Yolanda Bundy oversees Malibu’s new Rebuild Center, offering permit help and tech-driven support
As many homeowners and some businesses rebuild after the Palisades Fire, Yolanda Bundy, the director of the newly established Community Development Department, oversees the Malibu Rebuild Center, which offers in-person and online support for those applying for building permits, including assisting with such matters as arranging geotechnical, biological and other assessments, dealing with foundations and seawalls and installing septic systems, solar panels and energy storage systems, and many other matters that have to be addressed to rebuild.
The fire destroyed 720 structures in Malibu, and many others were damaged. Clearly, the task of rebuilding is enormous, and the city of Malibu is doing all it can to help those rebuilding, Bundy assures.
This is not Bundy’s first rodeo. She brings nearly 20 years of experience in the public sector to the role. She holds a master’s degree in structural engineering and is a state-licensed registered professional engineer (civil) in California, andshe is a certified building official, fire code official, and a California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) safety assessment program coordinator.
“I helped with the Thomas Fire in my prior job in Ventura, and I’ve helped residents and businesses in Malibu after the Woolsey, Broad, and Franklin fires and now, my staff and I are helping with the Palisades Fire,” Bundy commented. “The more I go through this process, the more immersed my heart is in helping victims rebuild. I also focus on long-term recovery and consider the future for the entire town as we rebuild. I serve with passion and I want my staff to be motivated to do so as well.”
Bundy’s new position comes after the consolidation of the Environmental Sustainability and Planning Departments. The Malibu City Council decided on Nov. 25, 2024, to consolidate the two departments, a restructuring recommended by consultant Baker Tilly, whose 2023 Development Services Report stated that consolidation was designed to increase efficiency, improve service delivery, and create a more streamlined development process for Malibu. The new department brings together six divisions — planning, long-range planning, building safety, code enforcement, environmental programs, and administration.
“For the Community Development Department, I oversee approximately 55 employees and our department is supported by 131 consultants,” Bundy explained. “We all are committed to help those who need to rebuild move forward in doing so.”
Readers can access the Malibu Rebuilds website at maliburebuilds.org.
The status of rebuilding efforts
Debris removal has been completed for all but 14 properties, including four commercial properties, Bundy explained, noting the city has established an abatement program and is reaching out to those property owners who still have not cleared debris. “Most of those residents are dealing with insurance company issues,” she stated.
Currently, no building permits have been issued. “We are very close with regard to our first permit issuing,” Bundy noted.“It is a beachfront property and I anticipate its permit will be issued in approximately one month. To date, I have not seen any applications for commercial permits.”
There have been a total of 319 initial visits to the rebuild center, Bundy recounted, noting that there have been 258 comeback meetings. Thirty properties are seeking approval from the planning officials while five are in the building and safety process.
The latest AI technology helps expedite plan checks
Bundy explained that the city’s development portal coordinates all phases of planning. “We use Bluebeam, a plan check software that allows us to do digital plan checks and to be more efficient,” she said. “Applications and other documents can be reviewed by multiple departments at the same time and the city is also in the beginning phases of utilizing Archistar, which will be a tool to help us build more complete construction files.”
Archistar, a digital compliance platform employing artificial intelligence, fast-tracks building permit checks and has been adopted by the City of Los Angeles and LA County.
Solar
The city of Malibu is also partnering with Symbium to provide an automated permitting platform to establish rapid plan reviews and create consistent permitting practices for automated permitting of residential solar and energy storage systems. Doing so assists the city in complying with the requirements of Senate Bill 379, which was approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2002, Bundy explained.
Newsom’s executive order N-29-25 exempts residents’ rebuilds from stricter solar and energy building requirements that take effect on Jan. 1, 2026, Bundy noted. According to a statement from the governor’s office, the order also exempts the rebuilds from the requirement to install rooftop solar and battery storage systems. However, homeowners are still required to build “Solar Ready” structures, ensuring that the necessary infrastructure is in place for future solar energy system installation.
Self-certification is under consideration
“The City Council has directed our staff to explore allowing self-certification by licensed architects in some circumstances,” Bundy noted. “However, I’m not sure how much we can use self-certification in Malibu because of the complexities involved in building in Malibu after our disaster and it would be extremely challenging to do so in the context of geohazards.”
All in all, with the opening of the rebuild center, the use of AI-assisted technology to process permit and inspection applications, Bundy anticipates that the processing of permits will be much more rapid than it was for past fires.
Many who are beginning the rebuilding process find the process daunting and Abe Roy, recently appointed by the City Council to serve as an ambassador to help coordinate communications between rebuilding homeowners and city staff, states that many who are rebuilding think the process with the city is going too slowly.
“While Malibu residents understand the challenges of coastal development, they are growing increasingly frustrated with the slow pace of progress, especially compared to neighboring Pacific Palisades, which shares similar topography and has issued over 100 permits,” Roy said.
While Bundy seeks to be responsive to all residents, she also is trying to assist the City Council in addressing the need to fund the largest rebuilding effort in the history of the city of Malibu.
“The city has been meeting with FEMA and CalOES to coordinate long-term recovery and to address funding needs,” Bundy said, noting that the expense of rebuilding such a significant part of Malibu is enormous, both for the city and for residents. “We will be holding a workshop for residents with regard to FEMA soon. Further, the City Council is considering fee waivers — we are trying to do all we can to alleviate these expenses for the families.”
