Regan Schaar recently had her home built in Malibu without seeking any variances. She said the city must accept that growth is inevitable, but can be controlled.
By Jonathan Friedman/Staff Writer
Like the city councilmember who appointed her, new Planning Commissioner Regan Schaar is a fresh face on the Malibu political scene. Councilmember Pamela Conley Ulich named her friend of 13 years as her selection to the commission at Monday’s council meeting. Schaar, 45, has only lived in Malibu for a year and a half, but got a crash course in Malibu politics while serving as Conley Ulich’s treasurer during the election campaign.
“I was kind of surprised about some of the games that were played,” Schaar said. “Toward the end a lot of it [the campaign] was really negative, and it wasn’t truthful. But it made me want even more to get involved, to make good decisions for the city.”
Conley Ulich asked Schaar about being her commissioner during the campaign. The councilmember said she believes Schaar is qualified because she had to learn a great deal about the city’s zoning laws while her home was under construction, which was built without seeking any variances.
“She has excellent knowledge of the Planning Department and all the issues involved there,” Conley Ulich said. “She’s smart and capable, and willing to step up to the plate to participate in the community.”
Schaar was born in Evanston, Ill. and was raised in Grosse Pointe, Mich. until her family moved to a city outside of San Francisco when she was 12. She attended USC, where she graduated with a biology degree. While at USC, Schaar became one of the first beach lifeguards in Los Angeles County.
During her life guarding days, a colleague of Schaar’s was injured, who then lost an athletic scholarship and was unable to pay for college. In response Schaar set up a fundraiser to get the injured co-worker through college. Conley Ulich said the story impresses her.
“It shows that she is a doer, and that’s what we need,” Conley Ulich said.
After college Schaar worked in the healthcare industry, but decided it was not for her. She then went to UCLA to get an MBA. After obtaining the degree, Schaar got a job with a production studio. She worked for several studios over the years, but has since retired.
Schaar and her husband, Nick, moved to Malibu from Pacific Palisades because they wanted better schools for their sons, John and Tom. She has since served on the PTA at Point Dume Marine Science Elementary School.
Since she moved to Malibu Schaar said she has watched local government meetings on television, so she was excited when Conley Ulich told her she planned to run for City Council.
“I said, ‘Well that would be pretty cool,'” Schaar recalled. “It’s cool because it’s such a small city that you can make an impact.”
Schaar said she approaches the issue of growth in Malibu as something that is inevitable, but can be controlled. How to do that, she said, is something the city will have to carefully figure out. And she said she is ready for the stress and hard work it will take to be on the commission, including sometimes having to listen to those who might be hostile during meetings.
“I’ve got two kids who yell at home all day long, that isn’t going to be anything different,” she said laughing.
When not deciding on the finishing touches for the construction of her Point Dume home or spending time with her children, Schaar enjoys reading, swimming and spending time with friends. She said she is also trying to take up surfing, and has encouraged other local mothers to join her.