By Michel Shane
I wrote this out of frustration after attending the last City Council meeting and witnessing the disaster surrounding us.
Significant mudslides have caused more chaos on PCH this past week, directly resulting from burn-scarred areas left vulnerable by the fires. This isn’t just about fire damage anymore; it’s about a cascade of disasters, each compounding the next. While our council debates, nature doesn’t wait — bare hillsides that should have been remediated years ago now send mud and debris across PCH, our lifeline to the world.
The acrid smell of smoke still lingers in our lungs, but the absolute suffocation comes from watching our City Council spend hours discussing issues while our neighbors live in trailers or, worse, on their burned-out lots. DNA and Mike Moore are still fighting to rebuild their homes with modern fire-resistant materials seven years after the Woolsey Fire. Seven years have been spent navigating bureaucratic circles, dealing with endless permit requirements, and watching their community dissolve while officials “study the situation.”
Unfortunately, the urgency of this situation cannot be overstated, so we need to take immediate action.
The numbers stagger the mind: Over 12,000 homes were destroyed in recent Los Angeles fires — a burn zone two and a half times the size of Manhattan. Over 18,000 buildings valued at over $275 billion were reduced to ash. But here’s the statistic that should shame every elected official: Fewer than 40 percent of Malibu’s homes destroyed in the Woolsey Fire have been rebuilt. And of those rebuilt, how many incorporate the proven fire-resistant technologies that could prevent future devastation?
While our council chambers echo empty promises, communities worldwide have shown what’s possible when people refuse to accept paralysis as their fate. Portugal’s Madeira region transformed devastating fires in 2016 into a catalyst for change. Within three years, they implemented comprehensive fire-resistant building codes, created modern evacuation routes, and established an integrated transportation system for daily needs and emergency response. When fires struck again in 2021, no life was lost, and property damage was minimal.
Hong Kong’s response to urban density and natural disasters offers another blueprint for success. Its integrated transportation system — combining modern roads, water routes, and intelligent traffic management — moves 12.9 million passengers daily through a seamless land, sea, and rail network. Its building codes mandate fire-resistant materials and design elements that have dramatically reduced fire damage.
Spain’s Costa Brava communities didn’t just rebuild after their 2017 fires — they revolutionized their coastal infrastructure. Today, their unified approach to fire resistance includes:
- Mandatory ember-proof ventilation systems
- Fire-resistant building materials throughout structures
- Comprehensive water management systems
- Strategic firebreaks integrated into community design
- Modern emergency response infrastructure
The results? Property values up 40 percent, dramatically reduced insurance costs, and, most importantly, proven resilience against subsequent fire threats.
Here in Malibu, we have an unprecedented opportunity to rebuild and revolutionize our community’s resilience. The Pacific Coast Highway, our lifeline, lies partially in ruins. Yet this crisis, combined with the approaching 2028 Olympics, offers a once-in-a-generation chance to transform our coastal corridor.
We have living proof that fire-resistant construction works. The Getty Center and Pepperdine University are testaments to proper planning and materials. Yet, the Moores face endless regulatory hurdles when they try to widen their driveway for fire engine access. When George Hauptman installs a required water tank for fire safety, he’s trapped in permit limbo. This indicates that our current system is failing us, but it doesn’t have to be this way.
The economic stakes are staggering:
- Insurance premiums skyrocket 300-400 percent when coverage is available at all
- Property values drop 30 percent in communities without comprehensive fire safety measures
- Billions in tourism revenue are at risk
- Olympic preparation opportunities slip away
- Future development and investment is threatened by our failure to adapt
Imagine PCH reimagined with the sophistication of Hong Kong’s integrated transport system: electric shuttle networks connecting to water taxi and ferry services, reducing daily congestion while providing crucial evacuation options. Their emergency response protocols have reduced evacuation times by 60 percent. Picture centralized parking hubs eliminating the constant stream of cars, while smart traffic management systems, like those used in Singapore, could reduce congestion by 40 percent while providing crucial advantages during emergencies. Like Sydney’s successful system, a water taxi network could serve daily commuters and tourists while offering vital evacuation alternatives during disasters.
The 2028 Olympics present more than an opportunity — they’re a deadline. Barcelona leveraged the 1992 Olympics to transform its entire coastal infrastructure. Thirty years later, its integrated transportation system still serves as a model of efficiency. We have three years to achieve a similar transformation, yet our City Council hasn’t even requested assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers.
The Army Corps of Engineers has successfully helped transform disaster-struck communities worldwide:
- New Orleans’ flood control systems after Katrina
- New Jersey coastal infrastructure after Sandy
- Florida’s hurricane-resistant rebuilding programs
- Wildfire mitigation projects throughout the western U.S.
Their expertise includes precisely what we need:
- Integrated infrastructure planning
- Disaster-resistant construction oversight
- Environmental impact assessment and mitigation
- Project management and coordination
- Emergency response system design
Their rebuilding division can stand ready to assist, but it can’t if our City Council doesn’t ask. While Portugal implemented comprehensive reforms in three years, we’re still debating whether to request help. Their success wasn’t magic — it combined political will with community demand for action.
The time for half-measures and endless studies is over. Here’s what we must demand NOW:
1. Emergency community action
- Mass attendance at next week’s council meeting demanding immediate Army Corps assistance
- Weekly accountability sessions documenting council members’ actions and inactions
- Creation of rapid response teams for permit challenges
- Real-time tracking system for rebuilding applications
- Public scorecards rating official performance
2. Infrastructure transformation
- Implementation of proven fire-resistant building standards from thriving communities worldwide
- Launch of pilot water taxi program connecting key coastal points
- Installation of smart traffic systems at critical PCH intersections
- Development of emergency response hubs with integrated communications
- Strategic placement of water storage and management systems
3. Olympics preparation task force
- Secure infrastructure funding before opportunities vanish
- Create a timeline for transportation system integration
- Develop a comprehensive coastal access plan
- Establish public-private partnerships for implementation
- Launch media campaign highlighting urgency
4. Economic Action Committee
- Track and publicize daily costs of inaction
- Document insurance increases and coverage denials
- Monitor property value impacts in rebuild-delayed areas
- Create economic impact reports for public distribution
- Build an alliance with the business community for unified pressure
Successful models exist. Colorado’s fire-prone communities transformed their building codes and infrastructure in 18 months when residents refused to accept delays. Consider Austin’s wildland-urban interface code implementation, completed in one year when community pressure forced action. Their unified approach:
- Streamlined permit process for safety improvements
- Created single-point approval system
- Established clear timelines for application review
- Implemented automatic approval triggers
- Required public documentation of all delays
Meanwhile, our neighbors live in trailers while their permit applications gather dust. Our evacuation routes remain vulnerable while officials “study” solutions. Our Olympic opportunity slips away while councilmembers debate whether to accept the offered help.
The tragedy isn’t just in what’s been lost — it’s in what we lose daily through inaction. Our neighbors are living this failure daily. Commuters inch along an unchanged PCH every morning (when open), passing empty lots where homes once stood and rebuilt houses sitting vacant due to permit disputes. Every afternoon, tourists used to crowd our beaches, unaware that we lack the basic emergency evacuation infrastructure in other coastal communities worldwide. Every evening, families who could be safely housed in fire-resistant homes instead sleep in trailers, waiting for bureaucratic approval to rebuild correctly.
The economic bleeding continues unchecked. Insurance companies are fleeing, leaving homeowners struggling to find coverage. While property values are currently skyrocketing due to severe housing shortages from fire destruction, this artificial inflation masks a dangerous reality — without proper rebuilding and safety infrastructure, our community remains vulnerable to future disasters. Meanwhile, Olympic infrastructure funding opportunities slip away while our council chambers echo with discussions about “further study needed.” This isn’t just government failure anymore — it’sour collective unwillingness to demand better.
That stretch of vulnerable PCH isn’t just a road — it’s our lifeline, community artery, and connection to the world. While other coastal cities have transformed their infrastructure, embraced integrated transportation solutions, and fortified their communities against disaster, we sit in endless meetings debating whether to accept the help offered.
The climate crisis isn’t waiting for committee findings, and the subsequent fire season won’t pause for permit reviews. Our window for transformation narrows with each passing day, each ineffective meeting, and each ignored solution.
Fill those empty chairs. Raise your voices. Join forces. Demand change.
Our community’s future is in the balance. You make the choice, and we bear the consequences.
Tomorrow’s history is being written today. Which side of it will you be on?
Stand up. Speak out. Take action. Now.
You can reach Michel Shane at 21milesinmalibu@gmail.com