As of Monday, a total of 276 residences applied for the California Office of Emergency Services-sponsored debris clearance program, with 255 approved. Another 169 applied to opt out of the program, with 134 of those applications approved. Only 49 properties remained non-responsive.
“As you’re probably aware of with all the trucks out on the highway, the program is well underway,” Sustainability Director Craig George told council Monday. “In fact, we received notice this afternoon that six properties have been fully cleared, and had soil testing and have been approved to have building permits issued. There’s no other work to be done on those.”
As permitting goes, two properties have been permitted and two that were previously under construction, which were destroyed in the fire, have had their permits re-issued.
Planning Director Bonnie Blue said 18 temporary housing permits had been submitted as of Monday, with all 18 approved. Their build permits had not been approved yet, likely due to ongoing debris clearance.
Planning verifications—like-for-like or in-kind rebuilds—are often processed in one day, Blue said. As of Monday, 45 applications for such rebuilds had come through the planning department; 47 had been approved. According to a chart from the city, administrative plan reviews—”generally an in-kind replacement, plus 10 percent,” according to Blue—are a bit more involved. Eight applications have come in, with two approved. But that rule will change, following approval from the California Coastal Commission.
Those APRs—administrative plan reviews—will be simplified into planning verifications as soon as new rules come into play on March 28.
“In the meantime, we are going ahead—when people submit those … we’re stamping them with an effective date of March 28, so they’re not being held up, they can go ahead and get their approval,” Blue described.
Homeless dinners resume at local church, council pens cautious letter of support
City council stands in support of programs providing meals for the homeless to resume, led by faith communities in Malibu—but concerns stemming from death threats received in 2016 mean council has opted out of attaching their names to the message.
In November 2016, council members and city staff received backlash over their handling of homeless dinners that were suspended just before Thanksgiving. Since then, the city, county and various churches and nonprofits have worked to find ways to bring meals to the homeless. Following the Woolsey Fire, meals that had been going on at the Malibu Courthouse were paused; those dinners were temporarily moved back to Malibu United Methodist Church. Now, the city and county are working to replace smoke detectors in the courthouse before meals there can resume.
Following direction from council, Public Safety Director Susan Dueñas asked if their intent was, “To draft a letter that’s a little broader, not necessarily calling out one particular church, but just more supporting the idea of the faith community assisting the homeless community during this time.”
Council Member Skylar Peak said even that was perhaps too specific.
“Maybe we say something to the effect that we support those in the faith-based communities who are supporting those less fortunate in our community during this tough time,” Peak suggested.
“Nothing site-specific,” Council Member Rick Mullen agreed.
“I agree with that. I’d rather name the faith-based community as a whole, than any particular denomination,” Mayor Pro Tem Karen Farrer added.
