Malibu Pier and Adamson House cannot wait for another storm
By Haylynn Conrad, Malibu City Council · Sat Sep 05 2026
Malibu Pier and the Adamson House are more than a landmark. It is part of California’s history, an important part of our local economy, and one of the most recognizable public gathering places on the California coast. For many Malibu families, it is also part of our personal history and part of the charm that makes Malibu unique. Visitors come from around the world to enjoy what California has to offer.
I remember taking my children to the end of the pier when it was still open and operating as a diner. Those visits were simple, ordinary family moments: walking over the water, sharing a meal, watching the waves, and enjoying a place that felt uniquely Malibu. Today, the end of the pier remains closed because of confirmed structural concerns, with no repair schedule, no identified funding source, and no estimated date for reopening.
That is not an acceptable long-term plan for one of California’s most treasured coastal resources.
The closure is especially concerning as we prepare for another winter and the possibility of El Niño conditions. El Niño can bring stronger storms, heavier rainfall, larger swells, and increased coastal erosion. Saltwater, corrosion, heavy surf, wind, and winter storms do not pause while agencies review reports and search for funding. Every season that passes without a defined stabilization and repair plan creates additional risk.
This same urgency must extend to the historic Adamson House. The state needs to take better care of this irreplaceable property and make sure it is protected from erosion and the possibility of being washed away. We are scheduled to have another large swell on Monday. While that may be fun for surfers, it is not fun for those of us who worry about the safety of our coastal infrastructure and historic resources.
Once we lose the pier, we may never get it back. Losing it would mean losing an irreplaceable part of California’s history, character, and charm.
The City of Malibu is already working collaboratively with Caltrans to prepare for winter and to address the shoring and stabilization of Pacific Coast Highway. That work is essential. PCH is a lifeline for residents, businesses, emergency responders, and visitors, and we are doing everything we can to prepare for the impacts of severe weather.
But that raises an obvious question: Why is it so difficult to get the same level of attention and urgency for Malibu Pier?
The City of Malibu does not own, operate, control, maintain, inspect, or repair Malibu Pier or the Adamson House. These are state properties under the responsibility of California State Parks. Decisions concerning their structural condition, stabilization, maintenance, funding, contracting, repair, and reopening rest with the state and the responsible state agencies. Malibu may advocate for action and offer to assist with coordination, but the City cannot independently undertake work on state property or assume responsibilities that belong to the state. The state must act now to protect these historic resources and should remain accountable for their condition.
This is not about assigning blame. It is about preventing prolonged deterioration from becoming a larger and more expensive public safety emergency and about ensuring that a historic structure is not lost forever through delay.
California State Parks initially closed the end of the pier after preliminary findings identified structural concerns. More detailed assessments later confirmed those concerns. State Parks has publicly stated that it is reviewing repair options, estimating costs, and attempting to identify funding. It has also said that it cannot provide even a tentative timeline for reopening.
The public deserves greater urgency and transparency.
What did the detailed structural assessments find? What repairs are necessary? Does the closed portion require immediate stabilization before the next winter storm season? How will El Niño conditions affect the structure? What is the estimated cost? Which state funding programs are being pursued? What agencies must issue permits? Most importantly, when will the work begin?
State Parks should publicly release the structural findings, present its repair strategy at a Malibu City Council meeting, and provide regular written updates until the pier is fully restored. If additional engineering work is required, it should be authorized immediately. If emergency stabilization is recommended, it should not be delayed while the state develops a longer-term restoration project.
I am calling upon the Governor, the California Natural Resources Agency, our state legislative delegation, and the California Coastal Commission to help State Parks move this project forward. This should include identifying emergency and capital funding, coordinating the necessary environmental and coastal permits, and establishing a realistic schedule for stabilization, construction, and reopening.
Malibu is prepared to help coordinate that effort. Our community understands that restoring a historic ocean structure is complicated. We understand that engineering, environmental review, permitting, procurement, and funding take time. What we cannot accept is an indefinite closure with no publicly defined path forward, especially while the region is preparing for another potentially severe winter.
The pier supports local businesses, employees, fishermen, visitors, and families. Its closure affects more than the businesses located at its end. It diminishes public access and removes a place where generations of families far and wide have made memories. For my children, the pier was once a place where we could share a meal at the diner and enjoy the ocean together. Those experiences should not become only memories.
The closure also adds another burden to a community still recovering from the Palisades Fire and years of disruption along Pacific Coast Highway. Malibu residents are frequently told that an issue belongs to another agency. PCH belongs to Caltrans. The beaches and pier belong to State Parks. Fire protection is provided by Los Angeles County. Those jurisdictional lines may determine which agency signs a contract, but they do not make the consequences any less real for the people who live here.
The State of California has a duty to maintain the public resources it owns and to communicate honestly when those resources require urgent attention. Malibu Pier should not be left in a state of indefinite uncertainty while another storm season approaches and the community works with Caltrans to prepare PCH for winter conditions.
We do not need another study sitting on a shelf. We need transparency, stabilization if necessary, identified funding, and a repair schedule.
Malibu Pier has survived storms, fire, and nearly a century of exposure to the Pacific Ocean. Preserving it will require the same urgency and determination that generations before us showed when they fought to restore it.
Once it is gone, it may be impossible to replace. We cannot allow delay to erase a place that is woven into Malibu’s history and charm.
The time to act is before the next emergency, not after it.