Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart, and PaliBu Chamber CEO Barbara Bruderlin hold a press conference at the iconic Malibu Pier
District 42 Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, Malibu Mayor Doug Stewart, and PaliBu Chamber CEO, Barbara Bruderlinheld a press conference on March 28 at the Malibu Pier, an iconic Malibu landmark which served as the perfect venue to issue their urgent plea to Angelinos and residents of Conejo Valley and communities near Malibu to come to shop, dine, and enjoy Malibu to support its struggling businesses.
Malibu is open for business!
“Because of previously unimagined levels of destruction caused by the Palisades Fire it has necessitated the closure of an eight-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway that connects the City of Malibu to the Palisades, Santa Monica, as well as the City of Los Angeles and cities beyond,” Irwin stated. “With customers and the workforce unable to commute into Malibu from the south, they are forced to make a much longer commute or, in the case of many, choose to go elsewhere to shop, eat, play, or work. Caltrans, the Army Corps of Engineers and SCE are very aware of the hardships created by the work and are committed to getting PCH opened as soon as possible.”
The expected timeline for debris removal and utility undergrounding is June, but the closure is being examined every day, keeping the safety of the public in mind, Irwin stated. “The message we have here today is that Malibu is open for business!” she said.
Irwin and Stewart noted that there are a number of ways into the city through Malibu Canyon, Kanan Road or PCH from the northern end of the city. LA Metro has the 134 bus line running on PCH between Santa Monica and the northern closure point, with service beginning around 5:30 am in Santa Monica and the last bus leaving Malibu at 9:30 pm.
“These businesses need our help during what is an economic crisis for them!” Irwin emphasized. “They need us to come back to Malibu, shop, recreate and dine.”
Chiming in, Stewart noted that the Palisades Fire devastated some of Malibu’s neighborhoods, destroyed homes, displaced families and damaged Malibu businesses and winter storms brought flooding and mudslides. “Now, the prolonged closure of PCH has become a secondary crisis,” he said. “Today, many of Malibu’s most beloved local businesses, cornerstones of our community, are struggling and fighting for their survival.”
Stewart informed that at the last regular City Council meeting, the Chamber reported that dozens of once thriving businesses have not yet reopened and that some businesses report revenue losses between 50 and 85 percent due to drastically reduced foot traffic and cars arriving on PCH.
“More than 100 local businesses are at risk of permanent closure,” Stewart lamented. “When small businesses suffer, our whole community feels it — jobs are lost, services disappear and vibrant places where neighbors and visitors once gathered fade away. We recognize the hardship caused by PCH closure, but we must also balance these impacts with safety and long-term recovery — the debris removal is a public health imperative. Reopening too early will significantly slow the rebuilding and clean-up process.”
Continuing, Stewart stated, “Spread the word that Malibu remains a welcoming destination. The city is also taking proactive steps — in the coming days, we will release a business impact survey to better understand how our businesses have been affected and what they need the most.”
He also noted, “The city also will be considering a business assistance program at our next council meeting on April 14 — this will be to determine what we can deliver as targeted support and recovery assistance.”
The City Council will, he vowed, “also explore what we can do within our jurisdictional authority to place a moratorium on commercial lease evictions to give the businesses the time and space they need to survive without fearing the loss of their storefronts.”
Many of the landlords in the Palisades are canceling the lease costs while the businesses are under construction, Stewart pointed out, adding, “We want that same kind of effort done for our businesses in Malibu.”
Palibu Chamber CEO Bruderlin stated, “We have been on the ground going door to door in Malibu and the Palisades to help everyone get grants — for businesses standing, that is very difficult.”
She emphatically added, “I am here with a message — we want everyone in the world to know to come to Malibu because everyday in Malibu is a vacation — it is so beautiful here and there are fabulous stores and dining and all of our beaches are all different and are so fascinating.
“We have venues everywhere with local musicians — famous ones — they just appear across the street at Dreamland and at Malibu Music. We are open and are ready for you!”
She suggested that people drive down Kanan or Las Virgenes through Malibu Canyon and added, “those are scenic highways and doing so is a memorable experience.”
Business owners and resident attendees expressed concerns about the delay in opening PCH, with Helene Henderson, proprietor of two restaurants on the Pier commenting, “We who run businesses in Malibu need accurate information about when the PCH will open so we can make decisions based on that concerning our employees and business operations.”
Local realtor Josh Spiegel, who noted that he was speaking as an individual and not as a Malibu Safety Commissioner, urged officials to consider pressing the Army Corps of Engineers, Southern California Edison and Los Angeles County to find solutions to open PCH soon, at least for business on the weekends, noting that doing that would benefit local merchants.
After the press conference, he commented, “I just want to push back a little more — those in authority seem to have an impression that we who want to open the PCH sooner rather than later are not in touch with all that is involved in fixing PCH infrastructure,” he said. “That’s not the case. Rather, we just advocate that the Army Corps and others working on the PCH make as many adjustments as possible to maximize efficiencies as they conduct their work to go as fast as they can.”
Malibu businesses didn’t burn down, but they are bleeding to death
Small business consultant Mikke Pierson, former mayor of Malibu and a community fire brigade member, remarked,“When the fire was over, the battle really began, we are seeing our local businesses start closing every day now — it’s an unexpected situation that they didn’t burn down but are bleeding to death.”
Adding additional insights regarding the trauma suffered by Malibu businesses, he said, “We are not in the situation as arethe businesses in the Palisades — we didn’t burn down. Not a single store in Malibu has gotten a grant from the government in Malibu!”
Discussing the need for a moratorium on commercial rental evictions, Pierson stated that, “Some landlords in Malibu are not playing nice and we need the moratorium to help small businesses survive.”
Noting that many have the perception that all who reside in Malibu are wealthy, Pierson informed, “Most Malibu businesses are small businesses — a lot are mom-and-pops.”
Glen Becerra, representing Tim Morris from Paradise Cove, noted, “The Morris family has been in Malibu for more than 75 years and they are representative of all these small businesses that make up Malibu.”
Pausing to reflect, he added, “Today is about the families that work in those small businesses — there are 80 people who work at Paradise Cove, and the employees are struggling to get here. There are a lot of things that we can do to make sure that those folks can come here and that they can work and take care of their families.”
Becerra suggests an easy step to help inform that Malibu is open
Further addressing the need to ensure that the public knows that Malibu is wide open for business, Becerra pointed out,“A simple fix would be changing the digital signs on the 101 that say PCH is closed — it is not completely closed!” He advocated that authorities change the signs to say that Malibu is open via Las Virgenes and Kanan. Doing so “would be of immense help!” he emphasized.
Ryan Ahrens, CEO and founder of Malibu Brewing Company in West Malibu, added his insights concerning how Malibu businesses need support: “Every business in town relies upon our customers and without that support, none of us can make it alone. We recognize how far it might feel to plan a trip to Malibu, but it’s actually never been easier to spend a day in our town — the canyon roads are open and the PCH from Ventura County is clear — and although a portion of our town is mourning, the majority of our community is just as you remember: The hills are green, the whales have returned and spring is in the air.”
It’s time to make some plans, Ahrens continued. “Schedule that morning hike with a friend, a day at the beach or a family camping trip to Leo Carillo,” he said. “Go tidepooling, go horseback riding, watch a sunset or just go for a ride along the coast — because a day spent in Malibu is always a day well spent — and we can’t wait to spend it together with you.”