Malibu City Council creates ad hoc committee to address Short-Term Rental Ordinance

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Council motioned to consider all the options before the March meeting to return to in-person meetings

The Malibu City Council met on Monday for the first meeting of 2023 and created an ad hoc committee to discuss the next steps regarding the city’s Short-term Rental Ordinance. Mayor Bruce Silverstein and Councilmember Marianne Riggins will serve on the STR ad hoc committee.

On Sept. 29, 2020, the City Council voted to adopt Ordinance No. 468 (Enforcement Ordinance), which created a new STR permit system to regulate the short-term rental of residential property and went into effect on Jan. 15, 2021.

On Nov. 23, 2020, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 472, the Hosted STR Ordinance, to establish provisions to regulate the short-term rental of property citywide, which include, but are not limited to, requiring the presence of an onsite host during short-term rentals, primary residency requirements, and multifamily restrictions. The Hosted STR Ordinance is intended to supersede the short-term rental regulations and permit program currently in place. The Hosted STR Ordinance regulations cannot go into effect until the associated amendments to the city’s Local Coastal Program and Land Use Plan are certified by the California Coastal Commission (CCC).

City Manager Steve McClary provided a brief report on the city’s achievements in 2022, including: advancing the efforts to separate from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SM-MUSD) and form an independent Malibu Unified School District, implementation of the Dark Skies Ordinance, a temporary impound yard to facilitate towing illegally parked vehicles, and more. To read the full report, visit malibucity.org. 

For councilmember updates and reports, Councilmembers Riggins and Doug Stewart thanked Sarah Kaplan, who resigned Jan. 4 as the emergency services coordinator, for her work with the CERT team and wished her luck with her endeavors. 

Riggins asked Public Works Director Rob DuBoux if Caltrans was aware of the potholes near Fernhill and asked if Caltrans will be addressing that issue. Riggins also asked if they can hire a grant writer. Mayor Bruce Silverstein and Councilmembers Stewart and Paul Grisanti supported and added it to a future agenda.

Councilmember Steve Uhring provided an update on the Malibu Farmers Market and its new location at Legacy Park. 

“It’s a great setup, the people enjoyed the location, so I encourage you if you haven’t been to the Farmers Market recently, next Sunday, please head down and take a look, help them out — we put a lot of work to put them there and I want to thank everybody,” Uhring said. “There were a number of people in the city who particpated and helped us get the Farmers Market relocated, so thank you all very, very much.”

Uhring informed the council of the recent Automated License Plate Recognition cameras and thanked Public Safety Director Susan Dueñas and the Lost Hills Sheriffs Station for their hard work with the cameras.

“It should provide another level of safety for the residents and that’s a good thing,” Uhring said.

Silverstein pulled item 3B3, the Termination of the State of a Local Emergency. All council members except Silverstein approved the item.

DeBoux provided an update on the Encinal Canyon Road Drainage Repair Project. Council approved the item.

Council approved the Adoption of Ordinance No. 503 – California Building Standards Code. 

The next and most discussed item on the agenda was the hearing for the Short-Term Rental Ordinance.

Residents shared their concerns with the STR ordinance and the negative impact it has caused to the city.

“Protecting Malibu’s community, culture and character must be a priority,” Malibu resident Cynthia Martin said. 

Motion carried with a 3-2 vote. 

The next item on the agenda was the consideration of hybrid meetings or the resumption of in-person meetings. City Clerk Kelsey Pettijohn presented the item and informed the council that staff is capable and can return to in-person for the City Council meeting on Feb 13.

Pettijohn asked the council for further direction for other committee meetings. 

Public speakers continued to support in-person and hybrid meetings. 

Due to technical difficulties, City Attorney Trevor Rusin dropped off the meeting, and the council motioned to continue the discussion and moved on to the next item on the agenda: City Council Appointments to City Commissions and Committees. The council listed its appointments and moved on to item 7B, City Council Subcommittees, Ad Hoc Committees, and Outside Agency Appointments. The council motioned to refrain from appointing anyone at this time. 

Rusin returned to the meeting and the council returned to the discussion for hybrid meetings or the resumption of in-person meetings, and the council motioned to consider all the options before the March meeting. 

The council addressed who would serve each committee and subcommittee. Silverstein and Riggins will serve on the STR ad hoc committee. Silverstein and Grisanti will serve on the school and safety committee meeting. Stewart and Grisanti will serve in the sheriff’s substation ad hoc committee. Grisanti and Riggins will serve on the school separation ad hoc committee. Grisanti will serve on the Las Virgenes-Malibu Council of Goverments. To view the complete list of committee appointments, watch the meeting on the City of Malibu youtube channel.