Opinion: Malibu Courthouse call to action open letter

By By Haylynn Conrad, Malibu resident and City Councilmember · Fri Nov 13 2026

Dear Malibu city residents, This is an open letter to you all as a call to action. I keep hearing the same question from Malibu residents. Why doesn’t the City Council just ask for the courthouse back? I’ve sent this and other requests below about seven times to different agencies since I was elected two years ago, including the Judicial Council of California. I’ve had a number of Zoom meetings with the state, the Judicial Council, and the county. I've watched the mayors I’ve served with write letters asking for the same thing.

The City of Malibu doesn’t own the courthouse. Los Angeles County and the Judicial Council have an agreement that governs the property, and they’re the ones who can make it available. Malibu can ask, and we have for years. The decision is theirs, but the burden is ours.

I’m writing on my own behalf as a Malibu resident and an individual member of the City Council. I don’t speak for the full council. I believe the people who can release this property need to hear directly from the people who live here. You! Council has kept asking, and we still don’t have a decision. Now I’m asking my neighbors to add their voices.

The former courthouse at 23525 Civic Center Way has been closed to the public since May 2013. It’s right next to our library, in the middle of Malibu, where land for public use is hard to come by.

Our own county fire chief, Drew Smith, has asked for land for a new modern fire station, as they've outgrown central Malibu's Station 88. I think this site is worth looking at as one possible location for a future Fire Station 88. The former courthouse space has also come up as a possible way to expand the library if available. Malibu residents should have a say before any use is chosen.

We need a senior center. We have been exploring building a possible performing arts center, and we talk about adaptive reuse well; here is an opportunity to reuse a building, but we can't.

What I’m asking for today is simple. I want the Judicial Council and Los Angeles County to release the courthouse space so Malibu can consider how to put it back to public use.

We have asked the Judicial Council of California and Los Angeles County to release the courthouse, but despite meetings and letters, the Judicial Council has made no commitment. We've been patient for more than 13 years. It’s time for them to tell us what steps are left and give us a date for a decision.

If you live in Malibu, please email me at HConrad@malibucity.org. I’ll send you an electronic copy of the sample letter below that you can personalize and send. You can also write directly to JudicialCouncil@jud.ca.gov and copy ThirdDistrict@bos.lacounty.gov.

Please write today. The people making this decision need to hear how much it matters to the people who live here as soon as possible.

A sample letter Malibu residents can send. They have heard from me. They need to hear from you!

Dear Members of the Judicial Council of California and County District 3,

I live in Malibu, and I’m asking you to work with Los Angeles County to release the former courthouse at 23525 Civic Center Way so our community can consider how to use it.

The courthouse has been closed to the public since May 2013. This is on county-owned land, and this space is right next to our library in our city. There are real needs worth looking at, including more room to expand the library and a possible site for a modern fire station. I want Malibu residents to have a chance to weigh in on what makes sense here rather than having an empty building with the lights on 24 hours a day.

We’ve waited long enough. We have endured fires, mudslides, closures of PCH, and coastal erosion. We need your support to release this building so the city and county can use it. Please tell us who has the authority to release the space, what steps are left, and when we can expect a decision.

This is our city, and we deserve a say in how this public property can serve our community again.

Thank you,

[Your name]

Malibu resident