Malibu Council discusses staffing proposed Sheriff’s substation

By The Malibu Times · Sat Aug 15 2026

The possibility of establishing a permanent Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department presence in Malibu returned to the forefront Monday as City Council members discussed staffing the city’s proposed Sheriff’s substation.

The discussion followed a public-safety report from Sgt. Chris Soderlund and centered on whether a locally staffed substation could improve response to community concerns, including transient-related activity and other calls for service.

When asked directly whether having a Sheriff’s substation in Malibu would help deputies, Soderlund was unequivocal.

“Absolutely,” he said.

City Manager Joe Irvin told the council that moving forward with an operational substation involves two primary considerations: whether the Sheriff’s Department has deputies available to staff the facility and how much the city would need to pay for that additional staffing.

Councilmembers noted that much of the physical infrastructure is already in place, including the substation facility and necessary communications equipment.

The discussion comes after Los Angeles County completed work in July to repaint the communications tower at the Santa Monica College Malibu Campus following years of community concerns over its appearance and visual prominence in the Civic Center area.

The tower, first erected in 2022, drew strong opposition from residents, with much of the criticism focused on its color and visibility. Continued community concerns eventually led to proposed revisions that were presented during the April 21, 2025, Malibu Planning Commission meeting.

As part of those modifications, the County repainted the structure in a color selected by the Malibu City Council. The changes were intended to reduce the tower’s visual impact while preserving the communications infrastructure necessary to support Sheriff’s Department operations and other emergency services.

With the physical substation and communications infrastructure in place, Monday’s conversation focused largely on what remains necessary to establish a permanent law enforcement presence: personnel and funding.

When the discussion turned to whether Malibu has the financial resources necessary to support a dedicated Sheriff’s presence, councilmembers clarified that the issue is not necessarily the absence of available funding. Rather, the decision would come down to whether the council chooses to prioritize and allocate city resources toward staffing the facility.

A staffed substation would provide deputies with a more permanent presence within Malibu rather than relying solely on personnel operating out of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station, which provides law enforcement services to Malibu and surrounding communities.

No final decision on staffing or funding was made during the discussion.