Dear Editor,
Here is my Public comment on Monday night.
Honorable City Council,
As I stated in my op-ed article in The Malibu Times — It’s now been exactly eight months since the January fire, and in that time, the city has issued just two rebuild permits. One of those was already in motion before the fire. One true permit in eight months is unacceptable. We are hopeful now that this will change.
Take a look at the website ca.gov/lafires/rebuilding-la/ for current rebuild statistics. LA County is at 18% approval with 313 permits, LA City is at 36% with 475 permits issued, but Malibu is under 2% — only two permits issued. That’s troubling. I would hope and encourage our city to research what LA City and County are doing to expedite these permits and compare and contrast our methods.
The Malibu Rebuild Task Force had a productive meeting with Yolanda Bundy yesterday on ways to speed things up and finally get our fees waived. If implemented, these changes should make the process easier. That said, plan checks remain burdensome, as we’ve personally seen in our zones. Artificial Intelligence can and should be part of how Malibu speeds up rebuilding — by exposing those inefficiencies and streamlining the process.
A major issue is that the outside consultants are financially incentivized to create more reviews and corrections. This only adds delays and costs for fire victims, and Malibu has long been taken advantage of financially, and it need not be encouraged. Fire victims are afraid to speak out about delays due to fear of retaliation, not from staff, but from certain in-house consultants. It’s wrong. Last council meeting, one Woolsey fire victim shared her struggle with these consultants for seven years and is still awaiting approval for her special conservation property rebuilds — we hope she’s now being prioritized. Several homeowners are too scared to speak out, and council needs to be aware of this. That is why I am so grateful to Al Broussard for speaking up last night. Al — in his 80s, driving back and forth far in the dark to attend — is the only fire victim to go through the process from start to finish, and the only one with a permit in hand. We are truly grateful that Al and his family can finally begin rebuilding! His case is a complete study of the rebuild experience, and it was entirely appropriate for him to share what he endured. He should have been celebrated, respected, and heard, not cut off and chastised.
This is Al’s second time losing his home to wildfire. His previous home, rebuilt after the 1993 fire, was fully hardened for wildfire — yet it still burned because of systemic failures outside his control. With no resources and no water, his son Shea was the only community brigade member on site, joined only by neighbors with shovels trying to help, but to no avail. His wife, Arlene — an accomplished artist — nearly lost her life from the stress of the Palisades aftermath and has been hospitalized multiple times. Their family’s resilience is extraordinary, but no family should have to suffer like this. Council asked for examples of where the city needs improvement. Al offered them, and it is vital that his experience be taken seriously — for his sake and for all of ours.
He didn’t get to finish his detailed information at the meeting. I have encouraged his family to write to you all about the arduous process, with its many unnecessary components and roadblocks, and I do hope they will be heard — for their sake, and for all of ours.
Adopting self-certification — or at the very least, trusting licensed professionals’ reports and recommendations — would eliminate the endless cycle of reviews and corrections. LA City already uses this approach successfully — Malibu must do the same.
Personally, I’m still waiting for my soils report after almost three months, and I won’t call out that independent consultant as I’m afraid of their retaliation, frankly. It’s frustrating, but I find being vocal about everything has kept our family’s process moving. No fire victim should have to fight this hard just to move forward — especially when the governor has guaranteed fire victims the right to rebuild up to 10%. Yet, many here are not even being granted that.
Yolanda has instructed consultants to reduce corrections and will clarify to the public what these corrections can encompass to avoid future delays. Every roadblock makes rebuilding slower and more expensive, allowing out-of-town investors to circle and push out long-time Malibu families.
We appreciate the Task Force’s efforts and Yolanda’s regular engagement. I hope this leads to faster progress.
A special thank you to Haylynn Conrad and Planning Commissioner John Mazza for attending the “Big Rock Burning” documentary screening. Your presence showed the empathy and care we so badly need. That same empathy is required from every member of this Council if we are to rebuild and bring our community home. I urge all of you to attend future screenings — to see firsthand not only the devastation and human cost, but also the extraordinary resilience our community continues to show in the face of these losses.
Because when the conversation shifts to “no net loss of property taxes,” it reveals just how far we are from empathy. That language dehumanizes us. We are not numbers on a spreadsheet. We are families who lost everything. Rebuilding quickly is not just about restoring houses — it is about restoring safety, stability, and the very fabric of Malibu. Governing responsibly means leading with compassion, not accounting.
We are doing our part. But rebuilding will not happen without your empathy guiding the process. The question is: will you show that empathy, empower staff, confront the roadblocks, and finally bring Malibu families home?
Jo Drummond, Malibu Rebuild Task Force