes closing. With nearly 25 million available, Malibu has both the means and the responsibility to ensure that our library is pristine, sanitary, safe, and fully welcoming for everyone. Please activate both budgeted security guards positions for full 247 perimeter coverage and support an affordable insurance option for residents temporary community events. And I'm sorry I didn't get this in by Friday. I I only saw it on the agenda today. Thank you.

Thank you, Mikey Pearson, uh Dana Will Phillips, and Ethan White. I don't have a machete either, but I have I have some fire hoses and uh [sighs] yeah. Anyhow, [snorts] and I don't speed on the highway unless the siren's on. So, there's that. Um so, the community brigade, thank you for what we were acknowledged tonight. That was fantastic. But really, um fighting fires wasn't our main goal and happens to be what happened and it probably happen again. But building resilience through culture shifts and culture change is really what we want to do. So we are proposing with our friends at the Boys and Girls Club programs where we educate youth, let them understand fire science, age appropriate studies there, start junior brigades so they can be a part of the solution and build resistance in town. Um, culture change is needed. If we don't build homes that don't burn down, they're going to keep burning down eventually. And still, probably the majority of homes in Malibu are can build burn down. We have not gone over that high mountain peak at this time. So, we are asking for funds for resiliency programs. We want to educate our kids. We want to do home hardening assessment. Sorry, I'm really tired. This has been a long day. U [laughter] and really that's that's we've let all the new recruits, all our current recruits know that that's a major focus of the brigade. We'll fight fires when we have to, but other than that, we want to help people stay in their home, keep their home, keep their home safe, and so they don't burn down. So, we appreciate your help in that

mission, and thanks for everything else tonight. A spectacular night for the city council. Thank you very much. Thank you, Dana. Then Ethan, then Denise Darm.

Thanks for taking the time. Uh I just have a couple of things to add to uh what Mikey said. So, uh, our community- based approach education includes workshops and educational events at community locations that teach the fundamentals of wildfire behavior, ember intrusion, how homes are vulnerable, and the best practices on how to mitigate those vulnerabilities. We think this is a really important piece. The home ignition zone piece is like a really important part of empowering the entire community that Mikey uh mentioned. and then providing DIY learning uh resources such as printed guides, video tutorials, access to home hardening tools uh through partnerships like the Malibu Library tool lending program, peer-to-peer learning. This is really important as well as my next point which is youth and family engagement. Um both of these points are really about empowering community members and also working within the high school andor the middle school. They actually already have a program set up. They did this on their own uh and they set up a program that has I think 15 members and they're really excited. We really want to help uh not only provide them with some resources but you know ideas of how to uh get them involved spread the knowledge. The idea is that they would uh make a point to their parents when they go home. Hi have we had a home hardening assessment and that comes back and it's all kind of a a loop in that in that process. Uh and we think that culture change is really best cultivated by the people who are impacted by it most and just spreading that that education. Um so yeah, I would just say uh we think this model is is really effective. Uh some of the homes that the community brigade had previously uh worked on and during the Palisades fire did survive and we hope that we can help in that process and also in the rebuilding process in providing that education piece. Thank you.

Thank you. I yield the rest of my time to Ethan. Ethan has his own three.

Good evening, council. Congratulations on tonight. That's the biggest win I've ever witnessed and so much happiness. So, um, but it also really demonstrated what's really unique about Malibu and the community and our kind of the collective resilience that we've been building and the commitment to that over the 20 years that people have been working on school separation. So this the program that we are proposing I work for the Boys and Girls Club I'm the data and development director is youth resilience and preparedness and it's about weaving together wellness services mental health services with preparedness and resil resilience education and then partnering with the community brigade to act as the subject matter experts. Um the idea is that we're going to teach the children, send them home with flashcards, um age appropriate um ways to go home and look at their look at their house, understand a little bit about fire science, promote the ideas and the importance of home ignition zone assessments that the city or the brigade or somebody might do. And as the brigade is saying, shift that culture so that everybody feels like we can participate in this community preparedness. Um at this point over 70% of our sixth graders have had direct impact um of our sixth graders and up have had been directly impacted by fires. So it's it's our whole community. You guys know it. It makes us different than the other communities that have gone through fires this year. We're in touch with the Palisades a lot and the Eat and Fire Collaborative through the support work and the recovery work that we're doing. Um, and they're [laughter] I don't want to say they're jealous of us, but they bring it up often like, "Oh, wow. You guys have experience in recovering from fire. You've been doing this a long time." Um, and it's an in they it's it's

fascinating to see how it's brought up, but we see it in our kids. I see it in my own kids who lost their house in Woolseie, and they're telling their friends who just lost their house in Palisades, "Oh, it'll be okay. you'll you'll rebuild your house, right? But they still they still draw pictures of burning houses and um lots of burning things. So, I see this program is a really like it it is going to be a huge priority of the Boys and Girls Club in this coming year and the brigade together and it's going to be a core piece of I think what kids take away from our new district. We'll have marine science and fire education. Thank you. Thank you, Denise.

Did we have anyone online? I'm asking staff. I'm sorry. Yeah, there's one raised hand. Okay. Thank you.

Hi, everybody. First of all, let me say this uh victory tonight is really important to me and goes back a long time. I mean, when my dad was teaching, they started talking about this, which was in the 70s. It came after um the entire Santa Monica school district got computers for the junior high and we didn't. So people, families, you know, community pulled money together to get [laughter] computers for our kids. So I want to thank you all. You didn't give up and it it's a history that is really near and dear to my heart. Make sure you spend it on Huh? Tell us about Sam.

Sam fund. Well, no. I'm I had to say that because I was sitting here going, "Oh my god." Um, so I'm here in collaboration with Samo Fund. For the last uh going on three years, I personally have been very involved in uh creating micro forests as a community-based educationalbased demonstration of coming together with the ground under our feet to um mitigate fire, heat, etc. that the success of those programs has have led to an educational arm. We're doing our first educational complete educational program in Webster right now is our first demo about utilizing the voice of children and giving them back their power as they use their hands in the earth to create something that's everlasting. Um, my passion to bring it to to Malibu um goes back to my history. We partnered with Samo Fund all the way along because they are their commitment to the environment is decades old. I don't know if all of you know who Samo Fund is, but they um hand collect all the seeds. They are partners with the state park and the national parks and they protect the entire Santa Monica Mountain Range by providing um biodiversity, growing the plants that create true native biodiversity. and they've moved into the urban arena. This partnership for education and for our community and for our children, in my opinion, is going to give our children, they've lost their voice. Our community is fractured. We've had fires and floods. And the Palisades fire has done something that even Wley didn't do because it came into our homes and our cities in a way that I've never seen. So, my hope is that you guys will consider a full proposal with a budget

that's going to be delivered by next week uh that we utilize some of the um library fund to launch a full program into all the schools in Malibu. That's four schools. And that the curriculum, which you'll see in the proposal, will be age appropriate. It will be weekly presented and it will be project based whereby a microforce would literally be built by the kids and the community in Malibu. And that's it. That's all I got. Does anyone have any questions? We are buzzing. No, we're That was all the time. Okay. If we have any questions, we'll call you back up. Okay. Thank you. Thank you.

And our speaker online, Pamela Ulook. Pamela, are you there?

Yes. Hi. I just wanted to thank you. I wish I could be there tonight, but I am unfortunately um unable to. I think it's really important though that LA County Library and that the supervisor's office work with you on these how we're going to use these funds. Especially, you've heard from these speakers, I think our town is hurting. I hope that the library subcommittee can really meet with both parties because the their new proposal with this $13 million thing to put in top of the library I think was just I think they really need to be educated about the real needs of the library and our community. It just seems they're kind of um not really in touch with what's going on and what what these speakers are saying tonight. But other than that, thank you. And I want to thank the taxpayers because this is our Malibu money and um I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing it come back and help all of us in Malibu recover and be more resilient. And thank you for your time.

Okay, so that closes public comment. We're back up here at the dis. Who would like to start? I got Okay, Stephen. And and I agree with Joe on security around the library. Now, my understanding, Joe, is that the the library guards don't go outside the library. They they can't control what's going on in the rest of that civic center area. Now, I know recently we had a proposal where we we hired a firm that's going to go back out and look at Legacy Park, right? Yeah.

Uh now I don't know if if they can assist us around the library. I mean I mean but I think we at some point in time we're going to have to figure out what what we're going to do with the homeless situation we get sitting around the library. Uh you know I had I had conversations a couple weeks ago with Terry Davis and Kay Ballard and they've agreed to not no longer feed people in that civic center area. So they're feeding them over by Malibu Road. Whether that's good or bad or different, I don't know. But hopefully just get some of them out of of but you know, they still come back. I mean, I you was I stopped the other day just to take a look. Uh and they're they're wandering back in the place. And I keep getting calls from parents who just are afraid to go to the library. So I mean I think one of the things that I don't know I don't you know again if this group we hired can help us, we ought to take a look at that. But if not, we ought to just figure out something we can do to to police that place and make a little bit safer for everybody. That'd be one of my top priorities.

Who's next?

I'm not really sure what the list is we're trying to approve. I This seems to be all over the place. Um but I I guess I'm more troubled by what's on page four and that is that we've got approved um this budget of million4. We've only spent 747,000 and some of the things that have been left out is like dedicated security guard. Only one's been utilized as opposed to two that was requested. Um, we've got uh deferred maintenance. Uh, uh, I I I don't mean to rant about this and get off topic, but I looked at the county library pictures of all the libraries that the county has. We probably had the dumpiest one. It all the rest of the I was over at uh, Tanga for a meeting the other night. What a first class library. The facility is outstanding. and we're talking about putting a 4,000 foot edition on that's going to cost $13 million. Uh I'm stunned by the price. Um it it just boggles the mind, but I'm probably more boggled by where we are with the county and this library. We've got some very good librarian people there. We've got uh citizenry that goes there. I love the statistics that were there that we provided. And yet we're standing here hat in hand trying to get some money when we've got 24 million $25 million in a reserve fund which basically is surplus money. What this really tells me as I look at it is we should have our own library and like Calabasas does. Now granted, Rick Russo built it for him as part of a project, but they have a facility over there that's first class. And what you're looking at just on this page four is almost $6 million in annual revenue.

And we're spending even with overhead for downtown or wherever it is, we're only spending like um $2.6 million. It's just it just boggles the mind. And um we're standing here going, you know, please give us some money for for uh caffeinated poetry. My gosh, this this is a budget that's could support anything that's worthwhile. And I'm I'm stunned that we're having to stand there looking like poppers. Um, honestly, I think we need to go forth with the requests like as you proposed, but the second thing we need to do is go, guys, we need to get a first class building. We need to not be standing here trying to beg for money. This ought to be programs that uh whatever the city thinks is beneficial and we can support, we ought to be doing it. And to to go to Joe's comment about uh security, we've got money in the budget for a security guard that isn't even being used. Like, you know, come on. This is this is not the way you run a railroad. So, yeah, I show me the list and I'm glad to to consider it. I think what we had on there before is all apparently very worthwhile and we're not even spending all the money we have for that. So, um, we we need to be looking at being better utilizing the money that's coming here. And I was talking to people beforehand. The city gets approximately 7.4, I think it is, percent of the property tax that you pay, every dollar. The library gets about two and a half cents. Think about that for a minute. Basically, a third of the property tax Malibu receives goes just to the library. is a library mount. Now, I'm not saying we ought to, you know, merge the two funds together, but this is no

shortage to have a first class library system just as we talk about having a first class school system. Okay, I'm going to tag on that and some things I agree with and some things I disagree with. First of all, the history of this fund is I I talked about this before. The city at one point and I think Pamela was was responsible for this

Yeah. said we're going to withdraw from the county library system. I don't know how we do that. I I I'd like to understand more about that because I I I didn't I wouldn't have thought we have the option of doing that but apparently we did and we threatened it and the council approved doing so and then they made the big mistake which was not go forward with what they said they were going to do and instead come back and do thisou. So here we are today with all this money that could have just been in Malibu for the past 20 years and not go not gone into this pool. And I don't know whe what you do now whether this is like a golden handcuff that we can't now assuming we have the right to withdraw whether that means we'd have to sacrifice the 20some million dollars that we've built up or whether there's some negotiation or even right to have that money. Who where is this money today? Where

I assume it's in a an account. I don't know. We don't control. No, no, we don't we don't control it. We have to we have to propose uses of it that benefit the library system in Malibu. So, in any event, this this this this money in my view, and maybe this is just, you know, water over the dam, but it should it should have been accumulating for Malibu and not accumulating for the county. But we are where we are. Although I I think we ought to be exploring going forward

not no longer being where we are because actually I think that this fund would replenish itself probably over about a decade. This is much very much like the school system school issue. It'll replenish itself over the next decade and then everything after that is ours full stop assuming we can get out of this. Nonetheless, we've got 20 some odd million dollars. I have been saying for years now that not in addition raise this building and build a modern library that we could be proud of in Malibu. Look at all the other libraries around the world and find the best model and build it here. We have 20some million dollars to start with as as the equity. We could borrow probably the county could borrow twice that much at least on top of that. we could build a worldclass facility, not make improvements to this dump. So, I think we should be do I think we should be exploring that. Seriously exploring that. It doesn't bother me if we're not spending the money we're authorizing because it's going into building this fund, which if we can use it, we should. I don't view us as going hatinand to the county and asking for funds, though. I mean, I I I think that the county has been actually pretty good if we have a legitimate tie to the library of approving expenditures. I think they proved that with the um film society proposal and the Legacy Park Education proposal, neither of which have we developed a program to go forward with, but they they agreed to $150,000 to those two programs. I think that this resiliency program, if we can create it properly where it's at the library and um it's b there's education involved, I suspect that the county would be all in favor of that. I don't know what that money is needed for. I'd understand what the dollars are for because it doesn't seem to me that that program would cost anywhere near the amount of money that's being proposed for it. But if it does,

so be it. I think that that proposal is one that would fly through the county. Um, I think there are other things we could be doing that would fly through the county if we want to just sp if we want to spend this money. I mean, one thing is we could be having events at the library that benefit the community, but which are library centric. They're they're physically literally at the library, involve food, entertainment, and educational programming. That's part of it, which is to induce people to start coming to and using the library, and which provides a benefit for the community at large. So, that's something I'd like the library committee to be thinking about. Um, but I I think the big one is and we we talk about it and talk about it and we still haven't done anything and I

Halen's got boundless energy. Let's do it. So, great. I mean, I I think direction

I would love to see the the library committee work with the county to propose a genuine reset of the library. not not a not a facelift but a reset where we build from the ground up a world-class facility that's got um auditorium that's got it's got meeting you know community meeting rooms it's got whatever you would put into a modern worldass library it solves our problem in part of needing a community center it make makes the county look good Malibu look good and we've got a war chest sitting there to start building it so I would like to see that rather than worrying about the nickels and dimes and I also and and and and not doing any kind of facelift of that cost half of the money that we have stored. Those are my thoughts. But, you know, as far as a budget for this year, fine. I mean, but we need to be moving forward on a on a bigger scale, not on these little items that appear over and over, year after year.

Who's next? I mean, go for it.

Okay. Um, yeah, I I agree with a lot of that, all of that. Um, I don't really know how the library where the money is, who's getting the interest. I just heard the history of it or a version of it. Um, the library means nothing if it's not safe. So before we do anything, it it if people are afraid to go get bleach thrown onto them like we heard today, which I would imagine is a very real fear. Um all of this is kind of moot. So I would be interested in knowing what Steve brought up if that security guard maybe we pay for it out of the library fund if they're not willing to pay for the security guard. This is an armed guard. I don't know. Doug, feel free. Well, they they haven't even used the money that we that's on the budget now.

Why? I think that they have. So, we've we've done this before. We've [snorts] brought it to council. We've been using Yeah. Yeah. But it's maybe we need clarity. The number two item says two dedicated security guards. They have that. Only one is utilized, right? They only have one position filled. And was that because we can't find a second person? Like sometimes it's hard for people to get to Malibu. Do we know why there's not another security guard? At the time there is not a need for an additional security guard, but we can follow up with county library staff next week for any changes or updates on that. Hannah, would you mind ask question? Sure. Go ahead. Is it Melissa? Can Can Melissa come up to the podium for a moment?

Of course. Would you mind? Whichever of you would like to speak. I I just I recognize you from being here year after year. See, you show up, you get called up, at 11:00. [laughter] Hey, we're not even close to being done tonight. If if we proposed hiring a security service rather than hiring guards that work directly for the library, but hiring a service like Malibu's been doing and bringing two or three guards there on a regular basis. Is that something the county would support funding through our money?

What we have now is a security contract that is at all the libraries that have security guards. So, it is similar to what you're saying already. We have one guard. Um, since co, we've only needed one guard. Each year when it comes to council, you guys have had the option of adding the second guard, but the money is always there. But we are we're budgeting two guards. Why are we not getting two guards? What do we need? What do we need to do by the subcommittee in the years since CO that we needed the second guard since during CO we really only needed one. So we just have to say we need two guards and that'll those are the things that the subcommittee usually decides we need two guards. Let's get three guards. Let's get four. [laughter]

Let's guard it. Hey. Okay. So, so whatever we do, so whatever Malibu City Council determines or the the committee determines and the council approves and they come to you and say, "We need X number of guards, the county will then go hire them at our expense under our our fund, right?" Through the discussion process from this and with the county librarian and the city manager and all the different processes that take place that determine how the money gets spent. Okay. But is there a reason why if we decided three guards is what's necessary, we wouldn't get three guards?

I think like Cynthia is saying tonight is when you guys will make those priorities and then when the city manager talks to the county librarian, those are the things that will go into the 26 27 use of the fence. But we better figure out if if these guards can actually guard outside the library. No, they we've already been through this this question that issue, but they said they couldn't, right? But but they can still guard the library better. I mean, people are afraid to go in and use the library even. I I and I I've gone in there and I I can see that. So, sorry, Helen. I Oh, no. That's okay. I thought I've seen library guards outside of the library. The guard goes inside and outside of the library. Is he when he's outside, is he guarding or just getting air? Uh, yeah, they're patrolling outside. They are patrolling outside.

Yes. Okay. Cuz if he he got into I feel so bad for him. He got into an altercation. But it's but it's just the library like the entrance to the library area. It's not like they go patrol the parking lot and the courthouse area, right? Because that's not part of the library. [snorts] So they're they patrol around the library. So in front of the courthouse, the parking lot. Yes. But it's also the county's property. So the parking lot's the counties, the courthouse is the counties. That's all the county's property. I'm letting you know. And the library is the county's property. So they should have guards or they should have some more patrolling. whether or not we use our money for it. Let's move that along. So,

thank you. I think what staff is looking for is Thank you, Melissa. Thank you. Good to see you again.

Direction on the list of priorities. Um, and do we want to support and recommend the community brigades proposal, the Boys and Girls Club community resilience, the um, do you have any questions about the SAMO fund? Um, currently the city council is and the city budget covered the poetry. So, do we want to request to switch that over to be funded by the library fund instead of coming out of city budget?

Anything that we can associate legitimately with the library, conducted at the library, make it educational, if we can spend our library fund to do it rather than our general fund to do it, it makes no sense at all to spend our general fund to do it. Okay. So, I hear that we're going to put the request from the general fund over to the library request. Absolutely. Unless the county is going to tell us the poetry doesn't qualify as a library related expense, we by all means put it through the library expense. Okay. So, is everybody in consensus with the community brigade request at 250,000?

I would want to understand what that what those dollars are for, not just blanket approval to spend $200,000. What they want to do sounds great. what they want to spend. Who knows? Yeah. And I'm not sure where the connection is with the library. I I I think they're using the library to um present workshops, have the library books there to have additional materials. But isn't that the Boys and Girls Club program, too? Well, they work together. Well, yeah, but is

but if it's the kind of program that we think makes sense and there's a library nexus, especially if it's going to be there, then if we want to do it, why wouldn't we do it through this program? I'm fine with that. I was just I I think the question is we need to understand the the brigades program a little bit better. I can understand the Boys and Girls Club being an extension of what they do, but the brigade is a brigade. The brigade is um going and having workshops, teaching about home hardening, teaching DIY of home hardening, also doing other resiliency measures to help with the recuperation of our community and everything. I understand. I just I I agree with Bruce. I think we need to understand the proposal a little bit better.

That's what I'm trying to explain. Yeah. I Yeah. I'd like I'd like to see come back with a list of all this these different things. So, I've got all the numbers in front of me someplace and then we can go through and pick out the ones that we don't have the detail on and get that det. So, I I I mean, we got a lot of pieces that are moving here. Yeah. And we need a budget. Yeah. We need a budget. We also need a a longer term plan. Yeah.

And look, it's not the it's not the library committee's problem that we're at this point with all the surplus. the city's uh property tax has expanded and expanded since 2005. I don't think anybody envisioned us sitting here with this kind of money 20 years ago, but we are and we've got uh a lot of cash flow that needs to be utilized to make the city of Malibu better from a library point of view and we're not taking advantage of that. whether the county isn't coming up with the suggestions or the building and we're not coming up with it. I don't know what the answer is, but we're remiss for not trying to utilize this funding to make Malibu the best library user we can be.

Mayor and council, if I may, uh do want to clarify that these three proposals have already been approved by the city council for this current fiscal year. They were brought forth a few months ago for their current budget cycle. This would be a recommendation to carry them forward to the next fiscal year. Currently, we do not have a determination on library nexus yet. However, um we do have those three proposals. Those three proposals have been provided to the county library staff and do want to clarify that these would all be in a reimburse reimburseable process. We're not handing out black blank checks. anytime that they would carry forward with an event or anything like that, it would be a reimbursement process similar to all other library expenses. Um, school funds, supplies, all of those are reimburseable requests. They're not necessarily checks.

So, I we have two different things that are on our agenda. So one is approving the budget proposal for the 2627 year and then separate is having a um I think direction by the council that you are interested in pursuing a larger rehabilitation of the library site. I agree with Coun with Mayor Prom Silverstein that just a simple addition is not it. What we really do need is to reimagine that whole section of the building and have a more dynamic um creation proposal to do that. And I think right now the the county library has at least put forth something as a discussion item. So, I would um appreciate if you would give license to the library subcommittee to continue to work with the county on a larger, more encompassing project, but we also need to do with the day-to-day funds of how we're going to spend some of this money that we have available right now.

Why would we spend our tax money on other people's property? Like, why would we want to build something a better library on county land? We we wouldn't if we could if we could extract that money today and use it for our own uses, we would do it in a heartbeat. I just don't think we have the legal ability to do that because like I said, the council after deciding to withdraw went back to the drawing board and stayed in the c in the in the county system. So now that money that bel that money belongs to the county, but they're contractually prohibited from using it for any purpose other than the Malibu Library. So, and they're acrewing interest on our money. I don't know if they're earning interest or not. Is it in a bank account?

Um but but look, here's I I am I'm not suggesting that we work with the county to design a new better library. I think we should take that on our own. I think we I think we have people in Malibu who are capable of doing that. We ought we ought to design our best own proposal for a worldclass library on that space. I don't know how much these things cost, but I would think that $50 million or $70 million is way more than is necessary [clears throat] and we could easily get 50 or $70 million starting with a $25 million equity and it would repay itself over the next 20 years or so with the money that keeps generating from the fund. So I think we we could build an amazing facility and again it solves the problem of wanting to get a community center because it would essentially be a community center be a library/ community center and I've seen them in other um jurisdictions and I've seen on the internet things in Europe are like amazing these modern libraries

let's go for it so don't they lack the vision if you want it in that location or then it becomes a whole another agenda item community lands if we use that money if we if we built a library someplace else becomes a if we did somewhere else we have to buy a

group okay we need we've got a lot of stuff on our agenda and I just want to get to some of that stuff I think right now we need to either give direction to the staff to go forward with the budget items that are proposed yes or no secondarily we can have that conversation with regards to what to do with the bulk of the money and I think that staff is going to have to investigate as to whether or not we're going to even be able to utilize that $24 million for something anywhere else but on that specific library site. So, do we have a motion to give budget direction for to staff?

I I'll support the budget that the committee proposed. That's fine. I mean, I I I'll move that we do that, but as far as direction otherwise, I would like to direct the library committee with the staff to find a way to design and then propose a worldclass library. And you know, people talked about having a contest for something for the other community lands the best. Maybe that's the place to do it. Maybe that's the place to have a worldwide contest for architecture to do this. But let's start thinking grand. We've got a ton of money to do it. As far as where it can be, I I know the answer to that already. It can be on the site that's already there or it could be on any other site that is that we purchase with the county's permission with the money. But if we buy land, it's going to eat into what we can otherwise build. We've got a piece of land. It's right in the center of town. Let's build on it. Let's create something that we're proud of.

Okay. Do we have a second to the motion? I'll second. All in favor? I may, if we could just clarify that motion. Um if staff wants to go through and understand the priorities you understand we're approved.

So we're looking at approving and continuing funding fiscal year 2526 that will cap encapsulate all of these bullet points here. We're looking at continued support for proposals from the community brigade, the Boys and Girls Club, the Malibu Film Society, and supporting these new fisc year set aside fund priorities. Support for the Malibu Boys and Girls Club supplies. supporting of the SAMO fund proposal for micro forest and continuing the discussions regarding the proposed library edition. Do want to add that staff is working on rewriting the request for proposal for a community um community needs assessment and feasibility study. Currently, the the RFP that was approved with the last budget cycle was very community engagement driven. And we want we want to include items that include the these feasibility items to really in gather the community, figure out what needs to be done, gather all of these points that were discussed today, whether it's an expansion of the current library, it whether it's a community lands collaboration effort with the Heather Cliff property and incorporate information on the parks and wreck master plan. So we are as staff currently working on rewriting that RFP to make sure that we have that long long road map to make sure that these funds are used properly moving forward.

What I thought what I thought I was moving to do was everything you said except the extension one. You can go back one slide. Yes. NYX that

but and and focus on that parcel and what we can do with 25 to $50 million on that parcel that will give the town what it the residents what they want and something we need and not just a library. a a you know a facility that includes a library and and has other things in it that are library like but which satisfy our needs for other things and then we stay part of the system and we continue to earn money to pay for that building. Um I thought that's what we were voting on. Yeah,

that's what I second. Um, I just wanted to make sure you add the um the poetry fee funds um the $100,000. And I would like to clarify, do we have council support for three security guards? That's something that's part of the motion. Yes. Yes. Yes. I think we only need two, but I I just want to make sure if we get three guards, they're actually going to be able to do something. They're only going to sit in the library. They got to get out in the parking lot and run and chase that down. And what are they going to do if they find homeless people?

And I'm uncomfortable with us paying from library funds for the parking lot. That should be the county's responsibility to get people in there and do it. I don't let's let's direct that the budget include three guard enough money for three guards, but only direct the staff to push to get two hired immediately. We can always add another one because the budget will be there if it turns out the two are insufficient. I'll accept them. Two additional cards, right? Three all together. Budget three all together and and immediately get two in place because you already have one now, right? Get one more in place. That gets two. Are we clear on the motion? Where's mud?

Everything except one point. So, I understand we're continuing um the the um funding from 2425 into 2026. Um that we are continuing support for the three community requests that we are adding support for the Malu Boys and Girls Club supplies and the Samo fund proposal for Micro Forest. Um we're adding three security guards to the budget with direction for two to be hired immediately. The last thing I just want to clarify is that direction to staff on exploring community uses associated with the library property. Would that be appropriate an appropriate description?

I think it's a whole new library. I think it's an exploration of the construct the development of a worldclass library on the site that the library is currently situated. You know, I would start with a program. We go and do some research. We take we find some libraries that are already built. All right. And see what and bring back a couple examples of what so you got some something firm that we can look at and talk about and we can show people and at least that gets you started. I mean I don't know the way they've worded it. I don't know what we're going to get and that's for this the subcommittee to be working with the library staff [clears throat] to do.

I think the library county libraries have got like 47 or 50 buildings. When you look at the website it really is appalling to see what Malibu's got. Um, and they know what a world-class library looks like and what the current digital world looks like. Yes. And I want Melissa and her team to have everything they need to be a first class library here in town. It's a rural library, you guys. We're in a a rural town. It's coastal. I'm just curious, um, what's the deadline for other programming

like there was another proposal for 26 2026? All of these will come back to library subcommittee discussion and council discussion. This is just guiding the discussion for and priorities for this annual staff meeting between city staff and county staff. Um should new programming come later on March, June, um the you as a city council can explore those discussions, but those approvals from the county side will be delayed. similar to our three delays that are currently underway. So now would be those the time to bring in new proposals, bring in those discussions. But should they come later on, do you want to caveat they that approvals will be delayed?

And I'd like to clarify the delay was because of Palisades fire, not because of any other reason except there was just delays. And the three proposals that we received, Community Brigade, Boys and Girls Club, and Film Society were received around June. We did come to the library subcommittee and city council delayed due to the palisades fire, but we also received these proposals delayed. Um, these proposals now would be the time to receive all all of those. We should have received them around November, December of last year. Got it. Thank you, Kelsey. I think the only clarification is 2526 because we're in the current budget year and this is for the upcoming budget year.

Yes, you are correct. I misspoke. Um, but I do understand Mayor Prom Silverstein's motion and your second mayor if the council is ready to vote on the motion. All in favor? I and opposed. Okay. I have a proposal. Um, I think we need to do the calendar because we're not going to come back again till next year. That's 8a. I think Doug's appointment to the arts commission is going to take a moment. A moment. So, we could do that. But I'm not prepared to continue to do other things on this calendar after that. So, can we reorder to go 8A 8B and then take a vote on whether to continue to do anything after that? Do we have um question? Hang on, hang on, hang on, hang on.

So, we've got public comment we never got to. So, we never did 4A. So, I think that there are people here. Are we required to do that? I want to hear these people. They've been waiting all night. I want to hear it. I wanted to understand whether we're required to do it because then [snorts] there's not even an issue decision. I think that we also need to do 5A and 5B. Those have are times sensitive and we've got to do the building code tonight. Yeah. Because otherwise you don't have So I'm recommending that we do 4 A next. 5 A 5B then 8 A and 8 B.

Can you I don't have a 4 A. It's public comment. It's just general public comment. We haven't done that yet. No. Okay. I before we make a decision, this is 5B something that if we don't do it tonight, it can't get done. It's too late. It's very problematic. We're trying to bid the project currently. Um community development public works could speak to it mo more, but I understand it's time sensitive to get it done tonight. Which So, which ones do we need for tonight? Everything. BA. You're not going to get there. I mean, I'm not saying Daniels till 2 in the morning. Well, I think some of it's going to be quick. The calendar and Doug every if if we got

Well, we've got public comment. That's mandatory. Doug's appointment's going to be quick. Calendar will be quick and the code amendment thing not if we don't do the code amendment. Yeah, the the touch by reference will be Yeah, we have to do that. Yeah. What are we going to do? Can't argue that. Thanks. Why don't you start with Why don't you pick an item and start on them? We have a number that we need to get through. Are we in approval to hear 4A? Yes. Do we have to? Isn't it legal? Yeah, we have to. Yeah, you don't have to hear it next, but you do. Let's hear it. Right. So, let them go home. I'm just curious. So, we have to have a vote to go on if there's not four votes to do for a what happens? We go.

We don't. You'd be in [clears throat] violation of the Brown Act. Okay, fine. So, we So, we have no choice. Oh, the Brown Act saved you this time. All in favor to hear item 4 A. Reluctantly. I. Any none opposed? Okay. So, public speakers. Do we have anyone online? No, there's no raise hands. Okay. [laughter] We we we got a pile. There are not this many people in the room. So,

okay. Ann Keegan, Danny Smith. Hello, this is Ann Karas. You know, it's like 11:22 p.m. and you're having public comment now. It's kind of late. So, a lot of people have been waiting for this. Perhaps public comment should be moved to the beginning of the meeting because now look at all these people who are sitting here. It'd be good for business, too, because you would hear them first because the people come first. So, um, a couple things. Uh, I want to thank Ryan for a lot of help with the school district because he let us know things were going on and we covered the meeting and as a result, we put those on the air, the fourth state news. So, uh, that's the kind of stuff I do. So, thank you again for your help, the heads [snorts] up. And uh the other thing too, I forgot my radio. I really want the city of Malibu council or some organization to to kind of take some leadership and you know do the communication with the radios and stuff and get that going for everyone. Um everything's in place. There's a license that uh is already established. We just have to add Catalina and Halen, you're on Santa Monica Mountains. You know, people perhaps you know people get you connected to Catalina and get that done.

Um there's a lot of things that I can address as governor of California. I hear you. I know what's going on and I have had a life of leadership and I'm ready to do it on the state level. So, I kind of need their support. It's hard for me to ask for help. That's the other thing, too, to run a campaign. So, it's kind of like uh elect. And my website's npp2026.com. Once again, that's npp2026.com. So, I want to solve the problems, the homelessness, um the rail, the train of nowhere, that kind of stuff. Save PCH. You know, we're over here dealing with roundabouts when in reality, we should be thinking about saving PCH from falling into the ocean. You guys talk about that. What is Malibu going to look like in 50 years? What is California going to look like in 50 years? I don't know. We got to leave it to our to the children. I don't have any children, but we have to leave it to somebody. I got beat. So, I'll leave it there. I just want to thank you everyone um and folk for staying this long and I don't want to take up too much time. Thank you.

Thank you Kevin followed by Danny followed by Gary Wanov.

I am Kevin Keegan. Uh I want to close out 2025 by sharing a few thoughts, opinions and insights on the issue of technology. The future has arrived and we do not fully appreciate that fact yet because the technological advances are being experienced unevenly. Let me give you examples. Artificial intelligence, one of the largest deployments of financial capital in human history has been made in AI. Consequently, every industry is impacted. Energy energy demands for AI are skyrocketing. One AI data center computing rack is estimated to use more electricity than 100 homes. Just one rack. Drones. Here in Malibu, some talk about drones like they are a panacea for crime prevention. Drones are not a silver bullet. And in my opinion, we would benefit from a probing public safety examination of the expansion of the use of drones in Malibu's airspace. Robots, 3D printing, autonomous vehicles. I could go on. In Malibu, we do not have to compromise. With some foresight and initiative, Malibu can preserve its rural character by embracing the future that is a metaphorical wave we can see right in front of us. Let's ride the wave, not let it crash down on top of us. By [snorts] that I mean if we remain on our current path, we risk losing fundamental human rights like privacy. We risk having the city pay major costs trying to catch up with what will be widely adopted technologies. And we risk damaging the city's reputation by appearing out of touch. Alternatively, by riding this technology wave, the opportunity in 2026 is for us in Malibu to define for our community and for ourselves what is reasonable. That is the key question. What is reasonable regarding the collection and protection of our personal data? What is reasonable regarding the number of cameras

recording your daily whereabouts? What is reasonable regarding policies that track, monitor, and target individuals? What is reasonable regarding energy use versus environmental degradation? What is reasonable regarding what decisions an algorithm gets to make versus what decision decisions our council, city staff, businesses, and community members get to make. The future has arrived and if we do not answer those questions ourselves, then others will answer the questions for us. Sure, Malibu can continue to play small ball with technology, but it's a major risk. Instead, in 2026, we can organize a special strategic public private team to tackle questions like what is reasonable rather than sitting back and bracing for the consequences of a digital wave. Either way, the future has arrived. Thank you.

Thank you, Kevin. Danny, followed by Gary, followed by Joe Drummonds and Jan and Colin. Perfect. Hi, Dan. Hi. I just want to say thank you to you guys um for so many things but for your work on septic tanks. You you get beat up a lot and credit is due here. I know a lot went on behind the scenes. Thank you so much Yolanda. Thank you Candace. Thank you Trevor. Um this was a big win and a lot of people it's going to help them rebuild. So thank you. Thank you, Gary. Followed by Joe, followed by Darren.

I'm Gary and thank you, council. I'm here about the roundabouts. Uh I don't know how much you guys know about them. I'm assuming you know as much as I do, if not more. But uh the round I don't know anybody in favor of the roundabouts. Not a soul. Anybody I talk to, the more you explain to them, the more they are disgusted with how ill thought out they are. Um, the reason for the roundabouts is to protect the people at at the uh um the one beach there, the Escandido. No. What What' you say? Elsino. No, the Matador. Sorry. El Matador.

Matador. Yeah. So, you're putting a roundabout for a parking lot. You're taking 55 mph traffic and slowing it down to 15 is what they're calling for for a parking lot. There's a lot of other ways to solve that. They could get rid of the center divider, move the lanes in, have more room on the outside, better for the bicycles, put a crosswalk with a light like they have down at McDonald's, and that would help that. Um I it it's designed for a certain number of cars per day which right now it's very close to that. I live where we live you can see the whole Pacific Coast Highway from Tranus to the west end of Broad Beach. And I can tell you PE if you don't live at that end of Malibu you have no idea what happens when they close the five up in Gorman. Pacific Coast Highway gets busier because everybody gets on their phone and the phone says, "Hey, this is the better way to get to Santa Barbara today." Rather than the 101. When the 101 closes, the Pacific Coast Highway gets buried in traffic. When the 405 closes by the Getty Museum, the the Pacific Coast Highway gets more traffic. So, it it's not designed. It won't handle that much traffic. It's also going to make people slow down and the people that have the loud motorcycles and cars and stuff, they're going to rip away from those slow zones and drive everybody cuckoo. I see it now from Tranis when the light turns green at Tranis. 50 Harley's go up, shift, go through all their gears, and then the rice rockets go by and then the car clubs go by. So that's going to happen at two spots at Ensenel and El Matador constantly.

Um on big weekends when there's a heat wave uh I I've seen the highway back up just from the Point Magoo Air Show backing up. I mean letting out. I've seen it back up to past our house which is like I said close to the west end of Broad Beach. It's all all the way to all the way to Tranus and all the signals and anyway, it just won't work. It's not worth it.

Thank you, Joe. Jan and Colin, you have five minutes. I want to begin with gratitude for celebrating this historic event that you made happen that you reached a unanimous decision on school separation with the community, city council, and staff. This is monumental. It's emotional and it will shape Malibu's future generations. And it happened because resident volunteers, city council, and staff finally truly partnered toward a shared goal. residents worked for more than a decade researching, organizing, advocating, showing up to every meeting, every hearing, every conversation, and this council together with dedicated staff stepped in with leadership when it was needed and carried this effort across the finish line. So, thank you. Once that alignment finally came together, success wasn't just possible, it was inevitable. This victory belongs to everyone, and it proves something essential. When Malibu works together, residents, staff, and leadership, Malibu succeeds. We have seen this same truth with our rebuilding process since January. This council made important decisions to support fire families and critically you listen to the concerns of fire victims brought forward. Our interim city manager, Candace, also a local resident, brought steadiness, clarity, and accessibility to a process that has long been chaotic. Our community development department, led by building official Yolanda, has carried an enormous and emotional workload with professionalism and heart. And then once again, Malibu's residents stepped up. Volunteer zone captains, many of whom lost everything, led by local builder and resident A Boy partnered with staff, helped solve bottlenecks, and supported their neighbors through this maze of rebuilding. This collaboration is a major reason we are finally seeing real meaningful momentum. Because Malibu's greatest strength has always been its people, Malibu is built on resident

volunteers. Malibu moves forward when its residents lead, which brings me to the decision before you the past year. the selection of our next city manager. Across Malibu, residents from every neighborhood, fire survivors, parents, seniors, business owners, civic leaders, and on both sides of our political divides, and even state and county officials are all asking the same sincere question. Why will the city council not even interview the candidate that Malibu community overwhelmingly supports? Let's be clear, this is not about one individual lobbying residents. This is residents and state and county officials lobbying for him because they believe he is the right fit for Malibu. The truth is that this decision could have been made six months ago, but a refusal to listen to your own residents has prevented it. This time, this item has appeared on your agenda every week for over a year. And yet, Malibu still has no permanent city manager. Our staff deserves stability. Our residents deserve partnership. And this week, we were reminded painfully why aligned proactive leadership ma matters. Two more people died on PCH. Residents have called for medians for more than a decade because medians prevent fat fatalities. And let's be honest about the recent approve $55 million paving project. It repaves the highway, but it does not install the medians, protected bike lanes, or separated parking Malibu actually needs. It was better than nothing, but deeply inadequate as a safety solution. And the truth is devastating. Had a median been existed, those two people would not have died. Malibu's longtime Paradise Cove chef Julian Himenez would still be with us. If there had been a protected bike lane or even parking separated by a curb, the Pepperdine girls too could still likely be here. Decades of transportation research shows these measures reduce serious injuries and fatalities by 40 to 50%. Mal Malibu deserved these improvements a long time ago and I know you all agree. Residents speak up because they care about safety schools, building leadership and future of our city. And also back in August, you voted to adopt a webinar style Zoom public

comment system similar to SMMUSD to reduce non-resident Zoom bombers who disrupt meetings and verbally attack fire victims, residents, and even council members. This was a crucial step for civility and safety. So, we are asking when will this system be activated for city council and planning commission meetings? And will speakers be able to identify as Malibu residents, not to exclude anyone, but to ensure the conversations remain respectful and community centered because that same partnership, this that made school separation possible is exactly what Malibu needs now in leadership, in communication, in safety, and in rebuilding. And please keep public comment in the future in the beginning of the meeting and prioritize 8C next meeting because victims, fire victims, and residents need to be heard. Please listen to the residents who put you in these seats. Listen to the people who built this city, the people who rebuild after disasters, the people who volunteer for Malibu. Advocate for it, protect it, love it enough to stay engaged even when it's difficult. And at the very least, give Malibu's preferred candidate an interview. It costs nothing. It honors the people who elected you. It strengthens city community partnerships and it would be meaningful step before towards finally unifying Malibu again. Thank you.

Thank you, Darren. followed by Sala, followed by Ryan Emmery.

Uh, so good evening once again. And similar to Danny, I'd like to thank you all for your efforts over the last year. It's been a rough year. Um, this morning I was shocked and surprised when I saw the email from Yolanda Bundy announcing the OWTS um, ruling from the waterboard through all the collective effort here. Thank you so much. That saves a lot of problems and pain for the people on the beach. Uh my parents were overjoyed as was I. So, thank you for listening and helping us just comply with the lamp as written. Um I also want to thank you all for the rebuild center and implementing the system that allows for quick plan review. Uh, I submitted our rebuild application on December 1st, last Monday, at 5:50 p.m. At 6:45 p.m. I got an email saying they've accepted the application and they were starting it, but I screwed up one thing and somebody at the rebuild center fixed it for me, uploaded it to the portal, and the next morning it was all taken care of. So, I've never seen that before in my career, and I was very impressed. And then on Friday afternoon, I got an email from Alex Dilva saying that the planning was complete and it was approved and we're now just waiting on the Department of Public Works. That took me to today where I went in and I got the runaround because nobody could figure out if the public works had looked at the application yet. And so I just would like to say that there is a little bit more work to do and I think it would be tied to the implementation of an electronic plan review system at some point as suggested by the Baker Tilly report because something like that would stop that confusion that I, you know, was led through for two hours this afternoon. Um, in my career as an, you know, permitting person and a code compliance expert, the last time I had the runaround was in 2013 up in Marin County when I was permitting a hospital and I had to shuffle my plans from desk to desk in Marin County Civic Center for

a year and a half to get an approval. And then I never really dealt with that again until today. So, there's been a lot of progress so far, but there's a little bit more to do. So, please keep your foot on the accelerator moving forward so we can all get back home faster. Thank you. Thank you. Darren Sawa, followed by Ryan Embry, followed by Scott Teacher. Can I ask Darren a question? Aaron. Darren. Darren. Yeah. Go ahead.

It's Aaron. I'm I was just curious about the Baker Tilly electronic program that you had just talked about. What was [snorts] it called? Well, so Tyler Technologies, I believe, was like you started negotiations with them to start implementing electronic plan review system. They're not the only company in the world that does it, but they could do it. Um, there's another company called Asella, which the state of California uses like for OSHPOD, that's what we use. An applicant uploads drawings and everybody who needs to review it. I'm sorry. We'll finish up with staff. It should be a staff. I'm going to bring that up again to see where we're at with Tyler

programming. Hi, Sala. Hi, and God bless everyone who's still here at this hour. [laughter] Um, I had a lot of energy earlier, so I'm going to try to get some more into it. Um, I'm actually here today uh on behalf of Malibu Rebuild Task Force, and I am I am um here asking for your support for the suspension of the sales tax uh for rebuilding supplies, rebuilding materials, and any supplies that's needed uh to replace what was lost. Um, you can imagine how much uh this will alleviate off of the uh Okay, sorry I have to start over because I'm not even concentrating. Okay. Um, as you can imagine, this will provide direct, significant, and immediate financial relief to the fire survivors. This procedure is not unprecedented. It happened before. And I'll give you a couple of examples. One example was after the Paradise fires um the state allowed for sales tax refunds for vehicles. Another example was after the Northridge earthquake where the sales tax was actually there was a sales tax relief for all building materials and supplies. So the state knows has done this before knows how to do it administratively and it's just um has been done before from a financial uh effect on the city. um out of the 10.25% 25% of sales tax. I believe that it's.7 5% of you know comes to the city of Malibu. So the financial effect on the city of Malibu is really not that much. In addition, I want you to think of a couple of things. One, all these rebuilding uh materials and supplies were never going to be bought. They were never budgeted for. They were never expected. So that should not have an effect financially on Malibu. In addition, the actual rebuilding will bring a lot of economic stimulus to the city which would actually improve the income for Malibu. So from a financial

perspective, I don't think this is an issue for the city. Also, if we can, you know, if this is done and limited to a period, let's say 3 years, for example, it will encourage people to rebuild sooner rather than later. So that would be good. We can get our city earlier. Um, and last but not least, please don't forget that we would not be in the position that we are in right now if it wasn't for the cover government failing us. So, um, and then so what is it that we're asking of you today? Uh, we are asking for your active support. We're also asking for you to direct Ambassador Bond um to help with to help us with the petition going to the governor and supporting it. And um I don't know if this needs to be agendaized, but if it does needs to be agendaized, then we ask you to please agendaize it as quickly as possible. Um so that's it. I actually wanted to thank city staff and the rebuild center. That's me, not the I'm sure they do too as well. But I finally got my permit and I'm very happy and I cannot be honestly they have done an amazing job. I just ask them to continue doing what they're doing and ask you to give them all the support that they need and not give them any more work. C

can I we I know we can't do anything that Sawa asked us tonight. Can we get consensus to put that on the agenda for the first meeting of the year so that we can get that done? She just said don't do have staff do any more work. Sorry. Can I I'll [snorts] take it. Um I don't think we can do that or we don't. Sure. If you want to you you can sure you can do it now or you can do it. I'm going to ask I'm going to ask that we have a consensus to to support that proposal and Sawa can send us the draft letter that she wants us to send in and support. I think she sent it. I don't think that gives staff enough time by the first meeting. That's the problem. The first meeting's a month from now. They have to be doing that time off.

Okay. Wait. [laughter] Can we get a consensus to do that? I I'll say second meeting, not first meeting. I think as soon I think the phrase needs to be as soon as possible. Uh but I think we do need to uh microphone. I think we do need to advance this. It's a very good idea. It's a 10 10% cost savings are probably half the cost of the house. Let's see what we could do. Yeah. And I saw what made the point I I thought of it as well. It's it's not going to cost us a penny because these are not monies that would have been coming in were it not for the homes burning. So it's not money that would otherwise come in that we're giving up like the fees. Okay. We can't discuss the item itself, but just direction.

But perhaps perhaps the the the um group can draft the letter, provide it to us. I know you had a drone letter already. Provide it to the staff and that could be the letter that's proposed to for city council to consider. that would alleviate the burden on the staff and it would be able to get us here quicker than let's see what they can get done.

I mean because I would like the analysis of what that's going to mean to the city. While it may be negligible, it's still [clears throat] something that we need to quantify and we do need to start looking at our budget items. We have been spending money like crazy this year and I would just like the analysis so I know for sure what the the dollar amount is. I'm not saying no. I just want to know the information so that I can make an informed decision that it's the right thing for our city. That's you know

I'm going to make one one shot at this. We need three votes to agendaize this. At the first meeting of the year, we could have a letter provided by Sawa and her group. All we'd have to do is look at it, talk about it. If some of us want more information, they can make that pitch at the time and they'll either prevail on the group or they'll lose. So, do I have two other people that will support putting this on the meeting of the first meeting of the year? Is that not what you were saying, Maryanne? with the caveat of also understanding what this means for the city. I want the second meeting of the year at the earliest.

Mayor, if I could provide some context, although it is a month away, we have to prepare for the meets in advance and we do have an accelerated timeline normally for posting our agendas 10 days in advance. And with the winter closure between Christmas and New Year's for staff, our reports are due for our internal review the day after tomorrow on Wednesday. So that that's our prep time where we're trying to actually finalize our items now so that we will have them reviewed and prepared for you in a timely fashion for January. De Bru's motion, but Kel Kelsey, we we do amended agendas and second amended agendas and they come out Friday before the Monday meeting offense. That's a month from now, right?

We do we are we are trying to get away from that practice to allow more time for review. So, it's just a question of priorities, but I wanted to give you the context of what a normal timeline for a staff report looks like. Okay. I'd like to make a friendly motion and go with what Doug said. Get it done as soon as soon as you can as opposed to putting Look, we got more timelines than we know what to do with. So, soon as you can. Yeah. As soon as you can. And look, that's going to be April. A letter is not going to do it. We can send a letter. Somebody's going to have to work Sacramento to get this done. So, it's not going to be easily done. [laughter] She's not gonna volunteer for this. Well, we can talk to our consultant. Yeah. Let's get Let's get it here as soon as we can. Yeah.

Do it that way. So, as I had a motion to put it on an agenda as soon [clears throat] as possible. Bruce, did you accept the amendment? You guys I'll withdraw mine. You guys can do your own. Okay. Somebody else want to propose something? The motion is to bring an item forward to consider the proposal discussed about the sales tax as soon as possible. Say no later than soon as possible. No later than [laughter] something. We have a motion and a second for as soon as possible. Yes, I'll second it. All in favor?

I. Any opposed? Opposed? No. Okay, we'll take abstension as we've got two abstensions and three yeses. And the abstensions were Mayor Prom Silverstein and Council Member Conrad. Or I didn't abstain. I just wish that we had a deadline. Did you vote yes? I would say you just need a consensus of three people to do that. We do. I just need to be clear that we have have consensus from three to one vote. I just want to make sure it comes back at some point with in reason for staff. Okay, Ryan, you're next. Followed by Scott Dietrich, followed by Greg Harris.

Slide. Hi, Ryan. Go ahead. Uh, this is a slide of a

jam-packed evacuation from Woosey Fire. This was toward Santa Monica. However, the next evacuation could be entirely the opposite direction toward Ventura. And this study that was presented to you in 2015 is 3 and a half inches thick. They didn't even number the pages. They just numbered the exhibits. But I pulled out D2 of the exhibits because your staff has been making up data. And I promised um Walt Keller that I'd come up in here and pull the trigger if and when anything went south, if the staff became politicized, if the staff ever lied to the city council or the residents and or if they fabricated data and I've heard all three and this is really troubling to me as a citizen of this city is this study does not recommend a roundabout at Ensel Canyon Road. It recommended studying further a roundabout about 1,000 ft west of that intersection if the city installed a public road between Enel Canyon Road down to Pacific Coast Highway and that it' be studied. It also warns in here that roundabouts are very controversial and very expensive and it could be a million-dollar project. Well, guess what? We're here today. It's a million-dollar project. In fact, earlier tonight, you approved $103,000 to pay Kimley Horn for three months work studying roundabouts. It's already money gone down the toilet. And we don't need any more roundabouts. They are the notice you put up for the roundabouts is the same size is remodeling your kitchen and it's on a post out there side of the road. Calr

says anything in a 55 mph road, it's got to be 2 in letters or bigger. So there's a lot of reasons residents don't know about this and just me mailing to the people who live in the neighborhood is not enough. You have to notify the public it's driving past and that was not done. Not only is the roundabout a stupid crazy bad idea especially for Enel Canyon which already has a perfected intersection. It's a T intersection and it has level of service A. It has had zero injury accidents and zero u fatalities. in 10 years. So, there's so many things that have gone wrong with this process, but earlier tonight, you certified city manager, public works director, and the city engineer to determine right-of-way incursions and reclamations on PCH. Another thing that you shouldn't be doing, CALR should be taking care of PCH on their own and on their own dime.

Thank you, Ryan. Thank you, Scott. followed by Greg Harris and I can't remember. Did we have somebody online? No. All right. Hi, Scott. Hi. Good evening. Or is it good morning? Evening.

I've been on the public works commission for about 15 years. I have never seen such contention as when this roundabout proposal was presented to us in August. I had tried to get the report sent to you of that commission. However, it won't be ready until July. So, you'll never see the debate we had with staff. Now, we usually are in unanimous agreement, but we weren't. All five commissioners were sort of horrified at these the idea of these roundabouts. The reason I'm coming here tonight was I wanted to let all the people know, but of course they're gone now. um that on the 16th of this month, this proposal will come to the planning commission. It's important for Malibu residents to know that I'd sent you two pages out of the recent Michelin study of traffic. Guess what? They rate Western Malibu right in this area as the safest in all of Malibu.

That's not

Why are we doing And I'm sorry it's not in color. In color is really stands out. My printer is black and white. Um why are we doing this? The county. Thank you, Lindsay. Offered us 2 million bucks for safety. The what is the safety problem? The main thing is we've got a bunch of crazy people going 100 miles an hour. How many of them? Nobody knows. I asked Sergeant Southerntherland. I asked Lee Haber from Calrans. Nobody knows. Why are we going to spend $2 million when nobody knows? When there isn't a safety issue. It's the safest place in Malibu. Eastern Malibu is ready to fall into the ocean in a number of places. We all know it and they should spend the money there. But I want to alert the public to what's going on. I do not think this is a good well-considered proposal. But unfortunately, once something sort of gets going, it had takes on a life of its own. At the Calrans meeting, every speaker spoke against it. A lot of residents. They also spoke how no one knew about this hardly at all. The city does the best they can with that, but that's it. Thank you.

Thank you, Scott. Greg, your final speaker. Pressure on being.

Yeah. Um, congratulations on tonight on the school stuff and that's an example of how the residents of Malibu know what's best for Malibu. The roundabouts are a danger, not a safety. Um, I lived on that stretch of highway for 30 years and I know how crazy the drivers are. mostly commuters first thing in the morning later in the afternoon. You take an example of the intersection at uh the light at Corral right now where there's signs that say 30 m an hour. If you've driven there, the only people that are driving 30 miles an hour there are if there's a sheriff [snorts] in your line of sight. So, putting up these signs at the roundabouts telling people to go 45, 35, 15, they're not going to pay attention to that. Um, I drive that section multiple times every day early in the morning between 6:00 and 6:30. 70 m an hour is kind of the speed limit that uh commuters do. They don't pay attention to signs to speed limits. the roundabouts are going to be a danger because people don't pay attention. It's it's not a good idea. Um I hope that you can get word out to get more people to come to the the vote for the commission that's going to hear it. I

don't know how to get more information out to people, but it's a danger, not a safety issue. So, I hope you guys are aware of that. The Cal Trans meeting meeting is on a YouTube. So, if people want to watch it, they can see the whole meeting that took place on YouTube. It's available for people want to get educated. Just so you know that that

Yeah. No, I'm I'm aware of that. Okay. But the 16th is where it comes to a vote. And I'm just hoping because at our previous meetings, every single person who went to the meeting was opposed it. Um the only people who are for it was the the committee who is giving us all this false information about how safe it's going to be and it just isn't. Thank you and thanks for being here so late. Thanks, Craig. Okay. Um, yes. You know, the [clears throat] staff all live a half hour to an hour away from here.

Can we just continue this tube sometime during the day later in the week? Yeah. Yeah. We're [sighs] going to be here till 2 in the morning. No, we're not. We can zip through. You want to get through it? All right. Okay. Motion to hear item 5 A. 5A. 5A. 5A. Focus on 5A. What do you mean? I'll make a motion to do 58. Do we have a second? Second. I don't. All in favor? I. Okay. Yolanda, please. Okay. Very quick presentation.

We do this every three year. every year, right? It is, sir. Okay. Um, does anybody have any public comments on this? Because if you have a slip, you better get it in now. One, two, three. Done.

Code adoption. [sighs] Building standards codes are laws uh governing the construction of residential and non-residentession buildings and structures. Every three years our codes are updated by the state of California and this evening we are presenting our code adoptions. The local jurisdictions in California are mandated by the state law to adopt a building codes by ordinance. Um Malibu historically adopts the state of uh codes as amended by LA County because of our similarity in our topography. Just a few of the major changes on the 2025 code is uh we have a new standalone California wildlife urban interface code. We also see that uh updated seismic design provisions. There's a whole new standards on the uh seismic provisions. Uh we are also seeing that there going to be a lot more restricted requirements for structures that are very uh near the active fault. There's also a provision to um enhance and have a more restrictive um requirements for balcony exterior elevated elements. Um and then um on construction waste management there is a diversion of 65%. Um so just to give you a heads up of what's ahead. The county uh board of supervisors on November 4 adopter their 2026 building codes. Uh tonight we are presenting to you an urgency adoption. What this means for our rebuilds. want to emphasize that does not trigger anything for our rebuilds. Our rebuilds

uh uh because we do have the executive order, the 2022 uh state building codes will continue to apply and that uh recommendation for this evening is to adopt an ordinance number 5531. you adopting by reference uh Los Angeles County Building Code. Also introduce on the first reading of ordinance number 35 um I'm sorry 531 and direct staff to schedule a second reading and adoption of ordinance number 531 on January 12th of 2026. And that concludes my presentation and thank you council. Do we have any public comment?

There are no raised hands. Okay, back up and close public hearing and close the public hearing. Yes, please close public hearing. Back up to the council. Any questions? Is this something we just have to mandatorily do or is there discretion involved? Trevor Yolanda, we're required to adopt the code. If you do want to make changes to it, there's a process for it. You're required to adopt a code. I'll make a motion to accept staff. I'll second it. All in favor?

So that's a motion for staff's recommendation and that would be the tra the adoption of ordinance number 531U an ordinance of the city of Malibu adopting by reference title 26 Los Angeles County Code Incorporating the California Building Code 2025 edition. Title 27 of the Los Angeles County Code incorporating the California Electrical Code 2025 edition. Title 28 of the Los Angeles County Code Incorporating the California Plumbing Code 2025 edition. Title 29 of the Los Angeles County Code Incorporating the California Mechanical Code 2025 edition. Title 30 of the Los Angeles County Code Incorporating the California Residential Code 2025 edition. Title 31 of the Los Angeles County Code incorporating the California Green Building Standards Code 2025 edition. The California En California Energy Code 2025 edition. Title 33 of the Los Angeles County Code, Incorporating the California Existing Building Code, 2025 edition, the California Fire Code, 2025 edition, making amendments to SEG codes declaring the urgency thereof and finding the action exempt from the California Environmental Equality Act, and introducing on first reading ordinance number 531, an ordinance of the city of Malibu adopting by reference title 26 of Los Angeles County Code incorporating the California Building Code 2025 edition. Title 27 of Los Angeles County Code Incorporating the California Electrical Code 2025 edition. Title 28 of Los Angeles County Code Incorporating the California Plumbing Code 2025 edition. Title 29 of the Los Angeles County Code Incorporating the California Mechanical Code 2025 edition. Title 30 of the Los Angeles County Code Incorporating the California Residential Code 2025 edition. Title 31 of the Los Angeles County Code Incorporating the California Green Building Standards Code 2025 edition. The California the California Energy Code 2025 edition. Title 33 of the Los Angeles County Code incorporating the California Existing Building Code 2025 edition, the California Fire Code 2025 edition, making amendments to said codes and finding the action exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act.

Great job. All in favor? Okay, I have a I have a comment. I'm sorry.

Yes, Bruce. Look, we're if we're going to have a meeting and continue past midnight, we should really be having a meeting and not just approving things with a blank with um as a rubber stamp. Um I suspect after understanding this better, I would vote in favor of it, but I do not have adequate ability right now to make an informed decision. We don't have any public comment because the public has all gone away. We didn't get I respect Yolanda and I know she gave a good quick report, but this is not the kind of information that I would typically have to make a decision. This is a 405page report. We're required to do this, but we're not required to do this particular code. We've heard people over the past year explaining to us that there are certain things in the state code versus the county code that make more sense. I don't know whether they're right or they're wrong. I don't have the ability to assess that. So, I'm going to abstain from this vote because I don't think we're doing anything proper at this point.

We had a bunch of We had weeks to read this, right? It was in our agenda. He did, but there have been hundreds of other things that had to be read and I just This is one that I waited to figure I'd hear it at the beginning. This is a mandatory adoption. You do need to You do need to adopt the codes. Okay. I mean, I read through and also it was properly noticed um prior uh um this wasn't part of the amended agenda on Friday. This was actually released. Yeah. Prior to that day, it was in the newspapers. It was it was properly noticed. So, I made my comment. If you want to call the question, call the question. All in favor?

I. Any opposed? Any abstain? I Okay. Um, do we have a motion to hear item 5B? Yolanda wants us to hear that one, right? 5B. 5B. It's about the labor exchange and the county property and the F change. Why would we have to do because this is dependent on it hitting another date for a coastal development permit. Fletcher ad. Here's what I found. [laughter]

Siri's helping me out up here. So, um Fletcher, is this um because we have another hearing coming up on this particular item that the council needs to make a decision on it tonight? Good evening. Um it's just a there's a tight timeline with this one uh with the funds that will be used to build Oh, it's a funding issue. Yeah. Uh and and the timeline is is is already pretty tight. Um we'll get to that slide at the end, but um Okay. Well, first we have to vote and we have to make a decision if we want to hear it. I like a motion to hear it. Do we have a second?

I'll second it. Still here. I'll second. Kelsey, you make the decision who weighed in there first. All in favor? I. Any opposed? Opposed to hear the motion to hear the to hear 5B. I got a comment on it. Okay. Uh do we have any public comment? No, we don't have any speaker slips or raised hands on Zoom. Thank you. Fletcher, will you please give us a staff report? Sure. All right. Very fast one.

All right. So, uh, some background on this project. Uh, this is technically part two of a project that was approved, uh, in September at the planning commission, uh, for the Melbourne Community Labor Exchange, which is a new office facility, um, for that, uh, nonprofit operations, which has existed on the site uh, from a temporary trailer for the last 32 years. Um, so that planning commission approval included a CDP and a conditional use permit. um considering that it's in an institutional zone and that um proposed operation never had a cup back in 1993. So this is so that was also part of it. So the additional 719 ft of building area that uh does impact the floor area ratio in a minor way. Um it goes from.1 93 to 095. Um pursuant to uh LIP section 3.983A uh city council may approve an F increase uh from 0.15 to.20 uh if the project provides significant public benefits and amenities. So more background um this this type of project was uh approved 9 years ago for the subject property uh when the Santa Monica College Malibu campus project um was approved and um that analysis for square footage did not account for any MLE office space uh at that time or in the future. Uh during review of this project uh we looked into the existing F on the property and thankfully it was not.20 uh as you would expect since that's what they approved it to be 9 years ago. So it's actually 93 uh therefore the resulting F is uh going to be one I'm sorry.1 95 uh which is compliant pursuant to city council approval.

[snorts] Uh these are just some slides from our planning commission. um presentation. So, this just shows the county property. Um and we've got a lot of buildings on the property as you know, we were talking about the library earlier. So, we'll, you know, you'll be seeing this again when the library uh comes in the future. So, um let me go back to that actually. Um so, the least area of this property is in the northwestern corner um of that u larger county complex property. Uh this just shows the trailer that has operated on the site for uh 30 years. Um and you know this has been it's moved around a few times especially you know to account for the construction of the college campus. So it's had some wear and tear and it's need it needs to be updated. Um these are some details about the project. Again this really is not before you tonight. This was really for the planning commission. Um, but it talks about what's included in in in this project. And um, here's a u one of the plans rendering the um, you know, this is the proposed office building. You know, it's 15 ft tall. Um, [snorts] 719 ft. Uh, it's got some landscaping around it, some um, three parking stalls and two new rolling gates. Uh, perimeter fencing. Uh, that's about it. Um you asked about why we this is an urgent matter. So um here's a timeline. Uh September was approved by planning commission. December uh we're here before you tonight. Uh next month we anticipate construction to commence. Uh and to could be completed in June of next year. Uh public correspondence. Um we had lots of support uh for the project. Um this is you know back in September. zero letters opposing the project. Uh no

additional correspondence received since then. Uh recommendation we uh to adopt city council resolution 2560 to approve the increase in F. That concludes staff presentation. Great. Thank you very much. Um since we don't have any public comment, we'll close public hearing and bring it back up to the table. Any questions from council? Okay, I got a couple. Uh, I was told that they still have to go out and get an RFP for the construction. So that you can't start in January if you don't have it done yet, right? Somebody's got to come back with the the cost and the construction to the city council. I think

although that's further on that one. Yeah. Yes. I believe our public works uh department is working on that. That's that's okay. And and here's I got two other kind one. This this building is going to cost about a million two at least. Okay. That's going up.

Uh that's a lot of money for I mean and I look down on the labor exchange now. There's only like two people there. You know, they get 700 square feet. They're going to have one hell of a card game going on in there. Uh, so I look I just say when it comes back we got to think about this because my other concern is this this building provides like 500 square feet in the middle of open space. I mean if we don't are careful somebody's going to take this thing and turn it into a homeless shelter. All right. And I don't want to see that happen either. So we just got to be smart when this thing comes back. I think we could ask a lot of questions. U you know like I said for a million you know they had the the trailer there for god knows how long. uh new trailer would be hell of a lot cheaper than a million two or a million 25 whatever the number is. Right. So that's that's my comment.

Anyone else? I have a question now that Steve brought that up. So we're going to hear this again. Is that what I'm hearing? This is tonight. We're just considering whether you're going to approve the increase in F coverage. Um since this city project, you'll have to approve the actual purchase of the trailer. So, you'll have the option about whether to move forward with it. It's the city's project the uh the uh exch the the project we're building the building, right? My understanding is they got to go out and get an RFP for the construction. Once they get that cost figured out, they got to come back to the city council and present the final plan with all the cost because the answer I got today said it it's a million2 right now, but it may go up.

So, I don't know what that number is going to be when we get to the end of it, but we ought to make sure we understand that. Yep. tonight just to finishes the permit so that we'd be allowed to construct it. To actually build it, you need to assign the money and approve the actual I thought we assigned the money with the community block grant. There's only $200,000 the comm I thought it was 900. There's only there's only $200,000 of the community block grant. The rest is coming out of the city budget. No. Oh yeah. I thought it was $900,000.

Okay. That's not what's on the agenda tonight. So when that So tonight it's just do we want to approve the increase of floor area ratio for this property? Do we have a motion to deny? Do we have a motion to approve? We need to move forward on this. So I need somebody to I'll make a motion to approve. Let's see where it goes. I'll second. All in favor? I I. Those opposed. I'd like to get more information also.

It sounds like I need more information because I'm He brought up some information that I wasn't aware of. Okay. So, if we So, that motion failed 32 or two. Fine. No, I didn't vote. It was It's 22 that council member the mayor prompts last voted. The motion failed. 22. That's correct. Okay. So, I'll see that's correct. [snorts] What options do we have, Trevor, on this? Is a continuence. Um, what is [snorts] the best path forward with this?

I don't believe there's a timing that the approval of the permit needs to happen tonight, but it um for any legal reason. Um the issue I think is due to funding is is why the request was the timing of the yeah the item for in front of council was um is it was necessary for permitting. Uh so if uh if it fails then it's not permitted. Therefore the project would not move forward which would mean that the vote that we took months and months ago wouldn't go forward. the block ch the community block funds

the the the permit for the coastal development permit will fail if you don't approve it. You could continue this though to a future date and consider the permit still. That is correct. I I'd like to do that and I mean because the next step is we got to figure out what the hell we're going to do and then send it up to bid. So let's come back and make sure we understand what we're getting here, how you know what it's going to what we think it's going to cost at least at this point in time. And does all that make sense considering the fact that there's like two workers down there all day long at at the labor exchange? Like said, they probably haven't held a card game in there. There's no I don't know what they're doing.

Okay. Well, to be clear to be clear that we're discussing here is not it comes back. It's not going to be a discussion of the finances for it. That's for when the project would come forward if the permits approved. If there's more information you need about the the increase in F that's requested, that's what would need to be brought back. So is there more information? There should be a discussion of what the cost is if we do that. Well, the cost would apply to whether you want to approve actually going forward with the project. This is just for the permit. Just because the permit exists doesn't mean you're actually going to build the project. We need to know how much the project is before we approve a permit. I mean,

it doesn't ne doesn't necessarily states that the city needs to pay for it. Um, so what we're bringing in front of you is a CDP that requires your approval for a complete approval for permitting. We're not talking about budget. We're not talking who's going to be building it. We're not talking about that. Uh, it will give the ability to the project to be kept open. M and then funding can be established at a later date. Mhm. Um

correct if I'm wrong, approval tonight will not they still need approval of the actual project. There's nothing this this just makes the just this just resolves the permitting and allows the project to be considered for this the city council to approve assigning money to it and approving a design. Correct. That is correct. The city is not approving the project for construction. is approving the project for permitting so we can start permitting the project. We're not committing ourselves to money, millions of dollars. No money is being committed. No million. Okay. I feel much better about this. It's the vote already failed. Can I make a motion that we move to 8A and see if there's an appetite for hearing that one tonight because I think we need to set the calendar. We we should finish this one whether you want to continue.

We did finish it. It failed two to two. Well, that was one motion. Just we still need a resolution of the item just because would the council like to continue this to a future item or or is the project going to be denied or is there another motion? Well, and I have another question also. I'll make a motion. Look, that's as long as it's coming back to us and we're sure we're going to get a good We're not going to do it at 12:30 at night and get it, you know, an answer of what the hell's going on with this thing. I'll make a motion that we approve the permit tonight. Uh, and we just make sure when it comes back we've got good information regarding timelines, funding, all that stuff so we can, you know, actually make an intelligent decision going forward. So, I'll I'll make that motion. I'll second that motion. All in favor?

I. Those opposed? Three. You got three. Got three. Do you guys want to record your yes or no or abstain for Kelsey? Were any council members opposed? I'm not opposed. I am a yes. move forward, please. Thank you. So, we have four yeses and one extension. Mayor, President Silverstein. Thank you. Correct. Motion carries. Good. Um, do we care if we do the calendar? We are. If you want to do the calendar at our I'm proposing that we move to 8A. Yeah, let's go to 8A. I'll second it. 8A. All right. All in favor of hearing item 8A. I.

Any opposed? Okay. Do we have any public comment? Going once, going twice. No, we did not receive any speaker sips for this item and we do not have any raised hands on Zoom. Okay, Kelsey, are you giving us a staff report? Do we need Do you need a report?

I'd like to just speak to you for one minute if I could about your calendar because there are some changes this year. Um, so the calendar as always does include all of your regular meetings for the year. However, you'll notice that we have also added a special meeting each month. This is to serve a couple purposes. So, we're proposing to hold this at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. First, we have previously discussed the backlog of um planning approval appeals that are in the pipeline that we are going to be holding on special meeting dates. So, that is one of the purposes of these special meeting dates. But, if we reduce that backlog and do not have any other meetings coming forward, I also think this would be a good opportunity to have some more regularly reoccurring special meetings at a interval in time the public can expect. So, as the city council identifies needs for workshops or other special meetings, we'd have somewhere already set aside for that business to be directed to. Um, I'm here if you have any questions.

Yes. Can we use one of these? And I like all the colors. I'll say what they are. They all mean [laughter] later on. Uh, there's a key right here. Oh, you got a key. See, I didn't get down that far. I'm sorry. There is a key with start times.

Congratulations. Can we use one of these meetings or one of these? You know, one of the things we did last two years ago is the city council sat down with the department heads and we had a good conversation. We talked about what we were doing, what they were doing, what issues they had, what we could do to help them out with and I just thought we walked out of that meeting and everybody felt like we had got something good done. And I'd like to see if we can't you I don't know when the schedule of if I can use one of these days to do that, I'm I'm a happy camper. we can figure out when we do that later on. But I just think that's that was a meeting that I think helped everybody. So I would concur with that and

maybe when we appoint a city manager at a future date that that might be good on boarding until we approve the calendar. Um the only thing I have um in January and April um I've already got Cal City um meetings. So I don't know that those Wednesdays are going to work in April and January. I have them as well. So just if you're planning on scheduling any appeals or anything else on those particular dates, we'd have to find new dates. So you want to approve it without those two dates?

I would say that's what I would recommend. Yes. Okay. So, I'll make a motion to approve the calendar without January 21st and without April 22nd. I'll second. All in favor? I. None opposed. Doug, you want to make your appointment? Yeah. Can I make a motion to hear item 8B? I'll second that. Yes. All in favor? I uh this is quick. Uh, as [snorts] council member, just before you make that appointment, I would like to confirm that we do not have any speaker slips for item 8B and we do not have any raised hands on Zoom. Thank you.

All right, quick comment. Uh, Barry Haldderman was my appointment to the arts commission. Uh, Barry passed away recently uh and uh is a tremendous loss to the community and the commission. However, his wife who had previously served on the commission, I think was appointed by W. Eller uh uh has expressed an interest in coming back to the commission and I think she'd be a very good uh addition to it. Yeah, she's an artist. Yeah, she's good. So, I'd like to nominate her and um looking for I guess approval. All in favor? We don't I thought he just does it. He didn't do anything. You just I just do it. Yeah, I just did it.

Everyone to agree though. Um, do we want to move [laughter] to ajourn in the memory of um Julian Jimenez and I believe Candace Brown's past. Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Not Oh, I think Bowen Jefferson Jefferson's longtime partner. Oh, yeah. We should definitely adjourn in her name. Who is that? And mayor, you wanted to adjourn this meeting to a specific date and time, December 17th at 3:30 p.m. The city council will hold an adjourned regular meeting. Yes, Kelsey, please. Let's adjourn this meeting to December 17th. At 3:30 p.m. At 3:30 p.m. Thank you.

Thank you. And so will we adjourn in you can adjourn in memory and also adjourn the meeting to another date and time. Perfect. Yes. Thank you very much. and his name was um Jimenez in case we didn't get it. Julian Jimenez from Paradise Cove and um Candace Brown. Thank you. Thank you. Good night everybody. Good night. Good night, folks.