The city is approaching the one-third milepost on the journey to rebuilding Malibu. According to the city’s website, the city recently granted the 15th building permit for a Woolsey rebuild. A total of 148 applications have been turned into planning since Woolsey. Only 18 of the planning applications are still waiting for approval so they can go on to engineered drawings. When the city receives eight more applications, they will have reached 33 percent of the homes lost within the city limits. Please get your applications in prior to Nov. 9, 2019 so we can hit the 50 percent mark by that date. The city wants you back!
I received a call from a gentleman who’s currently striving to replace a home he has owned for over 30 years on Point Dume. About 15 years ago, he had moved back to the Palisades and has been renting out his Malibu home ever since. He doesn’t qualify for any of the permit rebates from the city or county since the home has not been his personal residence for the last 15 years. The fire department is charging him a $500 application fee plus another $2,000 to analyze his fuel modification plan. He believes the fee to look at and then stamp his fuel modification plan is more than a little steep. Theoretically, all permit fees in California are supposed to be set to reimburse the permitting agency for the costs of providing the service only. What has your experience been?
At about 11:30 a.m. on Friday the 30th, a fire broke out on the hills above Carbon Beach. The PulsePoint app on my phone pinged me with the location Sweetwater Canyon and PCH. I went into the parking lot of my office on Malibu Road and looked in the appropriate direction. A plume of dark smoke was rising vertically in the air, drifting slightly to the north. The absence of any wind was a blessing that was soon joined by the first fire truck sirens. Additional resources continued to arrive over the next couple hours, including water- dropping helicopters. With each water drop the smoke got lighter and whiter. The fire response was massive, and the fire was 30 percent contained before 1:30!
At about 12:15, the Community Emergency Response Team received a text from Public Safety Manager Susan Dueñas advising that she and City Manager Reva Feldman were both on the way to open City Hall and set up an emergency headquarters. Three CERT members arrived at City Hall, where we were admitted to the building by Mayor Pro Tem Karen Farrer. We took turns manning the phones and speaking with the citizenry while Ms. Feldman returned the over 50 messages she had received in the time it took to get through Malibu Canyon. By 2 p.m. it was apparent the fire was in the mop-up phase and no further assistance was required. All in, it was a good drill that allows me to remind you that CERT classes start Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. at City Hall. It’s not too late to call 310.456.2489 to sign up.
Kudos to the Malibu Boys and Girls Club for keeping the Malibu Chili Cook-Off tradition alive. All the money goes to the Boys and Girls Club and their five local charity partners.